Theory of optical and THz transitions in carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoribbons and flat nanoclusters

This thesis is devoted to the optical properties of low-dimensional structures based on such two-dimensional materials as graphene, silicene and phosphorene. We investigate optical properties of a variety of quasi-one dimensional and quasi-zero-dimensional structures, which are promising for future optoelectronics. Primarily we focus on their low-energy optical properties and how these properties are influenced by the structures’ geometry, external fields, intrinsic strain and edge disorder. As a consequence of this endeavor, we find several interesting effects such as correlation between the optical properties of tubes and ribbons whose periodic and ‘hard wall’ boundary conditions are matched and a universal value of matrix element in narrow-gap tubes and ribbons characterizing probability of transitions across the band gap opened up by intrinsic strain originating from the tube’s surface curvature or ribbon’s edge relaxation. The analytical study of the gapped 2D Dirac materials such as silicene and germanene, which have some similarity to the aforementioned quasi-one-dimensional systems in terms of physical description, reveals a valley- and polarization-dependent selection rules. It was also found that absorption coefficient should change in gapped materials with increasing frequency and become a half of its value for gap edge transitions when the spectrum is linear. Our analysis of the electronic properties of flat clusters of silicene and phosphorene relates the emergence and the number of the peculiar edge states localized at zero energy, so-called zero-energy states, which are know to be of topological origin, to the cluster’s structural characteristics such as shape and size. This allows to predict the presence and the number of such states avoiding complicated topological arguments and provides a recipes for design of metallic and dielectric clusters. We show that zero-energy states are optically active and can be efficiently manipulated by external electric field. However, the edge disorder is important to take into account. We present a new fractal-based methodology to study the effects of the edge disorder which can be applied also to modeling of composite materials. These finding should be useful in design of optoelectronic devices such as tunable emitters and detectors in a wide region of electromagnetic spectrum ranging form the mid-infrared and THz to the optical frequencies.EU FP7 ITN NOTEDEVEU H2020 RISE project CoExA

Momentum alignment and the optical valley Hall effect in low-dimensional Dirac materials

We study the momentum alignment phenomenon and the optical control of valley population in gapless and gapped graphene-like materials. We show that the trigonal warping effect allows for the spatial separation of carriers belonging to different valleys via the application of linearly polarized light. Valley separation in gapped materials can be detected by measuring the degree of circular polarization of band-edge photoluminescence at different sides of the sample or light spot (optical valley Hall effect). We also show that the momentum alignment phenomenon leads to the giant enhancement of near-band-edge interband optical transitions in narrow-gap carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons independent of the mechanism of the gap formation. A detection scheme to observe these giant interband transitions is proposed which opens a route for creating novel terahertz radiation emitters.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure

Tuning terahertz transitions in a double-gated quantum ring

We theoretically investigate the optical functionality of a semiconducting quantum ring manipulated by two electrostatic lateral gates used to induce a double quantum well along the ring. The well parameters and corresponding inter-level spacings, which lie in the THz range, are highly sensitive to the gate voltages. Our analysis shows that selection rules for inter-level dipole transitions, caused by linearly polarized excitations, depend on the polarization angle with respect to the gates. In striking difference from the conventional symmetric double well potential, the ring geometry permits polarization-dependent transitions between the ground and second excited states, allowing the use of this structure in a three-level lasing scheme.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Zigzag-Shaped Superlattices on the Basis of Graphene Nanoribbons: Structure and Electronic Properties

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.The paper focuses on superlattices consisting of two coplanar fragments of one-layer graphene nanoribbons that have different width and are connected at an angle. Classification of such superlattices was carried out; their electronic properties were studied using the tight-binding method. It was demonstrated that in superlattices consisting of two fragments of graphene nanoribbons with armchair edges connected at an angle of 60°, the band gap can be regulated by the number of dimeric carbon atom chains of one of the fragments. In that case one can observe a periodic dependence of the band gap on the number of chains with a characteristic period equal to three dimeric chains. The number of dimeric chains of the second superlattice fragment regulates the average band gap value near which the periodic oscillations occur, as well as the amplitude of those oscillations. Therefore, one can accomplish a sufficiently precise band gap tuning for such structures. Such tuning can find its wide application in the booming carbon nanoelectronics industry when creating generators, amplifiers and sensors in the nanochains.This research was supported by projects FP7 ITN NOTEDEV(FP7-607521), CACOMEL(FP7-247007), FAEMCAR (FP7-318617) and CANTOR (FP7-612285); project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2014 CoExAN (SEP-210156718); European Graphene Flagship project (604391), as well as by the Belarusian Ministry of Education (grant 20140773), Belarusian State University (grant 11, 2014), and the international grant AFOSR “Nanosized CherenkovType Terahertz Light Emitter Based on Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Bi-graphene Nanoribbons”

