Electron-optical phonon coupling in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rietschel, H.

1975-01-01

The role of the optical phonons in superconductivity is investigated in the case of compounds with different atomic masses Msub(k). It is shown that the electron mass enhancement factor lambda is independent of Msub(k) if the force constant matrix is mass independent. However, when using lambda to calculate Tsub(c), it must be decomposed into its acoustical and optical contributions, which depend separately on Msub(k). Interference scattering from a light and a heavy mass is studied and its contributions to lambda within the free electron approximation. Numerical results are presented for a rocksalt structure crystal with nearest and next nearest neighbour coupling. These results indicate that the optical phonon contributions to lambda may substantially increase Tsub(c). (orig.) [de

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-04-30

thought possible only a decade ago. This revolution of the ARPES technique and its scientific impact result from dramatic advances in four essential components: instrumental resolution and efficiency, sample manipulation, high quality samples and well-matched scientific issues. The purpose of this treatise is to go through the prominent results obtained from ARPES on cuprate superconductors. Because there have been a number of recent reviews on the electronic structures of high-T{sub c} materials, we will mainly present the latest results not covered previously, with a special attention given on the electron-phonon interaction in cuprate superconductors. What has emerged is rich information about the anomalous electron-phonon interaction well beyond the traditional views of the subject. It exhibits strong doping, momentum and phonon symmetry dependence, and shows complex interplay with the strong electron-electron interaction in these materials. ARPES experiments have been instrumental in identifying the electronic structure, observing and detailing the electron-phonon mode coupling behavior, and mapping the doping evolution of the high-T{sub c} cuprates. The spectra evolve from the strongly coupled, polaronic spectra seen in underdoped cuprates to the Migdal-Eliashberg like spectra seen in the optimally and overdoped cuprates. In addition to the marked doping dependence, the cuprates exhibit pronounced anisotropy with direction in the Brillouin zone: sharp quasiparticles along the nodal direction that broaden significantly in the anti-nodal region of the underdoped cuprates, an anisotropic electron-phonon coupling vertex for particular modes identified in the optimal and overdoped compounds, and preferential scattering across the two parallel pieces of Fermi surface in the antinodal region for all doping levels. This also contributes to the pseudogap effect. To the extent that the Migdal-Eliashberg picture applies, the spectra of the cuprates bear resemblance to that

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-01-01

only a decade ago. This revolution of the ARPES technique and its scientific impact result from dramatic advances in four essential components: instrumental resolution and efficiency, sample manipulation, high quality samples and well-matched scientific issues. The purpose of this treatise is to go through the prominent results obtained from ARPES on cuprate superconductors. Because there have been a number of recent reviews on the electronic structures of high-T c materials, we will mainly present the latest results not covered previously, with a special attention given on the electron-phonon interaction in cuprate superconductors. What has emerged is rich information about the anomalous electron-phonon interaction well beyond the traditional views of the subject. It exhibits strong doping, momentum and phonon symmetry dependence, and shows complex interplay with the strong electron-electron interaction in these materials. ARPES experiments have been instrumental in identifying the electronic structure, observing and detailing the electron-phonon mode coupling behavior, and mapping the doping evolution of the high-T c cuprates. The spectra evolve from the strongly coupled, polaronic spectra seen in underdoped cuprates to the Migdal-Eliashberg like spectra seen in the optimally and overdoped cuprates. In addition to the marked doping dependence, the cuprates exhibit pronounced anisotropy with direction in the Brillouin zone: sharp quasiparticles along the nodal direction that broaden significantly in the anti-nodal region of the underdoped cuprates, an anisotropic electron-phonon coupling vertex for particular modes identified in the optimal and overdoped compounds, and preferential scattering across the two parallel pieces of Fermi surface in the antinodal region for all doping levels. This also contributes to the pseudogap effect. To the extent that the Migdal-Eliashberg picture applies, the spectra of the cuprates bear resemblance to that seen in established

Transient thermal and nonthermal electron and phonon relaxation after short-pulsed laser heating of metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giri, Ashutosh; Hopkins, Patrick E.

2015-01-01

Several dynamic thermal and nonthermal scattering processes affect ultrafast heat transfer in metals after short-pulsed laser heating. Even with decades of measurements of electron-phonon relaxation, the role of thermal vs. nonthermal electron and phonon scattering on overall electron energy transfer to the phonons remains unclear. In this work, we derive an analytical expression for the electron-phonon coupling factor in a metal that includes contributions from equilibrium and nonequilibrium distributions of electrons. While the contribution from the nonthermal electrons to electron-phonon coupling is non-negligible, the increase in the electron relaxation rates with increasing laser fluence measured by thermoreflectance techniques cannot be accounted for by only considering electron-phonon relaxations. We conclude that electron-electron scattering along with electron-phonon scattering have to be considered simultaneously to correctly predict the transient nature of electron relaxation during and after short-pulsed heating of metals at elevated electron temperatures. Furthermore, for high electron temperature perturbations achieved at high absorbed laser fluences, we show good agreement between our model, which accounts for d-band excitations, and previous experimental data. Our model can be extended to other free electron metals with the knowledge of the density of states of electrons in the metals and considering electronic excitations from non-Fermi surface states

Ultrafast electron-lattice coupling dynamics in VO2 and V2O3 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, Elsa; Gilbert Corder, Stephanie N.; Yun, Sun Jin; Wang, Siming; Ramírez, Juan Gabriel; West, Kevin; Zhang, Jingdi; Kittiwatanakul, Salinporn; Schuller, Ivan K.; Lu, Jiwei; Wolf, Stuart A.; Kim, Hyun-Tak; Liu, Mengkun; Averitt, Richard D.

2017-09-01

Ultrafast optical pump-optical probe and optical pump-terahertz probe spectroscopy were performed on vanadium dioxide (VO2) and vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3 ) thin films over a wide temperature range. A comparison of the experimental data from these two different techniques and two different vanadium oxides, in particular a comparison of the spectral weight oscillations generated by the photoinduced longitudinal acoustic modulation, reveals the strong electron-phonon coupling that exists in both materials. The low-energy Drude response of V2O3 appears more amenable than VO2 to ultrafast strain control. Additionally, our results provide a measurement of the temperature dependence of the sound velocity in both systems, revealing a four- to fivefold increase in VO2 and a three- to fivefold increase in V2O3 across the insulator-to-metal phase transition. Our data also confirm observations of strong damping and phonon anharmonicity in the metallic phase of VO2, and suggest that a similar phenomenon might be at play in the metallic phase of V2O3 . More generally, our simple table-top approach provides relevant and detailed information about dynamical lattice properties of vanadium oxides, paving the way to similar studies in other complex materials.

Picosecond phase-velocity dispersion of hypersonic phonons imaged with ultrafast electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cremons, Daniel R.; Du, Daniel X.; Flannigan, David J.

2017-01-01

We describe the direct imaging—with four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy—of the emergence, evolution, dispersion, and decay of photoexcited, hypersonic coherent acoustic phonons in nanoscale germanium wedges. Coherent strain waves generated via ultrafast in situ photoexcitation were imaged propagating with initial phase velocities of up to 35 km/s across discrete micrometer-scale crystal regions. We then observe that, while each wave front travels at a constant velocity, the entire wave train evolves with a time-varying phase-velocity dispersion, displaying a single-exponential decay to the longitudinal speed of sound (5 km/s) and with a mean lifetime of 280 ps. We also find that the wave trains propagate along a single in-plane direction oriented parallel to striations introduced during specimen preparation, independent of crystallographic direction. Elastic-plate modeling indicates the dynamics arise from excitation of a single, symmetric (dilatational) guided acoustic mode. Further, by precisely determining the experiment time-zero position with a plasma-lensing method, we find that wave-front emergence occurs approximately 100 ps after femtosecond photoexcitation, which matches well with Auger recombination times in germanium. We conclude by discussing the similarities between the imaged hypersonic strain-wave dynamics and electron/hole plasma-wave dynamics in strongly photoexcited semiconductors.

Picosecond phase-velocity dispersion of hypersonic phonons imaged with ultrafast electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cremons, Daniel R.; Du, Daniel X.; Flannigan, David J.

2017-12-01

Here, we describe the direct imaging—with four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy—of the emergence, evolution, dispersion, and decay of photoexcited, hypersonic coherent acoustic phonons in nanoscale germanium wedges. Coherent strain waves generated via ultrafast in situ photoexcitation were imaged propagating with initial phase velocities of up to 35 km/s across discrete micrometer-scale crystal regions. We observe that, while each wave front travels at a constant velocity, the entire wave train evolves with a time-varying phase-velocity dispersion, displaying a single-exponential decay to the longitudinal speed of sound (5 km/s) and with a mean lifetime of 280 ps. We also find that the wave trains propagate along a single in-plane direction oriented parallel to striations introduced during specimen preparation, independent of crystallographic direction. Elastic-plate modeling indicates the dynamics arise from excitation of a single, symmetric (dilatational) guided acoustic mode. Further, by precisely determining the experiment time-zero position with a plasma-lensing method, we find that wave-front emergence occurs approximately 100 ps after femtosecond photoexcitation, which matches well with Auger recombination times in germanium. We conclude by discussing the similarities between the imaged hypersonic strain-wave dynamics and electron/hole plasma-wave dynamics in strongly photoexcited semiconductors.

SmB6 electron-phonon coupling constant from time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Sterzi, A.; Crepaldi, A.; Cilento, F.; Manzoni, G.; Frantzeskakis, E.; Zacchigna, M.; van Heumen, E.; Huang, Y. K.; Golden, M. S.; Parmigiani, F.

2016-08-01

SmB6 is a mixed valence Kondo system resulting from the hybridization between localized f electrons and delocalized d electrons. We have investigated its out-of-equilibrium electron dynamics by means of time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The transient electronic population above the Fermi level can be described by a time-dependent Fermi-Dirac distribution. By solving a two-temperature model that well reproduces the relaxation dynamics of the effective electronic temperature, we estimate the electron-phonon coupling constant λ to range from 0.13 ±0.03 to 0.04 ±0.01 . These extremes are obtained assuming a coupling of the electrons with either a phonon mode at 10 or 19 meV. A realistic value of the average phonon energy will give an actual value of λ within this range. Our results provide an experimental report on the material electron-phonon coupling, contributing to both the electronic transport and the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of SmB6.

Electronic structure and electron-phonon coupling in layered copper oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickett, W.E.; Cohen, R.E.; Krakauer, H.

1991-01-01

Experimental data on the layered Cu-O superconductors seem more and more to reflect normal Fermi-liquid behavior and substantial correspondence with band structure predictions. Recent self-consistent, microscopic band theoretic calculations of the electronic structure, lattice instabilities, phonon frequencies, and electron-phonon coupling characteristics and strength for La 2 CuO 4 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 are reviewed. A dominant feature of the coupling is a novel Madelung-like contribution which would be screened out in high density of states superconductors but survives in cuprates because of weak screening. Local density functional theory correctly predicts the instability of (La, Ba) 2 CuO 4 to both the low-temperature orthorhombic phase (below room temperature) and the lower-temperature tetragonal phase (below 50 K). (orig.)

Ab initio determination of effective electron-phonon coupling factor in copper

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Pengfei; Zhang, Yuwen

2016-04-01

The electron temperature Te dependent electron density of states g (ε), Fermi-Dirac distribution f (ε), and electron-phonon spectral function α2 F (Ω) are computed as prerequisites before achieving effective electron-phonon coupling factor Ge-ph. The obtained Ge-ph is implemented into a molecular dynamics (MD) and two-temperature model (TTM) coupled simulation of femtosecond laser heating. By monitoring temperature evolutions of electron and lattice subsystems, the result utilizing Ge-ph from ab initio calculation shows a faster decrease of Te and increase of Tl than those using Ge-ph from phenomenological treatment. The approach of calculating Ge-ph and its implementation into MD-TTM simulation is applicable to other metals.

The effect of driven electron-phonon coupling on the electronic conductance of a polar nanowire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mardaani, Mohammad, E-mail: mohammad-m@sci.sku.ac.ir; Rabani, Hassan, E-mail: rabani-h@sci.sku.ac.ir [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, P. O. Box 115, Shahrekord (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nanotechnology Research Center, Shahrekord University, 8818634141 Shahrekord (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Esmaili, Esmat; Shariati, Ashrafalsadat [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, P. O. Box 115, Shahrekord (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-08-07

A semi-classical model is proposed to explore the effect of electron-phonon coupling on the coherent electronic transport of a polar chain which is confined between two rigid leads in the presence of an external electric field. To this end, we construct the model by means of Green's function technique within the nearest neighbor tight-binding and harmonic approximations. For a time-periodic electric field, the atomic displacements from the equilibrium positions are obtained precisely. The result is then used to compute the electronic transport properties of the chain within the Peierls-type model. The numerical results indicate that the conductance of the system shows interesting behavior in some special frequencies. For each special frequency, there is an electronic quasi-state in which the scattering of electrons by vibrating atoms reaches maximum. The system electronic conductance decreases dramatically at the strong electron-phonon couplings and low electron energies. In the presence of damping forces, the electron-phonon interaction has a less significant effect on the conductance.

