Graphene n-p junction in a strong magnetic field: a semiclassical study

We provide a semiclassical description of the electronic transport through graphene n-p junctions in the quantum Hall regime. A semiclassical approximation for the conductance is derived in terms of the various snake-like trajectories at the interface of the junction. For a symmetric (ambipolar) configuration, the general result can be recovered by means of a simple scattering approach, providing a very transparent qualitative description of the problem under study. Consequences of our findings for the understanding of recent experiments are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Semiclassical magnetotransport in graphene n-p junctions

We provide a semiclassical description of the electronic transport through graphene n-p junctions in the quantum Hall regime. This framework is known to experimentally exhibit conductance plateaus whose origin is still not fully understood. In the magnetic regime (E < vF B), we show the conductance of excited states is essentially zero, while that of the ground state depends on the boundary conditions considered at the edge of the sample. In the electric regime (E > vF B), for a step-like electrostatic potential (abrupt on the scale of the magnetic length), we derive a semiclassical approximation for the conductance in terms of the various snake-like trajectories at the interface of the junction. For a symmetric configuration, the general result can be recovered using a simple scattering approach, providing a transparent analysis of the problem under study. We thoroughly discuss the semiclassical predicted behavior for the conductance and conclude that any approach using fully phase-coherent electrons will hardly account for the experimentally observed plateaus.Comment: 22 pages, 19 figure

Many-body effects in the mesoscopic x-ray edge problem

Many-body phenomena, a key interest in the investigation of bulk solid state systems, are studied here in the context of the x-ray edge problem for mesoscopic systems. We investigate the many-body effects associated with the sudden perturbation following the x-ray excitation of a core electron into the conduction band. For small systems with dimensions at the nanoscale we find considerable deviations from the well-understood metallic case where Anderson orthogonality catastrophe and the Mahan-Nozieres-DeDominicis response cause characteristic deviations of the photoabsorption cross section from the naive expectation. Whereas the K-edge is typically rounded in metallic systems, we find a slightly peaked K-edge in generic mesoscopic systems with chaotic-coherent electron dynamics. Thus the behavior of the photoabsorption cross section at threshold depends on the system size and is different for the metallic and the mesoscopic case.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings ``Quantum Mechanics and Chaos'' (Osaka 2006

'Phase diagram' of a mean field game

Mean field games were introduced by J-M.Lasry and P-L. Lions in the mathematical community, and independently by M. Huang and co-workers in the engineering community, to deal with optimization problems when the number of agents becomes very large. In this article we study in detail a particular example called the 'seminar problem' introduced by O.Gu\'eant, J-M Lasry, and P-L. Lions in 2010. This model contains the main ingredients of any mean field game but has the particular feature that all agent are coupled only through a simple random event (the seminar starting time) that they all contribute to form. In the mean field limit, this event becomes deterministic and its value can be fixed through a self consistent procedure. This allows for a rather thorough understanding of the solutions of the problem, through both exact results and a detailed analysis of various limiting regimes. For a sensible class of initial configurations, distinct behaviors can be associated to different domains in the parameter space . For this reason, the 'seminar problem' appears to be an interesting toy model on which both intuition and technical approaches can be tested as a preliminary study toward more complex mean field game models

Quadratic Mean Field Games

Mean field games were introduced independently by J-M. Lasry and P-L. Lions, and by M. Huang, R.P. Malham\'e and P. E. Caines, in order to bring a new approach to optimization problems with a large number of interacting agents. The description of such models split in two parts, one describing the evolution of the density of players in some parameter space, the other the value of a cost functional each player tries to minimize for himself, anticipating on the rational behavior of the others. Quadratic Mean Field Games form a particular class among these systems, in which the dynamics of each player is governed by a controlled Langevin equation with an associated cost functional quadratic in the control parameter. In such cases, there exists a deep relationship with the non-linear Schr\"odinger equation in imaginary time, connexion which lead to effective approximation schemes as well as a better understanding of the behavior of Mean Field Games. The aim of this paper is to serve as an introduction to Quadratic Mean Field Games and their connexion with the non-linear Schr\"odinger equation, providing to physicists a good entry point into this new and exciting field.Comment: 62 pages, 4 figure

Chaos gives quantum tunnelling a hand

copyright IOP Publishing LtdOn atomic scales, events that are classically forbidden for energetic reasons can take place because the quantum particles can "tunnel" under a potential barrier. Now physicists in Australia and the US have shown that chaos can assist this fascinating phenomenon