acase@tulane.edu / In the present study a few approaches are developed for theoretical investigation of vibrational energy propagation in highly ordered polymers and linear atomic chains. Density matrix formalism applied to explain the transition between ballistic and diffusive regimes in polymers, the diffusive and ballistic regimes of energy transport are described in terms of asymptotic limits of exact solution of Liouville-Bloch equation. Energy bands theory is developed for oligomeric structures such as perfluoroalkane and alkane compounds, as an example, practical application for understanding experimental data for alkane is discussed. Also, purely electronic torsional mode in linear atomic chains, such as cumulene, is considered. The speed of up to 1000~km/s for electronic sound is predicted, the spectrum of quanta (torsitons) of torsional electronic mode in cumulene is obtained. / 1 / Arkady Kurnosov

Experimental studies presented in this thesis have shown the first realisation of resonant tunnelling transport through two impurities in a vertical double-barrier tunnelling diode; have proved the chiral nature of charge carriers in graphene by studying ballistic transport through graphene $p$-$n$ junctions; have demonstrated significant differences of $1/f$ noise in graphene compared with conventional two-dimensional systems. Magnetic field parallel to the current has been used to investigate resonant tunnelling through a double impurity in a vertical double-barrier resonant tunnelling diode, by measuring the current-voltage and differential conductance-voltage characteristics of the structure. It is shown that such experiments allow one to obtain the energy levels, the effective electron mass and spatial positions of the impurities. The chiral nature of the carriers in graphene has been demonstrated by comparing measurements of the conductance of a graphene $p$-$n$-$p$ structure with the predictions of diffusive models. This allowed us to find, unambiguously, the contribution of ballistic resistance of graphene $p$-$n$ junctions to the total resistance of the $p$-$n$-$p$ structure. In order to do this, the band profile of the $p$-$n$-$p$ structure has been calculated using the realistic density of states in graphene. It has been shown that the developed models of diffusive transport can be applied to explain the main features of the magnetoresistance of $p$-$n$-$p$ structures. It was shown that $1/f$ noise in graphene has much more complicated concentration and temperature dependences near the Dirac point than in usual metallic systems, possibly due to the existence of the electron-hole puddles in the electro-neutrality region. In the regions of high carrier concentration where no inhomogeneity is expected, the noise has an inverse square root dependence on the concentration, which is also in contradiction with the Hooge relation.

In this thesis various subjects at the crossroads of quantummechanics and device physics are treated, spanning from afundamental study on quantum measurements to fabricationtechniques of controlling gates for nanoelectroniccomponents. Electron waveguide components, i.e. electronic componentswith a size such that the wave nature of the electron dominatesthe device characteristics, are treated both experimentally andtheoretically. On the experimental side, evidence of partialballistic transport at room-temperature has been found anddevices controlled by in-plane Pt/GaAs gates have beenfabricated exhibiting an order of magnitude improvedgate-efficiency as compared to an earlier gate-technology. Onthe theoretical side, a novel numerical method forself-consistent simulations of electron waveguide devices hasbeen developed. The method is unique as it incorporates anenergy resolved charge density calculation allowing for e.g.calculations of electron waveguide devices to which a finitebias is applied. The method has then been used in discussionson the influence of space-charge on gate-control of electronwaveguide Y-branch switches. Electron waveguides were also used in a proposal for a novelscheme of carrierinjection in low-dimensional semiconductorlasers, a scheme which altogether by- passes the problem ofslow carrier relaxation in suchstructures. By studying aquantum mechanical two-level system serving as a model forelectroabsorption modulators, the ultimate limits of possiblemodulation rates of such modulators have been assessed andfound to largely be determined by the adiabatic response of thesystem. The possibility of using a microwave field to controlRabi oscillations in two-level systems such that a large numberof states can be engineered has also been explored. A more fundamental study on quantum mechanical measurementshas been done, in which the transition from a classical to aquantum "interaction free" measurement was studied, making aconnection with quantum non-demolition measurements.

After the pioneering investigations into graphene-based electronics at Georgia Tech, great strides have been made developing epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide (EG) as a new electronic material. EG has not only demonstrated its potential for large scale applications, it also has become an important material for fundamental two-dimensional electron gas physics. Graphene is generally considered to be a strong candidate to succeed silicon as an electronic material. However, to date, it actually has not yet demonstrated capabilities that exceed standard semiconducting materials. One disadvantage of conventionally fabricated graphene devices is that nanoscopically patterned graphene tends to have disordered edges that severely reduce mobilities thereby obviating its advantage over other materials. The other disadvantage is that pristine graphene does not contain a band gap, which is critical for standard field effect transistor to operate. This thesis will show that graphene grown on structured silicon carbide surfaces overcomes the edge roughness and promises to provide an inroad into nanoscale patterning of graphene. High-quality ribbons and rings can be made using this technique.