The effect of driven electron-phonon coupling on the electronic conductance of a polar nanowire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mardaani, Mohammad; Rabani, Hassan; Esmaili, Esmat; Shariati, Ashrafalsadat

2015-01-01

A semi-classical model is proposed to explore the effect of electron-phonon coupling on the coherent electronic transport of a polar chain which is confined between two rigid leads in the presence of an external electric field. To this end, we construct the model by means of Green's function technique within the nearest neighbor tight-binding and harmonic approximations. For a time-periodic electric field, the atomic displacements from the equilibrium positions are obtained precisely. The result is then used to compute the electronic transport properties of the chain within the Peierls-type model. The numerical results indicate that the conductance of the system shows interesting behavior in some special frequencies. For each special frequency, there is an electronic quasi-state in which the scattering of electrons by vibrating atoms reaches maximum. The system electronic conductance decreases dramatically at the strong electron-phonon couplings and low electron energies. In the presence of damping forces, the electron-phonon interaction has a less significant effect on the conductance

Ab initio study of the electron-phonon coupling at the Cr(001) surface

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, L.; Rudenko, A. N.; Katsnelson, M. I.

2018-04-01

It is experimentally well established that the Cr(001) surface exhibits a sharp resonance around the Fermi level. However, there is no consensus about its physical origin. It is proposed to be either due to a single particle dz2 surface state renormalized by electron-phonon coupling or the orbital Kondo effect involving the degenerate dx z/ dy z states. In this paper we examine the electron-phonon coupling of the Cr(001) surface by means of ab-initio calculations in the form of density functional perturbation theory. More precisely, the electron-phonon mass-enhancement factor of the surface layer is investigated for the 3d states. For the majority and minority spin dz2 surface states we find values of 0.19 and 0.16. We show that these calculated electron-phonon mass-enhancement factors are not in agreement with the experimental data even if we use realistic values for the temperature range and surface Debye frequency for the fit of the experimental data. More precisely, then experimentally an electron-phonon mass-enhancement factor of 0.70 ±0.10 is obtained, which is not in agreement with our calculated values of 0.19 and 0.16. Our findings suggest that the experimentally observed resonance at the Cr(001) surface is not due to electron-phonon effects but due to electron-electron correlation effects.

Metal/dielectric thermal interfacial transport considering cross-interface electron-phonon coupling: Theory, two-temperature molecular dynamics, and thermal circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zexi; Wang, Yan; Ruan, Xiulin

2016-02-01

The standard two-temperature equations for electron-phonon coupled thermal transport across metal/nonmetal interfaces are modified to include the possible coupling between metal electrons with substrate phonons. The previous two-temperature molecular dynamics (TT-MD) approach is then extended to solve these equations numerically at the atomic scale, and the method is demonstrated using Cu/Si interface as an example. A key parameter in TT-MD is the nonlocal coupling distance of metal electrons and nonmetal phonons, and here we use two different approximations. The first is based on Overhauser's "joint-modes" concept, while we use an interfacial reconstruction region as the length scale of joint region rather than the phonon mean-free path as in Overhauser's original model. In this region, the metal electrons can couple to the joint phonon modes. The second approximation is the "phonon wavelength" concept where electrons couple to phonons nonlocally within the range of one phonon wavelength. Compared with the original TT-MD, including the cross-interface electron-phonon coupling can slightly reduce the total thermal boundary resistance. Whether the electron-phonon coupling within the metal block is nonlocal or not does not make an obvious difference in the heat transfer process. Based on the temperature profiles from TT-MD, we construct a new mixed series-parallel thermal circuit. We show that such a thermal circuit is essential for understanding metal/nonmetal interfacial transport, while calculating a single resistance without solving temperature profiles as done in most previous studies is generally incomplete. As a comparison, the simple series circuit that neglects the cross-interface electron-phonon coupling could overestimate the interfacial resistance, while the simple parallel circuit in the original Overhauser's model underestimates the total interfacial resistance.

Dynamical Cooper pairing in non-equilibrium electron-phonon systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knap, Michael [Technical University of Munich (Germany); Harvard University (United States); Babadi, Mehrtash; Refael, Gil [Caltech (United States); Martin, Ivar [Argonne National Laboratory (United States); Demler, Eugene [Harvard University (United States)

2016-07-01

Ultrafast laser pulses have been used to manipulate complex quantum materials and to induce dynamical phase transitions. One of the most striking examples is the transient enhancement of superconductivity in several classes of materials upon irradiating them with high intensity pulses of terahertz light. Motivated by these experiments we analyze the Cooper pairing instabilities in non-equilibrium electron-phonon systems. We demonstrate that the light induced non-equilibrium state of phonons results in a simultaneous increase of the superconducting coupling constant and the electron scattering. We analyze the competition between these effects and show that in a broad range of parameters the dynamic enhancement of Cooper pair formation dominates over the increase in the scattering rate. This opens the possibility of transient light induced superconductivity at temperatures that are considerably higher than the equilibrium transition temperatures. Our results pave new pathways for engineering high-temperature light-induced superconducting states.

Electron-phonon contribution to the phonon and excited electron (hole) linewidths in bulk Pd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sklyadneva, I Yu; Leonardo, A; Echenique, P M; Eremeev, S V; Chulkov, E V

2006-01-01

We present an ab initio study of the electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling and its contribution to the phonon linewidths and to the lifetime broadening of excited electron and hole states in bulk Pd. The calculations, based on density-functional theory, were carried out using a linear-response approach in the plane-wave pseudopotential representation. The obtained results for the Eliashberg spectral function α 2 F(ω), e-ph coupling constant λ, and the contribution to the lifetime broadening, Γ e-ph , show strong dependence on both the energy and momentum of an electron (hole) state. The calculation of phonon linewidths gives, in agreement with experimental observations, an anomalously large broadening for the transverse phonon mode T 1 in the Σ direction. In addition, this mode is found to contribute most strongly to the electron-phonon scattering processes on the Fermi surface

Electron-phonon and spin-phonon coupling in NaV2O5 : Charge fluctuations effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sherman, E.Ya.; Fischer, M.; Lemmens, P; Loosdrecht, P.H.M. van; Güntherodt, G.

1999-01-01

We show that the asymmetric crystal environment of the V site in the ladder compound NaV2O5 leads to a strong coupling of vanadium 3d electrons to phonons. This coupling causes fluctuations of the charge on the V ions, and favors a transition to a charge-ordered state at low temperatures. In the low

Electron-phonon superconductivity in YIn3

Science.gov (United States)

Billington, D.; Llewellyn-Jones, T. M.; Maroso, G.; Dugdale, S. B.

2013-08-01

First-principles calculations of the electron-phonon coupling were performed on the cubic intermetallic compound YIn3. The electron-phonon coupling constant was found to be λep = 0.42. Using the Allen-Dynes formula with a Coulomb pseudopotential of μ* = 0.10, a Tc of approximately 0.77 K is obtained which is reasonably consistent with the experimentally observed temperature (between 0.8 and 1.1 K). The results indicate that conventional electron-phonon coupling is capable of producing the superconductivity in this compound.

Ultrafast spin exchange-coupling torque via photo-excited charge-transfer processes

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, X.; Fang, F.; Li, Q.; Zhu, J.; Yang, Y.; Wu, Y. Z.; Zhao, H. B.; Lüpke, G.

2015-10-01

Optical control of spin is of central importance in the research of ultrafast spintronic devices utilizing spin dynamics at short time scales. Recently developed optical approaches such as ultrafast demagnetization, spin-transfer and spin-orbit torques open new pathways to manipulate spin through its interaction with photon, orbit, charge or phonon. However, these processes are limited by either the long thermal recovery time or the low-temperature requirement. Here we experimentally demonstrate ultrafast coherent spin precession via optical charge-transfer processes in the exchange-coupled Fe/CoO system at room temperature. The efficiency of spin precession excitation is significantly higher and the recovery time of the exchange-coupling torque is much shorter than for the demagnetization procedure, which is desirable for fast switching. The exchange coupling is a key issue in spin valves and tunnelling junctions, and hence our findings will help promote the development of exchange-coupled device concepts for ultrafast coherent spin manipulation.

Electron-phonon coupling in quasi free-standing graphene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christian Johannsen, Jens; Ulstrup, Søren; Bianchi, Marco

2013-01-01

Quasi free-standing monolayer graphene can be produced by intercalating species like oxygen or hydrogen between epitaxial graphene and the substrate crystal. If the graphene is indeed decoupled from the substrate, one would expect the observation of a similar electronic dispersion and many......-body effects, irrespective of the substrate and the material used to achieve the decoupling. Here we investigate the electron-phonon coupling in two different types of quasi free-standing monolayer graphene: decoupled from SiC via hydrogen intercalation and decoupled from Ir via oxygen intercalation. Both...

Vertex function for the coupling of an electron with intramolecular phonons: Exact results in the antiadiabatic limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takada, Y.; Higuchi, T.

1995-01-01

The Green's-function techniques, especially the one developed in the preceding paper [Takada, Phys. Rev. B 52, 12 708 (1995)], are employed to calculate the electron-phonon vertex part as well as the electronic self-energy exactly on both real- and imaginary-frequency axes in the electron-phonon Holstein model with the on-site Coulomb repulsion in the limit in which the intramolecular phonon energy ω 0 is much larger than the electronic bandwidth. The rigorous vertex part is found to diverge at the frequencies at which an electron is locked by such local phonons with an infinitely strong effective coupling. Characteristic frequencies of this divergence, which are not equal to multiples of ω 0 , are calculated as a function of the electron-phonon bare coupling constant. Our results for the self-energy are checked successfully with the exact ones obtained by the Lang-Firsov canonical transformation

Effective electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in the Hubbard-Holstein model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aprea, G.; Di Castro, C.; Grilli, M. . E-mail marco.grilli@roma1.infn.it; Lorenzana, J.

2006-01-01

We investigate the interplay between the electron-electron and the electron-phonon interaction in the Hubbard-Holstein model. We implement the flow-equation method to investigate within this model the effect of correlation on the electron-phonon effective coupling and, conversely, the effect of phonons in the effective electron-electron interaction. Using this technique we obtain analytical momentum-dependent expressions for the effective couplings and we study their behavior for different physical regimes. In agreement with other works on this subject, we find that the electron-electron attraction mediated by phonons in the presence of Hubbard repulsion is peaked at low transferred momenta. The role of the characteristic energies involved is also analyzed

Electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity in the (4/3)-monolayer of Pb on Si(111): Role of spin-orbit interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Sklyadneva, I. Yu.; Heid, R.; Bohnen, K.-P.; Echenique, P. M.; Chulkov, E. V.

2018-05-01

The effect of spin-orbit coupling on the electron-phonon interaction in a (4/3)-monolayer of Pb on Si(111) is investigated within the density-functional theory and linear-response approach in the mixed-basis pseudopotential representation. We show that the spin-orbit interaction produces a large weakening of the electron-phonon coupling strength, which appears to be strongly overestimated in the scalar relativistic calculations. The effect of spin-orbit interaction is largely determined by the induced modification of Pb electronic bands and a stiffening of the low-energy part of phonon spectrum, which favor a weakening of the electron-phonon coupling strength. The state-dependent strength of the electron-phonon interaction in occupied Pb electronic bands varies depending on binding energy rather than electronic momentum. It is markedly larger than the value averaged over electron momentum because substrate electronic bands make a small contribution to the phonon-mediated scattering and agrees well with the experimental data.

Anharmonic vibrational properties in periodic systems: energy, electron-phonon coupling, and stress

OpenAIRE

Monserrat, Bartomeu; Drummond, N. D.; Needs, R. J.

2013-01-01

A unified approach is used to study vibrational properties of periodic systems with first-principles methods and including anharmonic effects. Our approach provides a theoretical basis for the determination of phonon-dependent quantities at finite temperatures. The low-energy portion of the Born-Oppenheimer energy surface is mapped and used to calculate the total vibrational energy including anharmonic effects, electron-phonon coupling, and the vibrational contribution to the stress tensor. W...

