97 research outputs found
Phonon-assisted relaxation between hole states in quantum dot molecules
We study theoretically phonon-assisted relaxation and inelastic tunneling of
holes in a double quantum dot. We derive hole states and relaxation rates from
kp Hamiltonians and show that there is a finite distance between the dots where
lifetimes of hole states are very long which is related to vanishing tunnel
coupling. We show also that the light hole admixture to hole states can
considerably affect the hole relaxation rates even though its magnitude is very
small
Topologically confined states at corrugations of gated bilayer graphene
We investigate the electronic and transport properties of gated bilayer
graphene with one corrugated layer, which results in a stacking AB/BA boundary.
When a gate voltage is applied to one layer, topologically protected gap states
appear at the corrugation, which reveal as robust transport channels along the
stacking boundary. With increasing size of the corrugation, more localized,
quantum-well-like states emerge. These finite-size states are also conductive
along the fold, but in contrast to the stacking boundary states, which are
gapless, they present a gap. We have also studied periodic corrugations in
bilayer graphene; our findings show that such corrugations between AB- and
BA-stacked regions behave as conducting channels that can be easily identified
by their shape
Controlling the layer localization of gapless states in bilayer graphene with a gate voltage
Experiments in gated bilayer graphene with stacking domain walls present
topological gapless states protected by no-valley mixing. Here we research
these states under gate voltages using atomistic models, which allow us to
elucidate their origin. We find that the gate potential controls the layer
localization of the two states, which switches non-trivially between layers
depending on the applied gate voltage magnitude. We also show how these bilayer
gapless states arise from bands of single-layer graphene by analyzing the
formation of carbon bonds between layers. Based on this analysis we provide a
model Hamiltonian with analytical solutions, which explains the layer
localization as a function of the ratio between the applied potential and
interlayer hopping. Our results open a route for the manipulation of gapless
states in electronic devices, analogous to the proposed writing and reading
memories in topological insulators
Interface States in Carbon Nanotube Junctions: Rolling up graphene
We study the origin of interface states in carbon nanotube intramolecular
junctions between achiral tubes. By applying the Born-von Karman boundary
condition to an interface between armchair- and zigzag-terminated graphene
layers, we are able to explain their number and energies. We show that these
interface states, costumarily attributed to the presence of topological
defects, are actually related to zigzag edge states, as those of graphene
zigzag nanoribbons. Spatial localization of interface states is seen to vary
greatly, and may extend appreciably into either side of the junction. Our
results give an alternative explanation to the unusual decay length measured
for interface states of semiconductor nanotube junctions, and could be further
tested by local probe spectroscopies
Electronic properties of graphene grain boundaries
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence.Grain boundaries and defect lines in graphene are intensively studied for their novel electronic and magnetic properties. However, there is not a complete comprehension of the appearance of localized states along these defects. Graphene grain boundaries are herein seen as the outcome of matching two semi-infinite graphene sheets with different edges. We classify the energy spectra of grain boundaries into three different types, directly related to the combination of the four basic classes of spectra of graphene edges. From the specific geometry of the grains, we are able to obtain the band structure and the number of localized states close to the Fermi energy. This provides a new understanding of states localized at grain boundaries, showing that they are derived from the edge states of graphene. Such knowledge is crucial for the ultimate tailoring of electronic and optoelectronic applications.This work was supported by the Polish National Science Center (grant DEC-2011/03/B/ST3/00091), the Basque Government through the NANOMATERIALS project (grant IE05-151) under the ETORTEK Program (iNanogune), the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (grants FIS2010-21282-C02-02, FIS2012-33521 and MONACEM projects), and the University of the Basque Country (grant no. IT-366-07).Peer Reviewe
Faraday Rotation Spectroscopy of Quantum-Dot Quantum Wells
Time-resolved Faraday rotation studies of CdS/CdSe/CdS quantum-dot quantum
wells have recently shown that the Faraday rotation angle exhibits several
well-defined resonances as a function of probe energy close to the absorption
edge. Here, we calculate the Faraday rotation angle from the eigenstates of the
quantum-dot quantum well obtained with k.p theory. We show that the large
number of narrow resonances with comparable spectral weight observed in
experiment is not reproduced by the level scheme of a quantum-dot quantum well
with perfect spherical symmetry. A simple model for broken spherical symmetry
yields results in better qualitative agreement with experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Electron-Hole Correlations and Optical Excitonic Gaps in Quantum-Dot Quantum Wells: Tight-Binding Approach
Electron-hole correlation in quantum-dot quantum wells (QDQW's) is
investigated by incorporating Coulomb and exchange interactions into an
empirical tight-binding model. Sufficient electron and hole single-particle
states close to the band edge are included in the configuration to achieve
convergence of the first spin-singlet and triplet excitonic energies within a
few meV. Coulomb shifts of about 100 meV and exchange splittings of about 1 meV
are found for CdS/HgS/CdS QDQW's (4.7 nm CdS core diameter, 0.3 nm HgS well
width and 0.3 nm to 1.5 nm CdS clad thickness) which have been characterized
experimentally by Weller and co-workers [ D. Schooss, A. Mews, A. Eychmuller,
H. Weller, Phys. Rev. B, 49, 17072 (1994)]. The optical excitonic gaps
calculated for those QDQW's are in good agreement with the experiment.Comment: 3 figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Multiband theory of quantum-dot quantum wells: Dark excitons, bright excitons, and charge separation in heteronanostructures
Electron, hole, and exciton states of multishell CdS/HgS/CdS quantum-dot
quantum well nanocrystals are determined by use of a multiband theory that
includes valence-band mixing, modeled with a 6-band Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian,
and nonparabolicity of the conduction band. The multiband theory correctly
describes the recently observed dark-exciton ground state and the lowest,
optically active, bright-exciton states. Charge separation in pair states is
identified. Previous single-band theories could not describe these states or
account for charge separation.Comment: 10 pages of ReVTex, 6 ps figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Octagonal defects at carbon nanotube junctions,”
We investigate knee-shaped junctions of semiconductor zigzag carbon nanotubes. Two dissimilar octagons appear at such junctions; one of them can reconstruct into a pair of pentagons. The junction with two octagons presents two degenerate localized states at Fermi energy ( ). The reconstructed junction has only one state near , indicating that these localized states are related to the octagonal defects. The inclusion of Coulomb interaction splits the localized states in the junction with two octagons, yielding an antiferromagnetic system
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