<p>In this thesis various subjects at the crossroads of quantummechanics and device physics are treated, spanning from afundamental study on quantum measurements to fabricationtechniques of controlling gates for nanoelectroniccomponents.</p><p>Electron waveguide components, i.e. electronic componentswith a size such that the wave nature of the electron dominatesthe device characteristics, are treated both experimentally andtheoretically. On the experimental side, evidence of partialballistic transport at room-temperature has been found anddevices controlled by in-plane Pt/GaAs gates have beenfabricated exhibiting an order of magnitude improvedgate-efficiency as compared to an earlier gate-technology. Onthe theoretical side, a novel numerical method forself-consistent simulations of electron waveguide devices hasbeen developed. The method is unique as it incorporates anenergy resolved charge density calculation allowing for e.g.calculations of electron waveguide devices to which a finitebias is applied. The method has then been used in discussionson the influence of space-charge on gate-control of electronwaveguide Y-branch switches.</p><p>Electron waveguides were also used in a proposal for a novelscheme of carrierinjection in low-dimensional semiconductorlasers, a scheme which altogether by- passes the problem ofslow carrier relaxation in suchstructures. By studying aquantum mechanical two-level system serving as a model forelectroabsorption modulators, the ultimate limits of possiblemodulation rates of such modulators have been assessed andfound to largely be determined by the adiabatic response of thesystem. The possibility of using a microwave field to controlRabi oscillations in two-level systems such that a large numberof states can be engineered has also been explored.</p><p>A more fundamental study on quantum mechanical measurementshas been done, in which the transition from a classical to aquantum "interaction free" measurement was studied, making aconnection with quantum non-demolition measurements.</p>

No description available.

<p>This thesis addresses electron spin phenomena in semi-conductor quantum dots/anti-dots from a computational perspective. In the first paper (paper I) we have studied spin-dependent transport through open quantum dots, i.e., dots strongly coupled to their leads, within the Hubbard model. Results in this model were found consistent with experimental data and suggest that spin-degeneracy is lifted inside the dot – even at zero magnetic field.</p><p>Similar systems were also studied with electron-electron effects incorporated via Density Functional Theory (DFT) in paper III. Within DFT we found a significant spin-polarisation in the dot at low electron densities. As the electron density increases the spin polarisation in the dot gradually diminishes. These findings are consistent with available experimental observations. Notably, the polarisation is qualitatively different from the one found in the Hubbard model – this indicates that the simplified approach to electronelectron interaction in the Hubbard model might not always be reliable.</p><p>In paper II we propose a spin-filter device based on resonant backscattering of edge states against a quantum anti-dot embedded in a quantum wire. A magnetic field is applied and the spin up/spin down states are separated through Zeeman splitting. Their respective resonant states may be tuned so that the device can be used to filter either spin in a controlled way.</p> / Report code: LIU-Tek-Lic 2005:65

No description available.

CASTRO, Luan Veira de. Transporte balístico em dispositivos de grafeno nanoestruturados. 2015. 83 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Física) - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Departamento de Física, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2015. / Submitted by Edvander Pires (edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2016-01-05T20:08:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_lvcastro.pdf: 15542997 bytes, checksum: 6f4e517b4e288990d33f8f864427ecd6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Edvander Pires(edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2016-01-05T20:08:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_lvcastro.pdf: 15542997 bytes, checksum: 6f4e517b4e288990d33f8f864427ecd6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-05T20:08:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_lvcastro.pdf: 15542997 bytes, checksum: 6f4e517b4e288990d33f8f864427ecd6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / In this dissertation, we studied the electronic properties of a graphene nanoestructure under influence of external fields. We considered the application of an uniform transversal electric field and an uniform perpendicular magnetic field. Using a nearest-neighbor Tigh-binding model, we investigated how those fields change the band structure and the local density of states (LDOS) of the system. Then, we studied the transport properties of nanostructures. We assumed ballistic transport due to the long mean free path of graphene. Through a numerical model that it consists in solving the Tight-binding Hamiltonian in real space and the combination of the boundary conditions between the central region and the reservoir, we calculated the transmission coefficients for two specifics systems: First, for a graphene ribbon under the influence of a transversal electric field in a region of finite length; Next, for a three terminal ballistic junction (JBTT) of graphene under the influence of a transversal electric field in the region immediately before the junction. / Nesta dissertação, estudamos as propriedades eletrônicas de nanoestruturas de grafeno submetidas a campos externos. Consideramos a aplicação de um campo elétrico uniforme transversal e um campo magnético uniforme perpendicular à estrutura. Utilizando um modelo Tight-binding com hopping de primeiros vizinhos, vimos como esses campos modificam a estrutura de bandas e a densidade local de estados (LDOS) do sistema. Em seguida, estudamos as propriedades de transporte das nanoestruturas. Consideramos transporte balístico devido ao longo livre caminho médio do grafeno. Através de um modelo numérico que consiste em resolver o Hamiltoniano Tight-binding no espa ̧co real e combinar condições de contorno entre a região central e os reservatórios, calculamos os coeficientes de transporte para dois sistemas específicos: Primeiro, para uma nanofita de grafeno submetida a um campo elétrico transversal em uma região de extensão finita. Em seguida, para uma junção balística de três terminais (JBTT) de grafeno submetida a um campo elétrico transversal na região imediatamente adjacente à junção.