Ultrafast Science Opportunities with Electron Microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DURR, HERMANN; Wang, X.J., ed.

2016-04-28

X-rays and electrons are two of the most fundamental probes of matter. When the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world’s first x-ray free electron laser, began operation in 2009, it transformed ultrafast science with the ability to generate laser-like x-ray pulses from the manipulation of relativistic electron beams. This document describes a similar future transformation. In Transmission Electron Microscopy, ultrafast relativistic (MeV energy) electron pulses can achieve unsurpassed spatial and temporal resolution. Ultrafast temporal resolution will be the next frontier in electron microscopy and can ideally complement ultrafast x-ray science done with free electron lasers. This document describes the Grand Challenge science opportunities in chemistry, material science, physics and biology that arise from an MeV ultrafast electron diffraction & microscopy facility, especially when coupled with linac-based intense THz and X-ray pump capabilities.

Exact results and conjectures on the adiabatic Holstein-Hubbard model at large electron-phonon coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aubry, S.

1993-01-01

Principles and notations of the Holstein-Hubbard model in a magnetic field are first reviewed. Effects of the dimensionality, the lattice discreteness and the magnetic field on single polarons, are examined and the existence of many polarons and bipolarons structures at large electron-phonon coupling is discussed. Properties of bipolaronic and polaronic structures are examined together with the magnetic field effects on these structures. High Tc superconductivity resulting from the competition between the electron-phonon and Hubbard couplings is discussed. 7 figs., 18 refs

Quasiparticle properties of a coupled quantum-wire electron-phonon system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hwang, E. H.; Hu, Ben Yu-Kuang; Sarma, S. Das

1996-01-01

We study leading-order many-body effects of longitudinal-optical phonons on electronic properties of one-dimensional quantum-wire systems. We calculate the quasiparticle properties of a weakly polar one-dimensional electron gas in the presence of both electron-phonon and electron-electron interac......We study leading-order many-body effects of longitudinal-optical phonons on electronic properties of one-dimensional quantum-wire systems. We calculate the quasiparticle properties of a weakly polar one-dimensional electron gas in the presence of both electron-phonon and electron......-electron interactions, The leading-order dynamical screening approximation (GW approximation) is used to obtain the electron self-energy, the quasiparticle spectral function, and the quasiparticle damping rate in our calculation by treating electrons and phonons on an equal footing. Our theory includes effects (within...... theoretical results for quasiparticle properties....

Electron-phonon interaction on an Al(001) surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sklyadneva, I Yu; Chulkov, E V; Echenique, P M

2008-01-01

We report an ab initio study of the electron-phonon (e-ph) interaction and its contribution to the lifetime broadening of excited hole (electron) surface states on Al(001). The calculations based on density-functional theory were carried out using a linear response approach in the plane-wave pseudopotential representation. The obtained results show that both the electron-phonon coupling and the linewidth experience a weak variation with the energy and momentum position of a hole (electron) surface state in the energy band. An analysis of different contributions to the e-ph coupling reveals that bulk phonon modes turn out to be more involved in the scattering processes of excited electrons and holes than surface phonon modes. It is also shown that the role of the e-ph coupling in the broadening of the Rayleigh surface phonon mode is insignificant compared to anharmonic effects

Electron-phonon interaction and scattering in Si and Ge: Implications for phonon engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tandon, Nandan; Albrecht, J. D.; Ram-Mohan, L. R.

2015-01-01

We report ab-initio results for electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling and display the existence of a large variation in the coupling parameter as a function of electron and phonon dispersion. This variation is observed for all phonon modes in Si and Ge, and we show this for representative cases where the initial electron states are at the band gap edges. Using these e-ph matrix elements, which include all possible phonon modes and electron bands within a relevant energy range, we evaluate the imaginary part of the electron self-energy in order to obtain the associated scattering rates. The temperature dependence is seen through calculations of the scattering rates at 0 K and 300 K. The results provide a basis for understanding the impacts of phonon scattering vs. orientation and geometry in the design of devices, and in analysis of transport phenomena. This provides an additional tool for engineering the transfer of energy from carriers to the lattice

Static and Dynamic Electron Microscopy Investigations at the Atomic and Ultrafast Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Suri, Pranav Kumar

Advancements in the electron microscopy capabilities - aberration-corrected imaging, monochromatic spectroscopy, direct-electron detectors - have enabled routine visualization of atomic-scale processes with millisecond temporal resolutions in this decade. This, combined with progress in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen holder technology and nanofabrication techniques, allows comprehensive experiments on a wide range of materials in various phases via in situ methods. The development of ultrafast (sub-nanosecond) time-resolved TEM with ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) has further pushed the envelope of in situ TEM to sub-nanosecond temporal resolution while maintaining sub-nanometer spatial resolution. A plethora of materials phenomena - including electron-phonon coupling, phonon transport, first-order phase transitions, bond rotation, plasmon dynamics, melting, and dopant atoms arrangement - are not yet clearly understood and could be benefitted with the current in situ TEM capabilities having atomic-level and ultrafast precision. Better understanding of these phenomena and intrinsic material dynamics (e.g. how phonons propagate in a material, what time-scales are involved in a first-order phase transition, how fast a material melts, where dopant atoms sit in a crystal) in new-generation and technologically important materials (e.g. two-dimensional layered materials, semiconductor and magnetic devices, rare-earth-element-free permanent magnets, unconventional superconductors) could bring a paradigm shift in their electronic, structural, magnetic, thermal and optical applications. Present research efforts, employing cutting-edge static and dynamic in situ electron microscopy resources at the University of Minnesota, are directed towards understanding the atomic-scale crystallographic structural transition and phonon transport in an iron-pnictide parent compound LaFeAsO, studying the mechanical stability of fast moving hard-drive heads in heat

Electron-phonon interactions and the phonon anomaly in β-phase NiTi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, G.L.; Harmon, B.N.

1993-01-01

The electronic structure of β-phase NiTi has been calculated using a first-principles linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals method. The resulting band structure was fitted with a nonorthogonal tight-binding Hamiltonian from which electron-phonon matrix elements were evaluated. The soft phonon near Q 0 =(2/3, 2) / (3 ,0)π/a, which is responsible for the premartensitic phase transition in β-phase NiTi, is found to arise from the strong electron-phonon coupling of nested electronic states on the Fermi surface. Thermal vibrations and changes in electronic occupation cause a smearing of the nested features, which in turn cause a hardening of the phonon anomaly

Ultra-fast pump-probe determination of electron-phonon coupling in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragan

2010-03-01

Fresh femtosecond spectroscopy experiments show the electron-phonon interaction strength λ to be 0.7 and 1.4 for YBCO and LSCO respectively and not around 0.2 as previously reported [1]. The revised estimates arise primarily from improved time-resolution, and also partly from improved modeling. Comparison with classical superconductors and pnictides shows non-monotonic correlation of λ with Tc. Systematic new measurements of the condensate vaporization energy (Uv) in cuprates [2] and pnictides reveals a power-law dependence on Tc with exponent 2. However, Uc is 16-18 times greater than the BCS condensation energy Uc, implying that a significant heat capacity of the ``bosonic glue.'' In contrast, charge-density wave systems with electronically driven ordering transitions have Uv˜Uc. The data suggest BCS and Eliashberg-based models to be inappropriate for describing the physics of high-temperature superconductors, and point towards polaron models which consider strong or intermediate λ.[4pt] [1] C.Gadermeier et al., arXiv:0902.1636[0pt] [2] P.Kusar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 227001 (2008)

Electronic cooling via interlayer Coulomb coupling in multilayer epitaxial graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Mihnev, Momchil T.; Tolsma, John R.; Divin, Charles J.; Sun, Dong; Asgari, Reza; Polini, Marco; Berger, Claire; de Heer, Walt A.; MacDonald, Allan H.; Norris, Theodore B.

2015-01-01

In van der Waals bonded or rotationally disordered multilayer stacks of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the electronic states remain tightly confined within individual 2D layers. As a result, electron–phonon interactions occur primarily within layers and interlayer electrical conductivities are low. In addition, strong covalent in-plane intralayer bonding combined with weak van der Waals interlayer bonding results in weak phonon-mediated thermal coupling between the layers. We demonstrate here, however, that Coulomb interactions between electrons in different layers of multilayer epitaxial graphene provide an important mechanism for interlayer thermal transport, even though all electronic states are strongly confined within individual 2D layers. This effect is manifested in the relaxation dynamics of hot carriers in ultrafast time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy. We develop a theory of interlayer Coulomb coupling containing no free parameters that accounts for the experimentally observed trends in hot-carrier dynamics as temperature and the number of layers is varied. PMID:26399955

Ultrafast switching of the magnetic ground state in d1 titanates though nonlinear phononic coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Mingqiang; Rondinelli, James M.

LaTiO3 and YTiO3 are isostructure d1 titanates, which exhibit distinct magnetic and orbital properties: The former is a G-type antiferromagnet with a 150 K Neel temperature whereas the latter is a rare ferromagnetic (FM) insulator with a 30 K Curie temperature. With first-principles density functional theory calculations, we identify the local structural origin of the magnetic order difference in these orthorhombic perovskites. By increasing the tilt and rotation angles in LaTiO3, respectively, LaTiO3 is predicted to undergo a magnetic phase transition to an FM state. Similarly, decreasing the tilt and rotation angles in YTiO3 leads to a FM-to-AFM phase transition. The underlying physics is attributed to the change in the superexchange coupling between Ti-sites. Last, we propose a route to switch the magnetism in the titanates by controlling the octahedral distortions through dynamical nonlinear phononic coupling. The proposed experiment requires the use of static strain to position the crystal structure in proximity to the structural transition combined with readily achievable fluencies in an ultrafast optical pump-probe geometry The theory work is supported by the U.S Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-SC0012375.

Phonon-electron coupling and tunneling effect on charge transport in organic semi-conductor crystals of Cn-BTBT

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yecheng; Deng, Wei-Qiao; Zhang, Hao-Li

2016-09-01

Cn-[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]-benzothiophene (BTBT) crystals show very high hole mobilities in experiments. These high mobilities are beyond existing theory prediction. Here, we employed different quantum chemistry methods to investigate charge transfer in Cn-BTBT crystals and tried to find out the reasons for the underestimation in the theory. It was found that the hopping rate estimated by the Fermi Golden Rule is higher than that of the Marcus theory due to the high temperature approximation and failure at the classic limit. More importantly, molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the phonon induced fluctuation of electronic transfer integral is much larger than the average of the electronic transfer integral itself. Mobilities become higher if simulations implement the phonon-electron coupling. This conclusion indicates that the phonon-electron coupling promotes charge transfer in organic semi-conductors at room temperature.

Dynamical instability, strong anharmonicity and electron-phonon coupling in KOs2O6: First-principles calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Sun, Jiafa; Li, Bin; He, Junqi

2017-09-01

First-principles pseudopotential calculations on phonon and electronic properties of β -pyrochlore superconductor KOs2O6 are performed. The imaginary soft-phonon modes with a special double-well potential for the lowest Eu(1) mode and the second lowest T1u(1) mode are reported, which indicates the dynamical instability in KOs2O6. However, the double wells are too small to induce a structural phase transformation in KOs2O6. The strong anharmonicity especially for K T2g(1) phonon mode is got, which is approved to be from the strong electron-phonon coupling that supports the superconductivity in KOs2O6.

Solution of the Eliashberg equations for a very strong electron-phonon coupling with a low-energy cutoff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weger, M.; Barbiellini, B.; Jarlborg, T.; Peter, M.; Santi, G.

1995-01-01

We solve the Eliashberg equations for the case of an explicit vector k dependence of the interactions, and of the resulting self-energies Σ 1 ( vector k,ω), Σ 2 ( vector k,ω). We consider a strong energy-dependence of the electron-electron scattering-rate τ ee -1 , which is associated with a strong energy-dependence of the electron-phonon matrix element g(k,k'). We characterize this energy-dependence by a cutoff ξ 1 , which is of the order of the phonon frequency ω ph . We find that we can account for a large number of unexpected features of the superconductivity of the cuprates by the BCS electron-phonon theory, if we consider very large values of the McMillan coupling constant λ ph , and small values of the cutoff ξ 1 . Specifically, the Coulomb interaction is found not to depress T c ; the isotope effect is strongly reduced when ξ 1 ph . We find solutions in which the gap function Δ( vector k,ω) has extended s-wave symmetry but is very anisotropic. We suggest that the underlying cause of the strong energy-dependence is a very small electronic screening parameter at the Fermi surface; the electron-phonon matrix element g is abnormally large, and this accounts for the high transition temperatures of the cuprates. An order of magnitude estimate suggests that the electron-phonon mechanism can account for transition temperatures up to about 200 K. We thus propose a very-strong-coupling theory, in which the renormalization functions, in particular the energy-renormalization X, depend very strongly on the superconducting gap Δ, and thus display a very strong temperature-dependence between T c and T=0. An experimental manifestation of the very strong coupling with a small cutoff is a zero bias anomaly sometimes observed in tunneling experiments. (orig.)

