Topological flat band models with arbitrary Chern numbers

We report the theoretical discovery of a systematic scheme to produce topological flat bands (TFBs) with arbitrary Chern numbers. We find that generically a multi-orbital high Chern number TFB model can be constructed by considering multi-layer Chern number C=1 TFB models with enhanced translational symmetry. A series of models are presented as examples, including a two-band model on a triangular lattice with a Chern number C=3 and an $N$-band square lattice model with $C=N$ for an arbitrary integer $N$. In all these models, the flatness ratio for the TFBs is larger than 30 and increases with increasing Chern number. In the presence of appropriate inter-particle interactions, these models are likely to lead to the formation of novel Abelian and Non-Abelian fractional Chern insulators. As a simple example, we test the C=2 model with hardcore bosons at 1/3 filling and an intriguing fractional quantum Hall state is observed.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Spin-dependent tunneling through a symmetric semiconductor barrier: the Dresselhaus effect

Spin-dependent tunneling through a symmetric semiconductor barrier is studied including the k^3 Dresselhaus effect. The spin-dependent transmission of electron can be obtained analytically. By comparing with previous work(Phys. Rev. B 67. R201304 (2003) and Phys. Rev. Lett. 93. 056601 (2004)), it is shown that the spin polarization and interface current are changed significantly by including the off-diagonal elements in the current operator, and can be enhanced considerably by the Dresselhaus effect in the contact regions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, to appear in PR

Intrinsic Spin Hall Effect Induced by Quantum Phase Transition in HgCdTe Quantum Wells

Spin Hall effect can be induced both by the extrinsic impurity scattering and by the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling in the electronic structure. The HgTe/CdTe quantum well has a quantum phase transition where the electronic structure changes from normal to inverted. We show that the intrinsic spin Hall effect of the conduction band vanishes on the normal side, while it is finite on the inverted side. This difference gives a direct mechanism to experimentally distinguish the intrinsic spin Hall effect from the extrinsic one.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

A Possible Mechanism for "Late Phase" in Stellar White-Light Flares

M-dwarf flares observed by the \textit{Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite} (\textit{TESS}) sometimes exhibit a "peak-bump" light-curve morphology, characterized by a secondary, gradual peak well after the main, impulsive peak. A similar "late phase" is frequently detected in solar flares observed in the extreme-ultraviolet from longer hot coronal loops distinct from the impulsive flare structures. White-light emission has also been observed in off-limb solar flare loops. Here, we perform a suite of one-dimensional hydrodynamic loop simulations for M-dwarf flares inspired by these solar examples. Our results suggest that coronal plasma condensation following impulsive flare heating can yield high electron number density in the loop, allowing it to contribute significantly to the optical light curves via free-bound and free-free emission mechanisms. Our simulation results qualitatively agree with \textit{TESS} observations: the longer evolutionary time scale of coronal loops produces a distinct, secondary emission peak; its intensity increases with the injected flare energy. We argue that coronal plasma condensation is a possible mechanism for the \textit{TESS} late-phase flares.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Quasiparticles in the Pseudogap Phase of Underdoped Cuprate

Recent angle resolved photoemission \cite{yang-nature-08} and scanning tunneling microscopy \cite{kohsaka-nature-08} measurements on underdoped cuprates have yielded new spectroscopic information on quasiparticles in the pseudogap phase. New features of the normal state such as particle-hole asymmetry, maxima in the energy dispersion and accompanying drops in the spectral weight of quasiparticles agree with the ansatz of Yang \textit{et al.} for the single particle propagator in the pseudogap phase. The coherent quasiparticle dispersion and reduced asymmetry in the tunneling density of states in the superconducting state can also be described by this propagator.Comment: updated version, 6 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, EPL 86 (2009) 37002 (https://www.epletters.net