Metastable electron-electron states in double-layer graphene structures

PublishedJournal ArticleThe prototypical exciton model of two interacting Dirac particles in graphene was analyzed in J. Sabio, Phys. Rev. B 81, 045428 (2010)PRBMDO1098-012110.1103/PhysRevB.81.045428 and it was found that in one of the electron-hole scattering channels the total kinetic energy vanishes, resulting in a singular behavior. We show that this singularity can be removed by extending the quasiparticle dispersion, thus breaking the symmetry between upper and lower Dirac cones. The dynamics of an electron-electron pair are then mapped onto that of a single particle with negative mass and anisotropic dispersion. We show that the interplay between dispersion and repulsive interaction can result in the formation of bound, Cooper-pair-like, metastable states in double-layered hybrid structures.The authors wish to thank V. I. Fal’ko and M. V. Berry for insightful discussions. A.V.S. is supported by EPSRC/HEFCE Grant No. EP/G036101/1

Metastable electron-electron states in double-layer graphene structures

The prototypical exciton model of two interacting Dirac particles in graphene was analyzed in [1] and it was found that in one of the electron-hole scattering channels the total kinetic energy vanishes, resulting in a singular behaviour. We show that this singularity can be removed by extending the quasiparticle dispersion, thus breaking the symmetry between upper and lower Dirac cones. The dynamics of an electron-electron pair are then mapped onto that of a single particle with negative mass and anisotropic dispersion. We show that the interplay between dispersion and repulsive interaction can result in the formation of bound, Cooper-pair-like, metastable states in double-layered hybrid structures.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Bi-electron bound states in single- and double-layer graphene nanostructures

The prototypical exciton model of two interacting Dirac particles in graphene was analysed by Sabio et al, Phys. Rev. B 81, 045428 (2010), and it was found that in one of the electron-hole scattering channels the total kinetic energy vanishes, resulting in a singular behaviour. We show that this singularity can be removed by extending the quasiparticle dispersion, thus breaking the symmetry between upper and lower Dirac cones. The dynamics of an electron-electron pair are then mapped onto that of a single particle with negative mass and anisotropic dispersion. We show that the interplay between dispersion and repulsive interaction can result in the formation of bound, Cooper-pair-like, metastable states in double-layered hybrid structures. We analyse these states by calculating their binding energies, decay rates into the free- electron continuum and semiclassical trajectories. We also analyse the problem of bi-electron pairing with the inclusion of the two dominant many-body effects at zero temperature: screening of the Coulomb interaction by the Dirac sea, and reduction of the available phase space due to Pauli blocking of transitions into the states below the Fermi level. We show that these effects result in strong renormalization of the binding energy, but do not destroy the metastable states. Thus the binding energies are strongly dependent on the chemical potential owing to the combined effects of screening and Pauli blocking. Hence, the quasibound resonances can be tuned by electrostatic doping.College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exete

Starting the conversation: land issues and critical conservation studies in post-colonial Africa

This thematic issue brings together the scholarly fields of critical conservation studies and African land issues, a relationship largely unexplored to date. The alienation of land for conservation purposes, introduced to Africa under colonial rule and still taking place today, has fundamental impacts on the politics of land and land use, and is contested in contemporary nation-states - including those that are attempting to implement land restitution and reform. The contributors explore these issues in a range of African contexts. Three key themes are identified: the problematic constructions of ‘community’ by outside agencies; spatial exclusion and the silencing of local voices; and the neoliberalisation of conservation spaces. In contributing to new perspectives on these themes, this thematic issue shows how discourses and practices of conservation, increasingly shaped by neoliberalism, currently impact on land ownership, access and use. It further highlights some important historical continuities. These trends can be observed in transfrontier conservation areas, on state-owned land used for conservation and ‘green’ initiatives, but also on private land where conservation is increasingly turned to commercial purposes.International Bibliography of Social Science

The Profumo affair in popular culture: The Keeler Affair (1963) and ‘the commercial exploitation of a public scandal’

This article demonstrates that the Profumo affair, which obsessed Britain for large parts of 1963, was not simply a political scandal, but was also an important cultural event. Focussing on the production of The Keeler Affair, a feature film that figured prominently in contemporary coverage of the scandal but which has been largely overlooked since, the article shows that this film emerged from a situation in which cultural entrepreneurs, many of them associated with the satire boom, sought to exploit the scandal for financial gain. Many Profumo-related cultural products found an audience, and thus formed an integral part of, and helped to shape public attitudes towards, the Profumo affair. However, these products did not go uncontested, and resistance to them, and especially to the idea that Keeler might benefit materially from her role in the scandal, speak to concerns about cultural mediations of sex, politics and humour in early-1960s Britain

Tungi's offshore island

Showing a woman standing ankle-deep in the sea. In her right hand she is carrying a plate-like object. In the middle of the picture is a thatched building and on the far right is the edge of a brick (?) building

'Kiakia' [boat] and bathers, Betio harbour

A view of the boat 'Kiakia' with a group of children sitting on the bow

Mukeiras : band marching

A side-on view of a group of men playing musical instruments as they walk along