Ultrafast single-molecule photonics: Excited state dynamics in coherently coupled complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernando, Jordi; Hoogenboom, Jacob; Dijk, Erik van; Garcia-Parajo, Maria; Hulst, Niek F. van

2008-01-01

We present a single-molecule study on femtosecond dynamics in multichromophoric systems, combining fs pump-probe, emission-spectra and fluorescence-lifetime analysis. The ultrafast fs approach gives direct information on the initial exciton dynamics after excitation. The lifetime data show superradiance, a direct measure for the extent of the coherent coupling and static disorder. The spectra finally reveal the role of exciton-phonon coupling. At the single-molecule level a wide range of exciton delocalization lengths and energy redistribution times is revealed

Ultrafast single-molecule photonics: Excited state dynamics in coherently coupled complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernando, Jordi [Dept. de Quimica, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valles (Spain); Hoogenboom, Jacob [ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona (Spain); Dijk, Erik van [Applied Optics Group, MESA Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500AE Enschede (Netherlands); Garcia-Parajo, Maria [IBEC-Institute of BioEngineering of Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); ICREA-Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats, 08015 Barcelona (Spain); Hulst, Niek F. van [ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona (Spain) and ICREA-Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats, 08015 Barcelona (Spain)], E-mail: Niek.vanHulst@ICFO.es

2008-05-15

We present a single-molecule study on femtosecond dynamics in multichromophoric systems, combining fs pump-probe, emission-spectra and fluorescence-lifetime analysis. The ultrafast fs approach gives direct information on the initial exciton dynamics after excitation. The lifetime data show superradiance, a direct measure for the extent of the coherent coupling and static disorder. The spectra finally reveal the role of exciton-phonon coupling. At the single-molecule level a wide range of exciton delocalization lengths and energy redistribution times is revealed.

Coherent generation of symmetry-forbidden phonons by light-induced electron-phonon interactions in magnetite

Science.gov (United States)

Borroni, S.; Baldini, E.; Katukuri, V. M.; Mann, A.; Parlinski, K.; Legut, D.; Arrell, C.; van Mourik, F.; Teyssier, J.; Kozlowski, A.; Piekarz, P.; Yazyev, O. V.; Oleś, A. M.; Lorenzana, J.; Carbone, F.

2017-09-01

Symmetry breaking across phase transitions often causes changes in selection rules and emergence of optical modes which can be detected via spectroscopic techniques or generated coherently in pump-probe experiments. In second-order or weakly first-order transitions, fluctuations of the ordering field are present above the ordering temperature, giving rise to intriguing precursor phenomena, such as critical opalescence. Here, we demonstrate that in magnetite (Fe3O4 ) light excitation couples to the critical fluctuations of the charge order and coherently generates structural modes of the ordered phase above the critical temperature of the Verwey transition. Our findings are obtained by detecting coherent oscillations of the optical constants through ultrafast broadband spectroscopy and analyzing their dependence on temperature. To unveil the coupling between the structural modes and the electronic excitations, at the origin of the Verwey transition, we combine our results from pump-probe experiments with spontaneous Raman scattering data and theoretical calculations of both the phonon dispersion curves and the optical constants. Our methodology represents an effective tool to study the real-time dynamics of critical fluctuations across phase transitions.

Observation of antiphase coherent phonons in the warped Dirac cone of Bi2Te3

Science.gov (United States)

Golias, E.; Sánchez-Barriga, J.

2016-10-01

In this Rapid Communication we investigate the coupling between excited electrons and phonons in the highly anisotropic electronic structure of the prototypical topological insulator Bi2Te3 . Using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we are able to identify the emergence and ultrafast temporal evolution of the longitudinal-optical A1 g coherent-phonon mode in Bi2Te3 . We observe an antiphase behavior in the onset of the coherent-phonon oscillations between the Γ K ¯ and the Γ M ¯ high-symmetry directions that is consistent with warping. The qualitative agreement between our density-functional theory calculations and the experimental results reveals the critical role of the anisotropic coupling between Dirac fermions and phonon modes in the topological insulator Bi2Te3 .

A new coupling mechanism between two graphene electron waveguides for ultrafast switching

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wei; Liang, Shi-Jun; Kyoseva, Elica; Ang, Lay Kee

2018-03-01

In this paper, we report a novel coupling between two graphene electron waveguides, in analogy the optical waveguides. The design is based on the coherent quantum mechanical tunneling of Rabi oscillation between the two graphene electron waveguides. Based on this coupling mechanism, we propose that it can be used as an ultrafast electronic switching device. Based on a modified coupled mode theory, we construct a theoretical model to analyze the device characteristics, and predict that the switching speed is faster than 1 ps and the on-off ratio exceeds 106. Due to the long mean free path of electrons in graphene at room temperature, the proposed design avoids the limitation of low temperature operation required in the traditional design by using semiconductor quantum-well structure. The layout of our design is similar to that of a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor that should be readily fabricated with current state-of-art nanotechnology.

Coupled electron-phonon transport from molecular dynamics with quantum baths

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Jing Tao; Wang, J. S.

2009-01-01

Based on generalized quantum Langevin equations for the tight-binding wavefunction amplitudes and lattice displacements, electron and phonon quantum transport are obtained exactly using molecular dynamics (MD) in the ballistic regime. The electron-phonon interactions can be handled with a quasi...

The Electron-Phonon Interaction in Strongly Correlated Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castellani, C.; Grilli, M.

1995-01-01

We analyze the effect of strong electron-electron repulsion on the electron-phonon interaction from a Fermi-liquid point of view and show that the electron-electron interaction is responsible for vertex corrections, which generically lead to a strong suppression of the electron-phonon coupling in the v F q/ω >>1 region, while such effect is not present when v F q/ω F is the Fermi velocity and q and ω are the transferred momentum and frequency respectively. In particular the e-ph scattering is suppressed in transport properties which are dominated by low-energy-high-momentum processes. On the other hand, analyzing the stability criterion for the compressibility, which involves the effective interactions in the dynamical limit, we show that a sizable electron-phonon interaction can push the system towards a phase-separation instability. Finally a detailed analysis of these ideas is carried out using a slave-boson approach for the infinite-U three-band Hubbard model in the presence of a coupling between the local hole density and a dispersionless optical phonon. (author)

Coherent phonon excitation and linear thermal expansion in structural dynamics and ultrafast electron diffraction of laser-heated metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jau

2008-04-28

In this study, we examine the ultrafast structural dynamics of metals induced by a femtosecond laser-heating pulse as probed by time-resolved electron diffraction. Using the two-temperature model and the Grüneisen relationship we calculate the electron temperature, phonon temperature, and impulsive force at each atomic site in the slab. Together with the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam anharmonic chain model we calculate changes of bond distance and the peak shift of Bragg spots or Laue rings. A laser-heated thin slab is shown to exhibit "breathing" standing-wave behavior, with a period equal to the round-trip time for sound wave and a wavelength twice the slab thickness. The peak delay time first increases linearly with the thickness (linear thermal expansion due to lattice temperature jump are shown to contribute to the overall structural changes. Differences between these two mechanisms and their dependence on film thickness and other factors are discussed.

Electron-phonon interaction in Chevrel-phase compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainer, D.; Pobell, F.

1981-03-01

Experiments on the electron-phonon interaction in Chevrel-phase compounds (CPC) and a theoretical discussion of their results are presented. The authors particularly discuss measurements of the isotope effect of the transition temperature in Mo 6 Se 8 and SnMo 6 S 8 and tunneling spectroscopy experiments on Cu 1 . 8 Mo 6 S 8 and PbMo 6 S 8 . These investigations have been performed to get information about the strength of the electron-phonon interaction in CPC, and about the question whether there are phonon modes which couple particularly strongly to the electrons in these compounds. (orig./GSCH)

Density of phonon states in the light-harvesting complex II of green plants

CERN Document Server

Pieper, J K; Irrgang, K D; Renger, G

2002-01-01

In photosynthetic antenna complexes, the coupling of electronic transitions to low-frequency vibrations of the protein matrix (phonons) plays an essential role in light absorption and ultra-fast excitation energy transfer (EET). The model calculations presented here indicate that inelastic neutron scattering experiments provide invaluable information on the phonon density of states for light-harvesting complex II, which may permit a consistent interpretation of contradictory results from high-resolution optical spectroscopy. (orig.)

Spin-dependent electron-phonon coupling in the valence band of single-layer WS₂

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hinsche, Nicki Frank; Ngankeu, Arlette S.; Guilloy, Kevin

2017-01-01

The absence of inversion symmetry leads to a strong spin-orbit splitting of the upper valence band of semiconducting single-layer transition-metal dichalchogenides such as MoS2 or WS2. This permits a direct comparison of the electron-phonon coupling strength in states that only differ by their spin....... Here, the electron-phonon coupling in the valence band maximum of single-layer WS2 is studied by first-principles calculations and angle-resolved photoemission. The coupling strength is found to be drastically different for the two spin-split branches, with calculated values of λK=0.0021 and 0.......40 for the upper and lower spin-split valence band of the freestanding layer, respectively. This difference is somewhat reduced when including scattering processes involving the Au(111) substrate present in the experiment but it remains significant, in good agreement with the experimental results....

Experimental Study of Electron and Phonon Dynamics in Nanoscale Materials by Ultrafast Laser Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Xiaohan

With the rapid advances in the development of nanotechnology, nowadays, the sizes of elementary unit, i.e. transistor, of micro- and nanoelectronic devices are well deep into nanoscale. For the pursuit of cheaper and faster nanoscale electronic devices, the size of transistors keeps scaling down. As the miniaturization of the nanoelectronic devices, the electrical resistivity increases dramatically, resulting rapid growth in the heat generation. The heat generation and limited thermal dissipation in nanoscale materials have become a critical problem in the development of the next generation nanoelectronic devices. Copper (Cu) is widely used conducting material in nanoelectronic devices, and the electron-phonon scattering is the dominant contributor to the resistivity in Cu nanowires at room temperature. Meanwhile, phonons are the main carriers of heat in insulators, intrinsic and lightly doped semiconductors. The thermal transport is an ensemble of phonon transport, which strongly depends on the phonon frequency. In addition, the phonon transport in nanoscale materials can behave fundamentally different than in bulk materials, because of the spatial confinement. However, the size effect on electron-phonon scattering and frequency dependent phonon transport in nanoscale materials remain largely unexplored, due to the lack of suitable experimental techniques. This thesis is mainly focusing on the study of carrier dynamics and acoustic phonon transport in nanoscale materials. The weak photothermal interaction in Cu makes thermoreflectance measurement difficult, we rather measured the reflectivity change of Cu induced by absorption variation. We have developed a method to separately measure the processes of electron-electron scattering and electron-phonon scattering in epitaxial Cu films by monitoring the transient reflectivity signal using the resonant probe with particular wavelengths. The enhancement on electron-phonon scattering in epitaxial Cu films with thickness

Electron-Phonon Coupling and Resonant Relaxation from 1D and 1P States in PbS Quantum Dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennehan, Eric R; Doucette, Grayson S; Marshall, Ashley R; Grieco, Christopher; Munson, Kyle T; Beard, Matthew C; Asbury, John B

2018-05-31

Observations of the hot-phonon bottleneck, which is predicted to slow the rate of hot carrier cooling in quantum confined nanocrystals, have been limited to date for reasons that are not fully understood. We used time-resolved infrared spectroscopy to directly measure higher energy intraband transitions in PbS colloidal quantum dots. Direct measurements of these intraband transitions permitted detailed analysis of the electronic overlap of the quantum confined states that may influence their relaxation processes. In smaller PbS nanocrystals, where the hot-phonon bottleneck is expected to be most pronounced, we found that relaxation of parity selection rules combined with stronger electron-phonon coupling led to greater spectral overlap of transitions among the quantum confined states. This created pathways for fast energy transfer and relaxation that may bypass the predicted hot-phonon bottleneck. In contrast, larger, but still quantum confined nanocrystals did not exhibit such relaxation of the parity selection rules and possessed narrower intraband states. These observations were consistent with slower relaxation dynamics that have been measured in larger quantum confined systems. These findings indicated that, at small radii, electron-phonon interactions overcome the advantageous increase in energetic separation of the electronic states for PbS quantum dots. Selection of appropriately sized quantum dots, which minimize spectral broadening due to electron-phonon interactions while maximizing electronic state separation, is necessary to observe the hot-phonon bottleneck. Such optimization may provide a framework for achieving efficient hot carrier collection and multiple exciton generation.

