291 research outputs found
Kramers-Kronig constrained variational analysis of optical spectra
A universal method of extraction of the complex dielectric function
from
experimentally accessible optical quantities is developed. The central idea is
that is parameterized independently at each node of a
properly chosen anchor frequency mesh, while is
dynamically coupled to by the Kramers-Kronig (KK)
transformation. This approach can be regarded as a limiting case of the
multi-oscillator fitting of spectra, when the number of oscillators is of the
order of the number of experimental points. In the case of the normal-incidence
reflectivity from a semi-infinite isotropic sample the new method gives
essentially the same result as the conventional KK transformation of
reflectivity. In contrast to the conventional approaches, the proposed
technique is applicable, without readaptation, to virtually all types of
linear-response optical measurements, or arbitrary combinations of
measurements, such as reflectivity, transmission, ellipsometry {\it etc.}, done
on different types of samples, including thin films and anisotropic crystals.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Universal Dynamic Conductivity and Quantized Visible Opacity of Suspended Graphene
We show that the optical transparency of suspended graphene is defined by the
fine structure constant, alpha, the parameter that describes coupling between
light and relativistic electrons and is traditionally associated with quantum
electrodynamics rather than condensed matter physics. Despite being only one
atom thick, graphene is found to absorb a significant (pi times alpha=2.3%)
fraction of incident white light, which is a consequence of graphene's unique
electronic structure. This value translates into universal dynamic conductivity
G =e^2/4h_bar within a few percent accuracy
Dephasing of Local Vibrations in a Planar Lattice of Adsorbed Molecules
We investigate anharmonically coupled high- and low-frequency excitations in
a planar lattice of adsorbed molecules interacting with phonons of a crystal.
Dephasing of high-frequency local vibrations by low-frequency resonance modes
is described in terms of temperature Green's function. The equations obtained
are solved, first, with a small ratio of the anharmonic coupling coefficient
for high- and low-frequency modes to the resonance width, and second, in the
low-temperature limit. High-frequency spectral line positions and widths depend
on dispersion laws and resonance mode lifetimes. It is shown that lateral
interactions of low-frequency modes of adsorbed molecules can lead to a
significant narrowing of high-frequency spectral lines, which is consistent
with experimental data.Comment: REVTeX, 11 pages, no figure
Two-state behaviour of Kondo trimers
The electronic properties and spectroscopic features of a magnetic trimer
with a Kondo-like coupling to a non-magnetic metallic substrate are analyzed at
zero temperature. The substrate density of states is depressed in the trimer
neighbourhood, being exactly zero at the substrate chemical potential. The size
of the resonance strongly depends on the magnetic state of the trimer, and
exhibits a two-state behavior. The geometrical dependence of these results
agree qualitatively with recent experiments and could be reproduced in a
triangular quantum dot arrangement.Comment: 5 pages, including 4 figure
Infrared Spectroscopy of Quantum Crossbars
Infrared (IR) spectroscopy can be used as an important and effective tool for
probing periodic networks of quantum wires or nanotubes (quantum crossbars,
QCB) at finite frequencies far from the Luttinger liquid fixed point. Plasmon
excitations in QCB may be involved in resonance diffraction of incident
electromagnetic waves and in optical absorption in the IR part of the spectrum.
Direct absorption of external electric field in QCB strongly depends on the
direction of the wave vector This results in two types of
dimensional crossover with varying angle of an incident wave or its frequency.