Optical selection rules of zigzag graphene nanoribbons

PublishedThis is the final version of the article. Available from American Physical Society via the DOI in this record.We present an analytical tight-binding theory of the optical properties of graphene nanoribbons with zigzag edges. Applying the transfer matrix technique to the nearest-neighbor tight-binding Hamiltonian, we derive analytical expressions for electron wave functions and optical transition matrix elements for incident light polarized along the structure axis. It follows from the obtained results that optical selection rules result from the wave function parity factor (−1)J, where J is the band number. These selection rules are that ΔJ is odd for transitions between valence and conduction subbands and that ΔJ is even for transitions between only valence (conduction) subbands. Although these selection rules are different from those in armchair carbon nanotubes, there is a hidden correlation between absorption spectra of the two structures that should allow one to use them interchangeably in some applications. The correlation originates from the fact that van Hove singularities in the tubes are centered between those in the ribbons if the ribbon width is about a half of the tubes circumference. The analysis of the matrix elements dependence on the electron wave vector for narrow ribbons shows a smooth nonsingular behavior at the Dirac points and the points where the bulk states meet the edge states.This work was supported by the EU FP7 ITN NOTEDEV (Grant No. FP7-607521), EU H2020 RISE project CoExAN (Grant No. H2020-644076), FP7 IRSES projects CANTOR (Grant No. FP7-612285), QOCaN (Grant No. FP7-316432), InterNoM (Grant No. FP7-612624), and Graphene Flagship (Grant No. 604391). The authors are very thankful to R. Keens and C. A. Downing for a careful reading of the manuscript and to A. Shytov and K. G. Batrakov for useful advice and fruitful discussions

Electro-absorption of silicene and bilayer graphene quantum dots

We study numerically the optical properties of low-buckled silicene and AB-stacked bilayer graphene quantum dots subjected to an external electric field, which is normal to their surface. Within the tight-binding model, the optical absorption is calculated for quantum dots, of triangular and hexagonal shapes, with zigzag and armchair edge terminations. We show that in triangular silicene clusters with zigzag edges a rich and widely tunable infrared absorption peak structure originates from transitions involving zero energy states. The edge of absorption in silicene quantum dots undergoes red shift in the external electric field for triangular clusters, whereas blue shift takes place for hexagonal ones. In small clusters of bilayer graphene with zigzag edges the edge of absorption undergoes blue/red shift for triangular/hexagonal geometry. In armchair clusters of silicene blue shift of the absorption edge takes place for both cluster shapes, while red shift is inherent for both shapes of the bilayer graphene quantum dots.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Are economists rational or just different?

Economics students are more likely than others to act self-interestedly and less likely to behave cooperatively, behaviour which is rational from the viewpoint of many economic theories. Students in other disciplines may have another conception of wha t is rational. The latter may be more likely to behave cooperatively and less likely to behave self-interestedly. We have been comparing the behaviour of students from different disciplines in simple ultimatum bargaining and prisoner\u27s dilemma games. Our paper discusses some of the ways in which different academic disciplines both reinforce and elaborate upon student\u27s conceptions of rationality

Development of control system for automated manipulator

The paper is devoted to investigation of manipulators for plating lines and their modes of operation, as well as the development of a control system for gantry autooperator (LLC KTM-2000). The manipulator motion cyclograms for a given technological regulations were developed and presented. Article in English. Automatinio manipuliatoriaus valdymo sistema Santrauka  Analizuojama galvaninio padengimo linijos automatinio manipuliatoriaus valdymo sistema, apibendrinamos išvados. Pateiktos pagal nustatytą technologinio proceso aprašą sudarytos judėjimo ciklogramos bei loginės funkcijos. Reikšminiai žodžiai: valdymo sistema, automatinis manipuliatorius, ciklograma

The Moderating Effects of the Need for Multinational Investment on State Repression

What are the effects of resource endowments on state repression? This paper theorizes that states are more likely to engage in repression to secure resource-rich areas to maximize the state’s profits, with repression intensity varying by whether the resource requires outside investment to extract. Should resource extraction require outside investment, states must restrain their repression and share profits with an external multinational corporation. This theory yields predictions that there will be higher levels of state repression closer to sites of natural resources, and that overall levels of repression will be lower in areas with resources that require multinational investment than in areas with resources that the state can extract with its own capabilities. This is tested using a logit model and PRIO-GRID cell-years and repression data from the UCDP's Georeferenced Event Dataset.Master of Art

Strong Light-Matter Coupling in Carbon Nanotubes as a Route to Exciton Brightening

We show that strong light-matter coupling can be used to overcome a long standing problem that has prevented efficient optical emission from carbon nanotubes. The luminescence from the nominally bright exciton states of carbon nanotubes is quenched due to the fast nonradiative scattering to the dark exciton state having a lower energy. We present a theoretical analysis to show that by placing carbon nanotubes in an optical microcavity the bright exctonic state may be split into two hybrid exciton-polariton states, while the dark state remains unaltered. For sufficiently strong coupling between the bright exciton and the cavity, we show that the energy of the lower polariton may be pushed below that of the dark exciton. This overturning of the relative energies of the bright and dark excitons prevents the dark exciton from quenching the emission. Our resutls pave the way for a new approach to band-engineering the properties of the nanoscale optoelectronic devices.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figures, 6 pages of supplementary materials, 1 supplementary figur