Electrical transport in materials is typically diffusive, due to dominant momentum-relaxing scattering of carriers with the phonons or defects. In ultraclean material systems such as GaAs/AlGaAs or graphene/hBN heterostructures, momentum-relaxing can be suppressed, leading to the onset of non-diffusive transport regimes, where Ohm's law is no longer valid. Within these non-diffusive regimes, the hydrodynamic regime occurs when momentum-conserving electron-electron scattering length scale is smaller than the device length scale (usually at intermediate temperatures). On the other hand, weak electron-electron scattering (at low temperatures) results in ballistic transport, commonly understood using the familiar single-particle framework of injected carriers travelling in straight line trajectories with intermittent reflections off device boundaries. Both the ballistic and hydrodynamic regimes can exhibit a emph{negative} nonlocal resistance, and collective behaviour such as the formation of current vortices. In this work, we study nonlocal current-voltage characteristics in mesoscopic devices fabricated from a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure that hosts a two-dimensional electron system in a GaAs quantum well. First, we report a quadratic non-linearity in the nonlocal current-voltage characteristics that manifests in any device where a nonlocal voltage measurement is possible. Using measurements at low temperatures ($sim$ 4 K) across multiple devices and considering various contact configurations for each device, we show that the non-linearity is universal. We apply the non-linearity to rectification and frequency multiplication. We also report on a periodic peaks in the nonlocal voltage vs. magnetic field, in an enclosed mesoscopic geometry in which transverse magnetic focusing (TMF) is typically studied. These peaks occur at weak magnetic fields, are independent of the source-detector separation and are distinct from TMF. Our experimental findings are backed by an extensive set of simulations using in both the semiclassical as well as quantum-coherent transport models. / Master of Science / Current is made up of charged particles such as electrons moving through a material. Typically, current is proportional to the applied voltage and flows from higher to lower potential within the device with the potential decreasing monotonically as we move from the source contact to the drain contact irrespective of the path taken through the device. This is commonly known as Ohm's law, and is followed in most materials we come across. The motion of electrons carrying this current is akin to the motion of balls inside a pinball machine, their momentum randomized by intermittent collisions due to lattice vibrations, defects and impurities present in the material. In ultraclean two-dimensional materials at low-intermediate temperatures (where lattice vibration is weak), these collisions become sparse. Collisions of electrons with other electrons now become important. When electron-electron collisions are frequent, the electrons collectively behave like a fluid, giving rise to so called hydrodynamic transport. On the other hand, when electron-electron collisions are sparse as well, electrons move unhindered in ballistic straight line trajectories until they reflect off the device boundaries. This is known as ballistic transport. Under both these transport regimes, Ohm's law breaks down, leading to interesting physical phenomena such as the formation of current whirlpools. In this work, we study the voltage measured at a point in the device which is distinct from the point where current is injected or extracted. This is commonly known as the nonlocal voltage. We explore the relationship between the nonlocal voltage and the injected current and find it to be significantly different from predictions made by Ohm's law. We use this novel current-voltage relationship to build a rectifier and frequency multiplier - two devices commonly used in high-frequency detection, radar systems and telecommunications. We also report previously unseen periodic oscillations in the nonlocal voltage when the magnetic field perpendicular to the device is varied. Using high-resolution simulations, we show the these oscillations can not be explained by looking at individual electron paths, and arise due to contribution from all electrons that travel through the device.