In the case of QCB interacting with semiconductor substrate, capacitive contact
between them does not destroy the Luttinger liquid character of the long wave
QCB excitations. However, the dielectric losses on a substrate surface are
significantly changed due to appearance of additional Landau damping. The
latter is initiated by diffraction processes on QCB superlattice and manifests
itself as strong but narrow absorption peaks lying below the damping region of
an isolated substrate.SubmiComment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Model-Independent Sum Rule Analysis Based on Limited-Range Spectral Data
Partial sum rules are widely used in physics to separate low- and high-energy
degrees of freedom of complex dynamical systems. Their application, though, is
challenged in practice by the always finite spectrometer bandwidth and is often
performed using risky model-dependent extrapolations. We show that, given
spectra of the real and imaginary parts of any causal frequency-dependent
response function (for example, optical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility,
acoustical impedance etc.) in a limited range, the sum-rule integral from zero
to a certain cutoff frequency inside this range can be safely derived using
only the Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations without any extra model
assumptions. This implies that experimental techniques providing both active
and reactive response components independently, such as spectroscopic
ellipsometry in optics, allow an extrapolation-independent determination of
spectral weight 'hidden' below the lowest accessible frequency.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Oxygen isotope effect and phase separation in the optical conductivity of (LaPr)CaMnO thin films
The optical conductivities of films of
(LaPr)CaMnO with different oxygen isotopes
(O and O) have been determined in the spectral range from 0.3 to
4.3 eV using a combination of transmission in the mid-infrared and ellipsometry
from the near-infrared to ultra-violet regions. We have found that the isotope
exchange strongly affects the optical response in the ferromagnetic phase in a
broad frequency range, in contrast to the almost isotope-independent optical
conductivity above . The substitution by O strongly suppresses the
Drude response and a mid-infrared peak while enhancing the conductivity peak at
1.5 eV. A qualitative explanation can be given in terms of the phase separation
present in these materials. Moreover, the optical response is similar to the
one extracted from measurements in polished samples and other thin films, which
signals to the importance of internal strain.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, to appear in PR
Kondo effect in systems with dynamical symmetries
This paper is devoted to a systematic exposure of the Kondo physics in
quantum dots for which the low energy spin excitations consist of a few
different spin multiplets . Under certain conditions (to be
explained below) some of the lowest energy levels are nearly
degenerate. The dot in its ground state cannot then be regarded as a simple
quantum top in the sense that beside its spin operator other dot (vector)
operators are needed (in order to fully determine its quantum
states), which have non-zero matrix elements between states of different spin
multiplets . These "Runge-Lenz"
operators do not appear in the isolated dot-Hamiltonian (so in some sense they
are "hidden"). Yet, they are exposed when tunneling between dot and leads is
switched on. The effective spin Hamiltonian which couples the metallic electron
spin with the operators of the dot then contains new exchange terms,
beside the ubiquitous ones . The operators and generate a
dynamical group (usually SO(n)). Remarkably, the value of can be controlled
by gate voltages, indicating that abstract concepts such as dynamical symmetry
groups are experimentally realizable. Moreover, when an external magnetic field
is applied then, under favorable circumstances, the exchange interaction
involves solely the Runge-Lenz operators and the corresponding
dynamical symmetry group is SU(n). For example, the celebrated group SU(3) is
realized in triple quantum dot with four electrons.Comment: 24 two-column page
Tunable Excitons in Biased Bilayer Graphene
Recent measurements have shown that a continuously tunable bandgap of up to
250 meV can be generated in biased bilayer graphene [Y. Zhang et al., Nature
459, 820 (2009)], opening up pathway for possible graphene-based nanoelectronic
and nanophotonic devices operating at room temperature. Here, we show that the
optical response of this system is dominated by bound excitons. The main
feature of the optical absorbance spectrum is determined by a single symmetric
peak arising from excitons, a profile that is markedly different from that of
an interband transition picture. Under laboratory conditions, the binding
energy of the excitons may be tuned with the external bias going from zero to
several tens of meV's. These novel strong excitonic behaviors result from a
peculiar, effective ``one-dimensional'' joint density of states and a
continuously-tunable bandgap in biased bilayer graphene. Moreover, we show that
the electronic structure (level degeneracy, optical selection rules, etc.) of
the bound excitons in a biased bilayer graphene is markedly different from that
of a two-dimensional hydrogen atom because of the pseudospin physics
- …