Kinks in the σ band of graphene induced by electron-phonon coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzola, Federico; Wells, Justin W; Yakimova, Rositza; Ulstrup, Søren; Miwa, Jill A; Balog, Richard; Bianchi, Marco; Leandersson, Mats; Adell, Johan; Hofmann, Philip; Balasubramanian, T

2013-11-22

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals pronounced kinks in the dispersion of the σ band of graphene. Such kinks are usually caused by the combination of a strong electron-boson interaction and the cutoff in the Fermi-Dirac distribution. They are therefore not expected for the σ band of graphene that has a binding energy of more than ≈3.5 eV. We argue that the observed kinks are indeed caused by the electron-phonon interaction, but the role of the Fermi-Dirac distribution cutoff is assumed by a cutoff in the density of σ states. The existence of the effect suggests a very weak coupling of holes in the σ band not only to the π electrons of graphene but also to the substrate electronic states. This is confirmed by the presence of such kinks for graphene on several different substrates that all show a strong coupling constant of λ≈1.

Photon-phonon-enhanced infrared rectification in a two-dimensional nanoantenna-coupled tunnel diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadlec, Emil A.; Jarecki, Robert L.; Starbuck, Andrew; Peters, David W.; Davids, Paul S.

2016-01-01

The interplay of strong infrared photon-phonon coupling with electromagnetic confinement in nanoscale devices is demonstrated to have a large impact on ultrafast photon-assisted tunneling in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. Infrared active optical phonon modes in polar oxides lead to strong dispersion and enhanced electric fields at material interfaces. We find that the infrared dispersion of SiO_2 near a longitudinal optical phonon mode can effectively impedance match a photonic surface mode into a nanoscale tunnel gap that results in large transverse-field confinement. An integrated 2D nanoantenna structure on a distributed large-area MOS tunnel-diode rectifier is designed and built to resonantly excite infrared surface modes and is shown to efficiently channel infrared radiation into nanometer-scale gaps in these MOS devices. This enhanced-gap transverse-electric field is converted to a rectified tunneling displacement current resulting in a dc photocurrent. We examine the angular and polarization-dependent spectral photocurrent response of these 2D nanoantenna-coupled tunnel diodes in the photon-enhanced tunneling spectral region. Lastly, our 2D nanoantenna-coupled infrared tunnel-diode rectifier promises to impact large-area thermal energy harvesting and infrared direct detectors.

Kinks in the σ Band of Graphene Induced by Electron-Phonon Coupling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzola, Federico; Wells, Justin; Yakimova, Rosita

2013-01-01

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals pronounced kinks in the dispersion of the band of graphene. Such kinks are usually caused by the combination of a strong electron-boson interaction and the cutoff in the Fermi-Dirac distribution. They are therefore not expected for the band...... of graphene that has a binding energy of more than 3:5 eV. We argue that the observed kinks are indeed caused by the electron-phonon interaction, but the role of the Fermi-Dirac distribution cutoff is assumed by a cutoff in the density of states. The existence of the effect suggests a very weak coupling...

Phonon limited electronic transport in Pb

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rittweger, Florian; Hinsche, Nicki Frank; Mertig, Ingrid

2017-01-01

We present a fully ab initio based scheme to compute electronic transport properties, i.e. the electrical conductivity σ and thermopower S, in the presence of electron-phonon interaction. We explicitly investigate the k-dependent structure of the Éliashberg spectral function, the coupling strength...

Resonant exciton-phonon coupling in ZnO nanorods at room temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soumee Chakraborty

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Vibronic and optoelectronic properties, along with detailed studies of exciton-phonon coupling at room temperature (RT for random and aligned ZnO nanorods are reported. Excitation energy dependent Raman studies are performed for detailed analysis of multi-phonon processes in the nanorods. We report here the origin of coupling between free exciton and its associated phonon replicas, including its higher order modes, in the photoluminescence spectra at RT. Resonance of excitonic electron and resonating first order zone center LO phonon, invoked strongly by Frolich interaction, are made responsible for the observed phenomenon.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in tetrahedral amorphous carbon: carrier trapping versus electron-hole recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpene, E; Mancini, E; Dallera, C; Schwen, D; Ronning, C; Silvestri, S De

2007-01-01

We report the investigation of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films by means of femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity. We estimated the electron-phonon relaxation time of a few hundred femtoseconds and we observed that under low optical excitation photo-generated carriers decay according to two distinct mechanisms attributed to trapping by defect states and direct electron-hole recombination. With high excitation, when photo-carrier and trap densities are comparable, a unique temporal evolution develops, as the time dependence of the trapping process becomes degenerate with the electron-hole recombination. This experimental evidence highlights the role of defects in the ultrafast electronic dynamics and is not specific to this particular form of carbon, but has general validity for amorphous and disordered semiconductors

The Effects of Different Electron-Phonon Couplings on the Spectral and Transport Properties of Small Molecule Single-Crystal Organic Semiconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmine Antonio Perroni

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Spectral and transport properties of small molecule single-crystal organic semiconductors have been theoretically analyzed focusing on oligoacenes, in particular on the series from naphthalene to rubrene and pentacene, aiming to show that the inclusion of different electron-phonon couplings is of paramount importance to interpret accurately the properties of prototype organic semiconductors. While in the case of rubrene, the coupling between charge carriers and low frequency inter-molecular modes is sufficient for a satisfactory description of spectral and transport properties, the inclusion of electron coupling to both low-frequency inter-molecular and high-frequency intra-molecular vibrational modes is needed to account for the temperature dependence of transport properties in smaller oligoacenes. For rubrene, a very accurate analysis in the relevant experimental configuration has allowed for the clarification of the origin of the temperature-dependent mobility observed in these organic semiconductors. With increasing temperature, the chemical potential moves into the tail of the density of states corresponding to localized states, but this is not enough to drive the system into an insulating state. The mobility along different crystallographic directions has been calculated, including vertex corrections that give rise to a transport lifetime one order of magnitude smaller than the spectral lifetime of the states involved in the transport mechanism. The mobility always exhibits a power-law behavior as a function of temperature, in agreement with experiments in rubrene. In systems gated with polarizable dielectrics, the electron coupling to interface vibrational modes of the gate has to be included in addition to the intrinsic electron-phonon interaction. While the intrinsic bulk electron-phonon interaction affects the behavior of mobility in the coherent regime below room temperature, the coupling with interface modes is dominant for the

Electronic, phonon and superconducting properties of LaPtBi half-Heusler compound

Science.gov (United States)

Shrivastava, Deepika; Sanyal, Sankar P.

2018-05-01

In the framework of density functional theory based on plane wave pseudopotential method and linear response technique, we have studied the electronic, phonon and superconducting properties of LaPtBi half-Heusler compound. The electronic band structure and density of states show that it is gapless semiconductor which is consistent with previous results. The positive phonon frequencies confirm the stability of this compound in cubic MgAgAs phase. Superconductivity is studied in terms of Eliashberg spectral function (α2F(ω)), electron-phonon coupling constants (λ). The value of electron-phonon coupling parameter is found to be 0.41 and the superconducting transition temperature is calculated to be 0.76 K, in excellent agreement with the experimentally reported values.

Controlling competing orders via nonequilibrium acoustic phonons: Emergence of anisotropic effective electronic temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Schütt, Michael; Orth, Peter P.; Levchenko, Alex; Fernandes, Rafael M.

2018-01-01

Ultrafast perturbations offer a unique tool to manipulate correlated systems due to their ability to promote transient behaviors with no equilibrium counterpart. A widely employed strategy is the excitation of coherent optical phonons, as they can cause significant changes in the electronic structure and interactions on short time scales. One of the issues, however, is the inevitable heating that accompanies these resonant excitations. Here, we explore a promising alternative route: the nonequilibrium excitation of acoustic phonons, which, due to their low excitation energies, generally lead to less heating. We demonstrate that driving acoustic phonons leads to the remarkable phenomenon of a momentum-dependent effective temperature, by which electronic states at different regions of the Fermi surface are subject to distinct local temperatures. Such an anisotropic effective electronic temperature can have a profound effect on the delicate balance between competing ordered states in unconventional superconductors, opening a so far unexplored avenue to control correlated phases.

Interplay between electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roesch, O.; Gunnarsson, O.; Han, J.E.; Crespi, V.H.

2005-01-01

We discuss the interplay between electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions for alkali-doped fullerides and high temperature superconductors. Due to the similarity of the electron and phonon energy scales, retardation effects are small for fullerides. This raises questions about the origin of superconductivity, since retardation effects are believed to be crucial for reducing effects of the Coulomb repulsion in conventional superconductors. We demonstrate that by treating the electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions on an equal footing, superconductivity can be understood in terms of a local pairing. The Jahn-Teller character of the important phonons in fullerides plays a crucial role for this result. To describe effects of phonons in cuprates, we derive a t-J model with phonons from the three-band model. Using exact diagonalization for small clusters, we find that the anomalous softening of the half-breathing phonon as well as its doping dependence can be explained. By comparing the solution of the t-J model with the Hartree-Fock approximation for the three-band model, we address results obtained in the local-density approximation for cuprates. We find that genuine many-body results, due to the interplay between the electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions, play an important role for the the results in the t-J model. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of ballistic electrons on ultrafast thermomechanical responses of a thin metal film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Qi-lin; Tian Xin

2017-01-01

The ultrafast thermomechanical coupling problem in a thin gold film irradiated by ultrashort laser pulses with different electron ballistic depths is investigated via the ultrafast thermoelasticity model. The solution of the problem is obtained by solving finite element governing equations. The comparison between the results of ultrafast thermomechanical coupling responses with different electron ballistic depths is made to show the ballistic electron effect. It is found that the ballistic electrons have a significant influence on the ultrafast thermomechanical coupling behaviors of the gold thin film and the best laser micromachining results can be achieved by choosing the specific laser technology (large or small ballistic range). In addition, the influence of simplification of the ultrashort laser pulse source on the results is studied, and it is found that the simplification has a great influence on the thermomechanical responses, which implies that care should be taken when the simplified form of the laser source term is applied as the Gaussian heat source. (paper)

Optimizing phonon space in the phonon-coupling model

Science.gov (United States)

Tselyaev, V.; Lyutorovich, N.; Speth, J.; Reinhard, P.-G.

2017-08-01

We present a new scheme to select the most relevant phonons in the phonon-coupling model, named here the time-blocking approximation (TBA). The new criterion, based on the phonon-nucleon coupling strengths rather than on B (E L ) values, is more selective and thus produces much smaller phonon spaces in the TBA. This is beneficial in two respects: first, it curbs the computational cost, and second, it reduces the danger of double counting in the expansion basis of the TBA. We use here the TBA in a form where the coupling strength is regularized to keep the given Hartree-Fock ground state stable. The scheme is implemented in a random-phase approximation and TBA code based on the Skyrme energy functional. We first explore carefully the cutoff dependence with the new criterion and can work out a natural (optimal) cutoff parameter. Then we use the freshly developed and tested scheme for a survey of giant resonances and low-lying collective states in six doubly magic nuclei looking also at the dependence of the results when varying the Skyrme parametrization.

On the Boltzmann Equation of Thermal Transport for Interacting Phonons and Electrons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia Carolina Sparavigna

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The thermal transport in a solid can be determined by means of the Boltzmann equations regarding its distributions of phonons and electrons, when the solid is subjected to a thermal gradient. After solving the coupled equations, the related thermal conductivities can be obtained. Here we show how to determine the coupled equations for phonons and electrons.

LO-phonon and plasmon coupling in neutron-transmutation-doped GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuriyama, K.; Sakai, K.; Okada, M.

1996-01-01

Coupling between the longitudinal-optic (LO) phonon mode and the longitudinal plasma mode in neutron-transmutation-doped (NTD) semi-insulating GaAs was studied using Raman-scattering spectroscopy and a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. When the electron concentration due to the activation of NTD impurities (Ge Ga and Se As ) approaches ∼8x10 16 cm -3 , the LO-phonon endash plasmon coupling is observed. This behavior is consistent with the free-electron absorption due to the activation of NTD impurities in samples annealed above 600 degree C. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Interaction of non-equilibrium phonons with electron-hole plasmas in germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirch, S.J.

