Search results for "Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics"
showing 10 items of 716 documents
Spin structure and spin Hall magnetoresistance of epitaxial thin films of the insulating non-collinear antiferromagnet SmFeO3
2019
We report a combined study of imaging the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin structure and measuring the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in epitaxial thin films of the insulating non-collinear antiferromagnet SmFeO$_3$. X-ray magnetic linear dichroism photoemission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the AFM spins of the SmFeO$_3$(110) align in the plane of the film. Angularly dependent magnetoresistance measurements show that SmFeO$_3$/Ta bilayers exhibit a positive SMR, in contrast to the negative SMR expected in previously studied collinear AFMs. The SMR amplitude increases linearly with increasing external magnetic field at higher magnetic field, suggesting that field-induced canti…
Broadband Terahertz Probes of Anisotropic Magnetoresistance Disentangle Extrinsic and Intrinsic Contributions
2021
Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) is a ubiquitous and versatile probe of magnetic order in contemporary spintronics research. Its origins are usually ascribed to extrinsic effects (i.e. spin-dependent electron scattering), whereas intrinsic (i.e. scattering-independent) contributions are neglected. Here, we measure AMR of polycrystalline thin films of the standard ferromagnets Co, Ni, Ni81Fe19 and Ni50Fe50 over the frequency range from DC to 28 THz. The large bandwidth covers the regimes of both diffusive and ballistic intraband electron transport and, thus, allows us to separate extrinsic and intrinsic AMR components. Analysis of the THz response based on Boltzmann transport theory revea…
Achromatic Varifocal Metalens for the Visible Spectrum
2019
Metasurface optics provide an ultra-thin alternative to conventional refractive lenses. A present challenge is in realizing metasurfaces that exhibit tunable optical properties and achromatic behavior across the visible spectrum. Here, we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of metasurface lenses ("metalenses") that use asymmetric TiO2 nanostructures to induce a polarization-dependent optical response. By rotating the polarization of linearly-polarized input light, the focal length of a 40 micrometer-diameter metalens is tuned from 220-550 micrometers with nearly diffraction-limited performance. We show that imparting a wavelength-dependent polarization rotation on incident …
Electron-induced limitation of surface plasmon propagation in silver nanowires
2013
Plasmonic circuitry is considered as a promising solution-effective technology for miniaturizing and integrating the next generation of optical nano-devices. A key element is the shared metal network between electrical and optical information enabling an efficient hetero-integration of an electronic control layer and a plasmonic data link. Here, we investigate to what extend surface plasmons and current-carrying electrons interfere in such a shared circuitry. By synchronously recording surface plasmon propagation and electrical output characteristics of single chemically-synthesized silver nanowires we determine the limiting factors hindering the co-propagation of electrical current and sur…
Nanowires: A route to efficient thermoelectric devices
2019
Miniaturization of electronic devices aims at manufacturing ever smaller products, from mesoscopic to nanoscopic sizes. This trend is challenging because the increased levels of dissipated power demands a better understanding of heat transport in small volumes. A significant amount of the consumed energy in electronics is transformed into heat and dissipated to the environment. Thermoelectric materials offer the possibility to harness dissipated energy and make devices less energy-demanding. Heat-to-electricity conversion requires materials with a strongly suppressed thermal conductivity but still high electronic conduction. Nanowires can meet nicely these two requirements because enhanced …
Two-Dimensional Antimony Oxide
2020
Two-dimensional (2D) antimony, so-called antimonene, can form antimonene oxide when exposed to air. We present different types of single- and few-layer antimony oxide structures, based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Depending on stoichiometry and bonding type, these novel 2D layers have different structural stability and electronic properties, ranging from topological insulators to semiconductors with direct and indirect band gaps between 2.0 and 4.9 eV. We discuss their vibrational properties and Raman spectra for experimental identification of the predicted structures.
Exciton-Phonon Coupling in the Ultraviolet Absorption and Emission Spectra of Bulk Hexagonal Boron Nitride
2018
We present an \textit{ab initio} method to calculate phonon-assisted absorption and emission spectra in the presence of strong excitonic effects. We apply the method to bulk hexagonal BN which has an indirect band gap and is known for its strong luminescence in the UV range. We first analyse the excitons at the wave vector $\overline{q}$ of the indirect gap. The coupling of these excitons with the various phonon modes at $\overline{q}$ is expressed in terms of a product of the mean square displacement of the atoms and the second derivative of the optical response function with respect to atomic displacement along the phonon eigenvectors. The derivatives are calculated numerically with a fin…
Influence of Phonon dimensionality on Electron Energy Relaxation
2007
We studied experimentally the role of phonon dimensionality on electron-phonon (e-p) interaction in thin copper wires evaporated either on suspended silicon nitride membranes or on bulk substrates, at sub-Kelvin temperatures. The power emitted from electrons to phonons was measured using sensitive normal metal-insulator-superconductor (NIS) tunnel junction thermometers. Membrane thicknesses ranging from 30 nm to 750 nm were used to clearly see the onset of the effects of two-dimensional (2D) phonon system. We observed for the first time that a 2D phonon spectrum clearly changes the temperature dependence and strength of the e-p scattering rate, with the interaction becoming stronger at the …
Tunable phonon-cavity coupling in graphene membranes
2016
A major achievement of the past decade has been the realization of macroscopic quantum systems by exploiting the interactions between optical cavities and mechanical resonators. In these systems, phonons are coherently annihilated or created in exchange for photons. Similar phenomena have recently been observed through phonon-cavity coupling - energy exchange between the modes of a single system mediated by intrinsic material nonlinearity. This has so far been demonstrated primarily for bulk crystalline, high-quality-factor (Q > 105) mechanical systems operated at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we propose graphene as an ideal candidate for the study of such nonlinear mechanics. The large …
Optical properties of wurtzite GaN/AlN quantum dots grown on non-polar planes: the effect of stacking faults in the reduction of the internal electri…
2016
The optical emission of non-polar GaN/AlN quantum dots has been investigated. The presence of stacking faults inside these quantum dots is evidenced in the dependence of the photoluminescence with temperature and excitation power. A theoretical model for the electronic structure and optical properties of non-polar quantum dots, taking into account their realistic shapes, is presented which predicts a substantial reduction of the internal electric field but a persisting quantum confined Stark effect, comparable to that of polar GaN/AlN quantum dots. Modeling the effect of a 3 monolayer stacking fault inside the quantum dot, which acts as zinc-blende inclusion into the wurtzite matrix, result…