1985-01-01

This thesis presents results of experiments on the interaction of phonons and photo-excited electron-hole plasmas in Ge at low temperature. The first two studies involved the low-temperature fluid phase known as the electron-hole liquid (EHL). The third study involved a wider range of temperatures and includes the higher temperature electron-hole plasma (EHP). In the first experiment, superconducting tunnel junctions are used to produce quasi-monochromatic phonons, which propagate through the EHL. The magnitude of the absorption of these non-equilibrium phonons gives a direct measure of the coupling constant, the deformation potential. In the second experiment, the nonequilibrium phonons are generated by laser excitation of a metal film. An unusual sample geometry allows examination of the EHL-phonon interaction near the EHL excitation surface. This coupling is examined for both cw and pulsed EHL excitation. In the third experiment, the phonons are byproducts of the photo-excited carrier thermalization. The spatial, spectral and temporal dependence of the recombination luminescence is examined. A phonon wind force is observed to dominate the transport properties of the EHL and the EHP. These carriers are never observed to move faster than the phonon velocity even during the laser pulse

Unraveling the acoustic electron-phonon interaction in graphene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Thygesen, Kristian S.; Jacobsen, Karsten W.

2012-01-01

Using a first-principles approach we calculate the electron-phonon couplings in graphene for the transverse and longitudinal acoustic phonons. Analytic forms of the coupling matrix elements valid in the long-wavelength limit are found to give an almost quantitative description of the first...... that the intrinsic effective acoustic deformation potential of graphene is Ξeff=6.8 eV and that the temperature dependence of the mobility μ~T-α in the Bloch-Gru¨neisen regime increases beyond an α=4 dependence even in the absence of screening when the true coupling matrix elements are considered. The α>4...

Correlation between phonon anomaly along [211] and the Fermi surface nesting features with associated electron-phonon interactions in Ni2FeGa: A first principles study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chabungbam, Satyananda; Sahariah, Munima B.

2015-01-01

First principles calculation reaffirms the presence of phonon anomaly along [211] direction in Ni 2 FeGa shape memory alloy supporting the experimental findings of J. Q. Li et al. Fermi surface scans have been performed in both austenite and martensite phase to see the possible Fermi nesting features in this alloy. The magnitude of observed Fermi surface nesting vectors in (211) plane exactly match the phonon anomaly wavevectors along [211] direction. Electron-phonon calculation in the austenite phase shows that there is significant electron-phonon coupling in this alloy which might arise out of the lattice coupling between lower acoustic modes and higher optical modes combined with the observed strong Fermi nesting features in the system. - Highlights: • Transverse acoustic (TA 2 ) modes show anomaly along [211] direction in Ni 2 FeGa. • The phonon anomaly wavevector has been correlated with the Fermi nesting vectors. • Electron-phonon coupling calculation shows significant coupling in this system. • Max. el-ph coupling occurs in transition frequencies from acoustic to optical modes

Langevin Dynamics with Spatial Correlations as a Model for Electron-Phonon Coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Tamm, A.; Caro, M.; Caro, A.; Samolyuk, G.; Klintenberg, M.; Correa, A. A.

2018-05-01

Stochastic Langevin dynamics has been traditionally used as a tool to describe nonequilibrium processes. When utilized in systems with collective modes, traditional Langevin dynamics relaxes all modes indiscriminately, regardless of their wavelength. We propose a generalization of Langevin dynamics that can capture a differential coupling between collective modes and the bath, by introducing spatial correlations in the random forces. This allows modeling the electronic subsystem in a metal as a generalized Langevin bath endowed with a concept of locality, greatly improving the capabilities of the two-temperature model. The specific form proposed here for the spatial correlations produces a physical wave-vector and polarization dependency of the relaxation produced by the electron-phonon coupling in a solid. We show that the resulting model can be used for describing the path to equilibration of ions and electrons and also as a thermostat to sample the equilibrium canonical ensemble. By extension, the family of models presented here can be applied in general to any dense system, solids, alloys, and dense plasmas. As an example, we apply the model to study the nonequilibrium dynamics of an electron-ion two-temperature Ni crystal.

Coherent helix vacancy phonon and its ultrafast dynamics waning in topological Dirac semimetal C d3A s2

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Fei; Wu, Q.; Wu, Y. L.; Zhao, H.; Yi, C. J.; Tian, Y. C.; Liu, H. W.; Shi, Y. G.; Ding, H.; Dai, X.; Richard, P.; Zhao, Jimin

2017-06-01

We report an ultrafast lattice dynamics investigation of the topological Dirac semimetal C d3A s2 . A coherent phonon beating among three evenly spaced A1 g optical phonon modes (of frequencies 1.80, 1.96, and 2.11 THz, respectively) is unambiguously observed. The two side modes originate from the counter helixes composing Cd vacancies. Significantly, such helix vacancy-induced phonon (HVP) modes experience prominent extra waning in their ultrafast dynamics as temperature increases, which is immune to the central mode. Above 200 K, the HVP becomes inactive, which may potentially affect the topological properties. Our results in the lattice degree of freedom suggest the indispensable role of temperature in considering topological properties of such quantum materials.

Froehlih coupling with LO-phonons in quantum dots. Huang-Rhys phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banyai, L.

1991-01-01

The quantum coupling between photoexcited carriers and longitudinal optical (LO) phonons in zero-dimensional structures (quantum dots) is considered. A classical model of the electron-phonon interaction is presented. The polarization field is then quantized and the Huang-Rhys phenomenon is observed. Effects induced by the quantization of the electron system are also considered. Finally, the modifications of the theory due to specific aspects of quantum dots are discussed. (Author)

Doping-controlled Coherent Electron-Phonon Coupling in Vanadium Dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Appavoo, Kannatassen [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States) Interdisciplinary Materials Science; Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials; Wang, Bin [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States) Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Nag, Joyeeta [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States) Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Sfeir, Matthew Y. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials; Pantelides, Sokrates T. [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States) Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Haglund, Richard F. [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States) Interdisciplinary Materials Science and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

2015-05-10

Broadband femtosecond transient spectroscopy and density functional calculations reveal that substitutional tungsten doping of a VO₂ film changes the coherent phonon response compared to the undoped film due to altered electronic and structural dynamics.

Short-Range Electron Transfer in Reduced Flavodoxin: Ultrafast Nonequilibrium Dynamics Coupled with Protein Fluctuations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kundu, Mainak; He, Ting-Fang; Lu, Yangyi; Wang, Lijuan; Zhong, Dongping

2018-05-03

Short-range electron transfer (ET) in proteins is an ultrafast process on the similar timescales as local protein-solvent fluctuations thus the two dynamics are coupled. Here, we use semiquinone flavodoxin and systematically characterized the photoinduced redox cycle with eleven mutations of different aromatic electron donors (tryptophan and tyrosine) and local residues to change redox properties. We observed the forward and backward ET dynamics in a few picoseconds, strongly following a stretched behavior resulting from a coupling between local environment relaxations and these ET processes. We further observed the hot vibrational-state formation through charge recombination and the subsequent cooling dynamics also in a few picoseconds. Combined with the ET studies in oxidized flavodoxin, these results coherently reveal the evolution of the ET dynamics from single to stretched exponential behaviors and thus elucidate critical timescales for the coupling. The observed hot vibration-state formation is robust and should be considered in all photoinduced back ET processes in flavoproteins.

Observation of coherent optical phonons excited by femtosecond laser radiation in Sb films by ultrafast electron diffraction method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mironov, B. N.; Kompanets, V. O.; Aseev, S. A., E-mail: isanfemto@yandex.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Spectroscopy (Russian Federation); Ischenko, A. A. [Moscow Technological University, Institute of High Chemical Technologies (Russian Federation); Kochikov, I. V. [Moscow State University (Russian Federation); Misochko, O. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Solid State Physics (Russian Federation); Chekalin, S. V.; Ryabov, E. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Spectroscopy (Russian Federation)

2017-03-15

The generation of coherent optical phonons in a polycrystalline antimony film sample has been investigated using femtosecond electron diffraction method. Phonon vibrations have been induced in the Sb sample by the main harmonic of a femtosecond Ti:Sa laser (λ = 800 nm) and probed by a pulsed ultrashort photoelectron beam synchronized with the pump laser. The diffraction patterns recorded at different times relative to the pump laser pulse display oscillations of electron diffraction intensity corresponding to the frequencies of vibrations of optical phonons: totally symmetric (A{sub 1g}) and twofold degenerate (E{sub g}) phonon modes. The frequencies that correspond to combinations of these phonon modes in the Sb sample have also been experimentally observed.

Electron and Phonon Transport in Molecular Junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Qian

Molecular electronics provide the possibility to investigate electron and phonon transport at the smallest imaginable scale, where quantum effects can be investigated and exploited directly in the design. In this thesis, we study both electron transport and phonon transport in molecular junctions....... The system we are interested in here are π-stacked molecules connected with two semi-infinite leads. π-stacked aromatic rings, connected via π-π electronic coupling, provides a rather soft mechanical bridge while maintaining high electronic conductivity. We investigate electron transport...... transmission at the Fermi energy. We propose and analyze a way of using π   stacking to design molecular junctions to control heat transport. We develop a simple model system to identify optimal parameter regimes and then use density functional theory (DFT) to extract model parameters for a number of specific...

ATA and the electron phonon coupling constant in calculating TA of super conducting alloys [Paper No. : V-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatterjee, P.; Chatterjee, S.

1978-01-01

The theoretical formula of McMillan has been very successful in explaining the superconducting transition temperature. In this theory the electron-phonon coupling constant was very difficult to calculate from a purely theoretical stand point until Gyorffy and Gaspari gave a theoretical formulation from the multiple scattering point of view. This theory has been very successful in explaining Tsub(c) of many superconducting elements and compounds. For the disordered solid, such as substitution alloys, this theory fails because of the breakdown of the translational symmetry used in the multiple scattering theory of Gyorffy and Gaspari. This problem can however be solved if we average the Green's function in random phase approximation (ATA). In this work we have reformulated Gyorffy and Gaspari's expression of the electron phonon coupling constant in the random phase approximation. This theory has been utilised to alloys of Nb and Mo with different concentrations. The agreement between theory and experiment appears to be very good. (author)

Electron-phonon coupling, gap anisotropy and multigap structure in the high transition temperature cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kresin, V.Z.; Wolf, S.A.

1989-01-01

In this paper the authors report on several important properties of the high t c cuprates. Firstly, the authors have developed a method for evaluating the electron-phonon coupling strength λ using an analysis of the heat capacity data. The authors estimate λ to be about 2.0 for La-Sr-Cu-O, which indicates that phonons are important but are not sufficient to explain the measured T c . Secondly, the authors have demonstrated that these materials exhibit gap anisotropy and multigap structure (the latter in the Re-Ba-Cu-O materials) which is responsible for the experimental difficulties in analyzing tunnelling and infrared data. Finally the authors have explained the anomalous results on the Pr substituted Y-Ba-Cu-O by its effects on the two dimensional Cu-O band in the framework of a two band multigap structure

Strong Carrier–Phonon Coupling in Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

We highlight the importance of carrier–phonon coupling in inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals. The low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of CsPbBr3 has been investigated under a nonresonant and a nonstandard, quasi-resonant excitation scheme, and phonon replicas of the main PL band have been identified as due to the Fröhlich interaction. The energy of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons has been determined from the separation of the zero phonon band and phonon replicas. We reason that the observed LO phonon coupling can only be related to an orthorhombically distorted crystal structure of the perovskite nanocrystals. Additionally, the strength of carrier–phonon coupling has been characterized using the ratio between the intensities of the first phonon replica and the zero-phonon band. PL emission from localized versus delocalized carriers has been identified as the source of the observed discrepancies between the LO phonon energy and phonon coupling strength under quasi-resonant and nonresonant excitation conditions, respectively. PMID:29019652

Rigid muffin-tin approximation for the electron-phonon interaction in transition metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, W.H.

1980-01-01

Progress in calculating the electron-phonon parameters of transition metals has been based on either the rigid muffin-tin approximation (RMTA) or the fitted modified tight-binding approximation (FMTBA). The RMTA has been shown to be remarkably accurate for average electron-phonon properties, but there are indications that RMTA matrix elements may be too small at low momentum transfer. An attempt is made to demonstrate these assertions concerning the accuracy of RMTA and the numerous electron-phonon calculations are placed in a broader perspective by a demonstration of how they can be used to explain the trends in the strength of the electron-phonon coupling among the transition metals and the A-15 compounds

Rigid muffin-tin approximation for the electron-phonon interaction in transition metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butler, W.H.

1980-01-01

Progress in calculating the electron-phonon parameters of transition metals has been based on either the rigid muffin-tin approximation (RMTA) or the fitted modified tight-binding approximation (FMTBA). The RMTA has been shown to be remarkably accurate for average electron-phonon properties, but there are indications that RMTA matrix elements may be too small at low momentum transfer. An attempt is made to demonstrate these assertions concerning the accuracy of RMTA and the numerous electron-phonon calculations are placed in a broader perspective by a demonstration of how they can be used to explain the trends in the strength of the electron-phonon coupling among the transition metals and the A-15 compounds. (GHT)

Nonlinear electron-phonon heat exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, L.M.; Mahan, G.D.

1998-01-01

A calculation of the energy exchange between phonons and electrons is done for a metal at very low temperatures. We consider the energy exchange due to two-phonon processes. Second-order processes are expected to be important at temperatures less than 1 K. We include two different second-order processes: (i) the Compton-like scattering of phonons, and (ii) the electron-dual-phonon scattering from the second-order electron-phonon interaction. It is found that the Compton-like process contains a singular energy denominator. The singularity is removed by introducing quasiparticle damping. For pure metals we find that the energy exchange depends upon the lifetime of the electrons and it is proportional to the temperature of the lattice as T L 8 . The same calculation is performed for the electron-dual-phonon scattering and it is found that the temperature dependence is T L 9 . The results can be applied to quantum dot refrigerators. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

Small Fermi energy, strong electron-phonon effects and anharmonicity in MgB2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cappelluti, E.; Pietronero, L.

2007-01-01

The investigation of the electron-phonon properties in MgB 2 has attracted a huge interest after the discovery of superconductivity with T c 39 K in this compound. Although superconductivity is often described in terms of the conventional Eliashberg theory, properly generalized in the multiband/multigap scenario, important features distinguish MgB 2 from other conventional strong-coupling superconductors. Most important it is the fact that a large part of the total electron-phonon strength seems to be concentrated here in only one phonon mode, the boron-boron E 2g stretching mode. Another interesting property is the small Fermi energy of the σ bands, which are strongly coupled with the E 2g mode. In this contribution, we discuss how the coexistence of both these features give rise to an unconventional phenomenology of the electron-phonon properties

The Laser ablation of a metal foam: The role of electron-phonon coupling and electronic heat diffusivity

Science.gov (United States)

Rosandi, Yudi; Grossi, Joás; Bringa, Eduardo M.; Urbassek, Herbert M.

2018-01-01

The incidence of energetic laser pulses on a metal foam may lead to foam ablation. The processes occurring in the foam may differ strongly from those in a bulk metal: The absorption of laser light, energy transfer to the atomic system, heat conduction, and finally, the atomistic processes—such as melting or evaporation—may be different. In addition, novel phenomena take place, such as a reorganization of the ligament network in the foam. We study all these processes in an Au foam of average porosity 79% and an average ligament diameter of 2.5 nm, using molecular dynamics simulation. The coupling of the electronic system to the atomic system is modeled by using the electron-phonon coupling, g, and the electronic heat diffusivity, κe, as model parameters, since their actual values for foams are unknown. We show that the foam coarsens under laser irradiation. While κe governs the homogeneity of the processes, g mainly determines their time scale. The final porosity reached is independent of the value of g.

Interaction Between Electrons, Magnons and Phonons in Nickel. RCN Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frikkee, E.

1971-02-01

By means of inelastic neutron scattering, a localized electron excitation was observed in Ni and (4% Fe). The excitation interacts with magnons and phonons, and is assumed to correspond with transitions between the nearly-degenerate electronstates Δ 6 ↑ and Δ 7 ↑ near X, which are situated just below the Fermi level.Selection rules for electron-phonon and electronmagnon scattering are determined by means of group theory. It is found that in particular the transverse (Δ 5 ) phonons in the [100] direction are perturbed. The observed neutron-electron scattering turns out to be an indirect process, which is only possible due to the interaction between the (Δ 6 , Δ 7 ) electrons and the lattice. The basic mechanism for the observed effects is the electron spin-orbit coupling, which establishes the interaction between the electron spin system and the lattice. (author)

Size dependence investigations of hot electron cooling dynamics in metal/adsorbates nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, Christophe; Abid, Jean-Pierre; Girault, Hubert H.

2005-01-01

The size dependence of electron-phonon coupling rate has been investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy for gold nanoparticles (NPs) wrapped in a shell of sulfate with diameter varying from 1.7 to 9.2 nm. Broad-band spectroscopy gives an overview of the complex dynamics of nonequilibrium electrons and permits the choice of an appropriate probe wavelength for studying the electron-phonon coupling dynamics. Ultrafast experiments were performed in the weak perturbation regime (less than one photon in average per nanoparticle), which allows the direct extraction of the hot electron cooling rates in order to compare different NPs sizes under the same conditions. Spectroscopic data reveals a decrease of hot electron energy loss rates with metal/adsorbates nanosystem sizes. Electron-phonon coupling time constants obtained for 9.2 nm NPs are similar to gold bulk materials (∼1 ps) whereas an increase of hot electron cooling time up to 1.9 ps is observed for sizes of 1.7 nm. This is rationalized by the domination of surface effects over size (bulk) effects. The slow hot electron cooling is attributed to the adsorbates-induced long-lived nonthermal regime, which significantly reduces the electron-phonon coupling strength (average rate of phonon emission)

Strong-coupling electron-phonon superconductivity in H{sub 3}S

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pickett, Warren E. [University of California, Davis, CA (United States); Quan, Yundi [Beijing Normal University, Beijing (China)

2016-07-01

The superconducting phase of hydrogen sulfide at T{sub c} = 200 K observed by Eremets' group at pressures around 200 GPa is simple bcc Im-3m H{sub 3}S. Remarkably, this record high temperature superconductor was predicted beforehand by Duan et al., so the theory would seem to be in place. Here we will discuss why this is not true. Several extremes are involved: extreme pressure, meaning reduction of volume;extremely high H phonon energy scale around 1400 K; unusually narrow peak in the density of states at the Fermi level; extremely high temperature for a superconductor. Analysis of the H3S electronic structure and two important van Hove singularities (vHs) reveal the effect of sulfur. The implications for the strong coupling Migdal-Eliashberg theory will be discussed. Followed by comments on ways of increasing T{sub c} in H{sub 3}S-like materials.

Confinement of acoustical modes due to the electron-phonon interaction within 2D-electron gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochelap, V.A.; Gulseren, O.

1992-09-01

We study the confinement of acoustical modes within 2DEG due only to the electron-phonon interaction. The confined modes split out from the bulk phonons even at uniform lattice parameters, when the 2DEG is created by means of modulation doping. The effect is more pronounced when the wave vector q of the modes increases and is maximum at q = 2 k F (k F is the Fermi wave vector). In the case of several electron sheets the additional features of the confinement effect appear. In the limit of the strong electron-phonon coupling and high surface concentration of the electrons the considered system can suffer Peierls-type phase transition. In this case periodical deformation of the lattice and charge density wave are confined within the electron sheet. (author). 18 refs, 2 figs

Electron-phonon relaxation and excited electron distribution in gallium nitride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhukov, V. P. [Institute of Solid State Chemistry, Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pervomayskaya st. 91, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tyuterev, V. G., E-mail: valtyut00@mail.ru [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tomsk State Pedagogical University, Kievskaya st. 60, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Tomsk State University, Lenin st. 36, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Chulkov, E. V. [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tomsk State University, Lenin st. 36, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Qumicas, UPV/EHU and Centro de Fisica de Materiales CFM-MPC and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Apdo. 1072, 20080 San Sebastian (Spain); Echenique, P. M. [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Qumicas, UPV/EHU and Centro de Fisica de Materiales CFM-MPC and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Apdo. 1072, 20080 San Sebastian (Spain)

2016-08-28

We develop a theory of energy relaxation in semiconductors and insulators highly excited by the long-acting external irradiation. We derive the equation for the non-equilibrium distribution function of excited electrons. The solution for this function breaks up into the sum of two contributions. The low-energy contribution is concentrated in a narrow range near the bottom of the conduction band. It has the typical form of a Fermi distribution with an effective temperature and chemical potential. The effective temperature and chemical potential in this low-energy term are determined by the intensity of carriers' generation, the speed of electron-phonon relaxation, rates of inter-band recombination, and electron capture on the defects. In addition, there is a substantial high-energy correction. This high-energy “tail” largely covers the conduction band. The shape of the high-energy “tail” strongly depends on the rate of electron-phonon relaxation but does not depend on the rates of recombination and trapping. We apply the theory to the calculation of a non-equilibrium distribution of electrons in an irradiated GaN. Probabilities of optical excitations from the valence to conduction band and electron-phonon coupling probabilities in GaN were calculated by the density functional perturbation theory. Our calculation of both parts of distribution function in gallium nitride shows that when the speed of the electron-phonon scattering is comparable with the rate of recombination and trapping then the contribution of the non-Fermi “tail” is comparable with that of the low-energy Fermi-like component. So the high-energy contribution can essentially affect the charge transport in the irradiated and highly doped semiconductors.

Many-polaron theory for superconductivity and charge-density waves in a strongly coupled electron-phonon system with quasi-two-dimensionality: An interpolation between the adiabatic limit and the inverse-adiabatic limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasu, K.

1987-01-01

The phase diagram of a two-dimensional N-site N-electron system (N>>1) with site-diagonal electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling is studied in the context of polaron theory, so as to clarify the competition between the superconducting (SC) state and the charge-density wave (CDW) state. The Fermi surface of noninteracting electrons is assumed to be a complete circle with no nesting-type instability in the case of weak e-ph coupling, so as to focus on such a strong coupling that even the standard ''strong-coupling theory'' for superconductivity breaks down. Phonon clouds moving with electrons as well as a frozen phonon are taken into account by a variational method, combined with a mean-field theory. It covers the whole region of three basic parameters characterizing the system: the intersite transfer energy of electron T, the e-ph coupling energy S, and the phonon energy ω. The resultant phase diagram is given in a triangular coordinate space spanned by T, S, and ω. In the adiabatic region ω >(T,S) near the ω vertex of the triangle, on the other hand, each electron becomes a small polaron, and the SC state is always more stable than the CDW state, because the retardation effect is absent

The electron–phonon coupling of fundamental, overtone, and combination modes and its effects on the resonance Raman spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Shuo [State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Li, Zhanlong; Wang, Shenghan; Gao, Shuqin [College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Sun, Chenglin, E-mail: chenglin@jlu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Li, Zuowei [College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China)

2015-12-15

Highlights: • The Huang–Rhys factors and electron–phonon coupling constants are calculated. • The changes of overtone mode are larger than those of fundamental mode. • The variation pattern of electron–phonon coupling well interprets the changes of spectra. - Abstract: External field plays a very important role in the interaction between the π-electron transition and atomic vibration of polyenes. It has significant effects on both the Huang–Rhys factor and the electron–phonon coupling. In this paper, the visible absorption and resonance Raman spectra of all-trans-β-carotene are measured in the 345–295 K temperature range and it is found that the changes of the 0–1 and 0–2 vibration bands of the absorption spectra with the temperature lead to the different electron–phonon coupling of fundamental, overtone, and combination modes. The electron-phonon coupling constants of all the modes are calculated and analyzed under different temperatures. The variation law of the electron–phonon coupling with the temperature well interprets the changes of the resonance Raman spectra, such as the shift, intensity and line width of the overtone and combination modes, which are all greater than those of the fundamental modes.

Electron-plasmon and electron-phonon satellites in the angle-resolved photoelectron spectra of n -doped anatase TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Fabio; Verdi, Carla; Poncé, Samuel; Giustino, Feliciano

2018-04-01

We develop a first-principles approach based on many-body perturbation theory to investigate the effects of the interaction between electrons and carrier plasmons on the electronic properties of highly doped semiconductors and oxides. Through the evaluation of the electron self-energy, we account simultaneously for electron-plasmon and electron-phonon coupling in theoretical calculations of angle-resolved photoemission spectra, electron linewidths, and relaxation times. We apply this methodology to electron-doped anatase TiO2 as an illustrative example. The simulated spectra indicate that electron-plasmon coupling in TiO2 underpins the formation of satellites at energies comparable to those of polaronic spectral features. At variance with phonons, however, the energy of plasmons and their spectral fingerprints depends strongly on the carrier concentration, revealing a complex interplay between plasmon and phonon satellites. The electron-plasmon interaction accounts for approximately 40% of the total electron-boson interaction strength, and it is key to improve the agreement with measured quasiparticle spectra.

An ultrafast nanotip electron gun triggered by grating-coupled surface plasmons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schröder, Benjamin; Sivis, Murat; Bormann, Reiner; Schäfer, Sascha; Ropers, Claus, E-mail: cropers@gwdg.de [4th Physical Institute - Solids and Nanostructures, University of Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen (Germany)

2015-12-07

We demonstrate multiphoton photoelectron emission from gold nanotips induced by nanofocusing surface plasmons, resonantly excited on the tip shaft by a grating coupler. The tip is integrated into an electron gun assembly, which facilitates control over the spatial emission sites and allows us to disentangle direct grating emission from plasmon-triggered apex emission. The nanoscale source size of this electron gun concept enables highly coherent electron pulses with applications in ultrafast electron imaging and diffraction.

Acoustic phonons mediated non-equilibrium spin current in the presence of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit couplings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasanirokh, K.; Phirouznia, A.

2013-01-01

Influence of electrons interaction with longitudinal acoustic phonons on magnetoelectric and spin-related transport effects are investigated. The considered system is a two-dimensional electron gas system with both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit couplings. The works which have previously been performed in this field, have revealed that the Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings cannot be responsible for spin current in the non-equilibrium regime. In the current Letter, a semiclassical method was employed using the Boltzmann approach and it was shown that the spin current of the system, in general, does not go all the way to zero when the electron–phonon coupling is taken into account. It was also shown that spin accumulation of the system could be influenced by electron–phonon coupling.

Examining Electron-Boson Coupling Using Time-Resolved Spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sentef, Michael; Kemper, Alexander F.; Moritz, Brian; Freericks, James K.; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Devereaux, Thomas P.

2013-12-26

Nonequilibrium pump-probe time-domain spectroscopies can become an important tool to disentangle degrees of freedom whose coupling leads to broad structures in the frequency domain. Here, using the time-resolved solution of a model photoexcited electron-phonon system, we show that the relaxational dynamics are directly governed by the equilibrium self-energy so that the phonon frequency sets a window for “slow” versus “fast” recovery. The overall temporal structure of this relaxation spectroscopy allows for a reliable and quantitative extraction of the electron-phonon coupling strength without requiring an effective temperature model or making strong assumptions about the underlying bare electronic band dispersion.

STRONG CORRELATIONS AND ELECTRON-PHONON COUPLING IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS - A QUANTUM MONTE-CARLO STUDY

NARCIS (Netherlands)

MORGENSTERN, [No Value; FRICK, M; VONDERLINDEN, W

We present quantum simulation studies for a system of strongly correlated fermions coupled to local anharmonic phonons. The Monte Carlo calculations are based on a generalized version of the Projector Quantum Monte Carlo Method allowing a simultaneous treatment of fermions and dynamical phonons. The

The role of electron-phonon interaction and non-Gaussian transport in spectral changes of trapped electrons in glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Funabishi, K.; Hamill, W.H.

The continuous-time-random-walk (CTRW) model which was developed for electron scavenging reactions in polar glasses is extended to the phenomenon of spectral relaxation of electrons in shallow traps esub(t) - in a wider range of systems. The central role of electron-phonon coupling in understanding the initial electron localization, the ''pre-existing trap'', and electron transfer processes are emphasized. The reactivity of esub(t) - with scavengers, including protons, is discussed in terms of the theory of multi-phonon non-radiative transitions. (author)

Out-of-plane heat transfer in van der Waals stacks through electron-hyperbolic phonon coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Tielrooij, Klaas-Jan; Hesp, Niels C. H.; Principi, Alessandro; Lundeberg, Mark B.; Pogna, Eva A. A.; Banszerus, Luca; Mics, Zoltán; Massicotte, Mathieu; Schmidt, Peter; Davydovskaya, Diana; Purdie, David G.; Goykhman, Ilya; Soavi, Giancarlo; Lombardo, Antonio; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Bonn, Mischa; Turchinovich, Dmitry; Stampfer, Christoph; Ferrari, Andrea C.; Cerullo, Giulio; Polini, Marco; Koppens, Frank H. L.

2018-01-01

Van der Waals heterostructures have emerged as promising building blocks that offer access to new physics, novel device functionalities and superior electrical and optoelectronic properties1-7. Applications such as thermal management, photodetection, light emission, data communication, high-speed electronics and light harvesting8-16 require a thorough understanding of (nanoscale) heat flow. Here, using time-resolved photocurrent measurements, we identify an efficient out-of-plane energy transfer channel, where charge carriers in graphene couple to hyperbolic phonon polaritons17-19 in the encapsulating layered material. This hyperbolic cooling is particularly efficient, giving picosecond cooling times for hexagonal BN, where the high-momentum hyperbolic phonon polaritons enable efficient near-field energy transfer. We study this heat transfer mechanism using distinct control knobs to vary carrier density and lattice temperature, and find excellent agreement with theory without any adjustable parameters. These insights may lead to the ability to control heat flow in van der Waals heterostructures.

Electronic and optical properties of ZrB12 and YB6. Discussion on electron-phonon coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teyssier, J.; Kuzmenko, A.; Marel, D. van der; Lortz, R.; Junod, A.; Filippov, V.; Shitsevalova, N.

2006-01-01

We report the optical properties of high-quality single crystals of low temperature superconductors zirconiumdodecaboride ZrB 12 (T c =5.95 K) and yttrium hexaboride YB 6 (T c =7.15 K) in the range 6 meV-4.6 eV at room temperature. The experimental optical conductivity was extracted from the analysis of the reflectivity in the infrared range and ellipsometry measurement of the dielectric function in the visible range. The electronic band structure of these compounds was calculated by the self-consistent full-potential LMTO method and used to compute the interband part of the optical conductivity and the plasma frequency Ω p . A good agreement was observed between the interband part of the experimental optical conductivities and the band structure calculations. Different methods combining optical spectroscopy, resistivity, specific heat measurements and results of band structure calculations are used to determine the electron-phonon coupling constant. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Electron-phonon interaction in the binary superconductor lutetium carbide LuC2 via first-principles calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Dilmi, S.; Saib, S.; Bouarissa, N.

2018-06-01

Structural, electronic, electron-phonon coupling and superconducting properties of the intermetallic compound LuC2 are investigated by means of ab initio pseudopotential plane wave method within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters yielded a very good accord with experiment. There is no imaginary phonon frequency in the whole Brillouin zone supporting thus the dynamical stability in the material of interest. The average electron-phonon coupling parameter is found to be 0.59 indicating thus a weak-coupling BCS superconductor. Using a reasonable value of μ* = 0.12 for the effective Coulomb repulsion parameter, the superconducting critical temperature Tc is found to be 3.324 which is in excellent agreement with the experimental value of 3.33 K. The effect of the spin-orbit coupling on the superconducting properties of the material of interest has been examined and found to be weak.

Exciton Scattering approach for conjugated macromolecules: from electronic spectra to electron-phonon coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Tretiak, Sergei

2014-03-01

The exciton scattering (ES) technique is a multiscale approach developed for efficient calculations of excited-state electronic structure and optical spectra in low-dimensional conjugated macromolecules. Within the ES method, the electronic excitations in the molecular structure are attributed to standing waves representing quantum quasi-particles (excitons), which reside on the graph. The exciton propagation on the linear segments is characterized by the exciton dispersion, whereas the exciton scattering on the branching centers is determined by the energy-dependent scattering matrices. Using these ES energetic parameters, the excitation energies are then found by solving a set of generalized ``particle in a box'' problems on the graph that represents the molecule. All parameters can be extracted from quantum-chemical computations of small molecular fragments and tabulated in the ES library for further applications. Subsequently, spectroscopic modeling for any macrostructure within considered molecular family could be performed with negligible numerical effort. The exciton scattering properties of molecular vertices can be further described by tight-binding or equivalently lattice models. The on-site energies and hopping constants are obtained from the exciton dispersion and scattering matrices. Such tight-binding model approach is particularly useful to describe the exciton-phonon coupling, energetic disorder and incoherent energy transfer in large branched conjugated molecules. Overall the ES applications accurately reproduce the optical spectra compared to the reference quantum chemistry results, and make possible to predict spectra of complex macromolecules, where conventional electronic structure calculations are unfeasible.

Defect-mediated phonon dynamics in TaS2 and WSe2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel R. Cremons

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We report correlative crystallographic and morphological studies of defect-dependent phonon dynamics in single flakes of 1T-TaS2 and 2H-WSe2 using selected-area diffraction and bright-field imaging in an ultrafast electron microscope. In both materials, we observe in-plane speed-of-sound acoustic-phonon wave trains, the dynamics of which (i.e., emergence, propagation, and interference are strongly dependent upon discrete interfacial features (e.g., vacuum/crystal and crystal/crystal interfaces. In TaS2, we observe cross-propagating in-plane acoustic-phonon wave trains of differing frequencies that undergo coherent interference approximately 200 ps after initial emergence from distinct interfacial regions. With ultrafast bright-field imaging, the properties of the interfering wave trains are observed to correspond to the beat frequency of the individual oscillations, while intensity oscillations of Bragg spots generated from selected areas within the region of interest match well with the real-space dynamics. In WSe2, distinct acoustic-phonon dynamics are observed emanating and propagating away from structurally dissimilar morphological discontinuities (vacuum/crystal interface and crystal terrace, and results of ultrafast selected-area diffraction reveal thickness-dependent phonon frequencies. The overall observed dynamics are well-described using finite element analysis and time-dependent linear-elastic continuum mechanics.

Evidence for phonon-mediated coupling in superconducting Ba0.6K0.4BiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinks, D.G.; Dabrowski, B.; Richards, D.R.; Jorgensen, J.D.; Pei, S.; Zasadzinski, J.F.

1989-01-01

Superconducting Ba 0.6 K 0.4 BiO 3 , with a T c of 30 K, shows a large 18 O isotope effect which indicates that phonons are involved in the pairing mechanism. Infrared reflectivity measurements indicate a value for the superconducting gap consistent with moderate coupling (2Δ/k T c = 3.5 ± 0.5). A mediating energy for pairing of about 40 meV would be required to obtain a T c of 30 K. Strong coupling of electrons by optical phonons (which are present in this material with energies up to 80 meV) could account for the observed transition temperature. Recent tunneling spectroscopy shows the presence of strongly coupled optical phonons in the 40 to 70 meV region, indicating that superconductivity in this material may be phonon mediated

Ultrafast control and monitoring of material properties using terahertz pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bowlan, Pamela Renee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Lab. for Ultrafast Materials Optical Science (LUMOS)

2016-05-02

These are a set of slides on ultrafast control and monitoring of material properties using terahertz pulses. A few of the topics covered in these slides are: How fast is a femtosecond (fs), Different frequencies probe different properties of molecules or solids, What can a THz pulse do to a material, Ultrafast spectroscopy, Generating and measuring ultrashort THz pulses, Tracking ultrafast spin dynamics in antiferromagnets through spin wave resonances, Coherent two-dimensional THz spectroscopy, and Probing vibrational dynamics at a surface. Conclusions are: Coherent two-dimensional THz spectroscopy: a powerful approach for studying coherence and dynamics of low energy resonances. Applying this to graphene we investigated the very strong THz light mater interaction which dominates over scattering. Useful for studying coupled excitations in multiferroics and monitoring chemical reactions. Also, THz-pump, SHG-probe spectoscopy: an ultrafast, surface sensitive probe of atomic-scale symmetry changes and nonlinear phonon dymanics. We are using this in Bi₂Se₃ to investigate the nonlinear surface phonon dynamics. This is potentially very useful for studying catalysis.

Mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weathersby, S. P.; Brown, G.; Chase, T. F.; Coffee, R.; Corbett, J.; Eichner, J. P.; Frisch, J. C.; Fry, A. R.; Gühr, M.; Hartmann, N.; Hast, C.; Hettel, R.; Jobe, R. K.; Jongewaard, E. N.; Lewandowski, J. R.; Li, R. K., E-mail: lrk@slac.stanford.edu; Lindenberg, A. M.; Makasyuk, I.; May, J. E.; McCormick, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); and others

2015-07-15

Ultrafast electron probes are powerful tools, complementary to x-ray free-electron lasers, used to study structural dynamics in material, chemical, and biological sciences. High brightness, relativistic electron beams with femtosecond pulse duration can resolve details of the dynamic processes on atomic time and length scales. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory recently launched the Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) and microscopy Initiative aiming at developing the next generation ultrafast electron scattering instruments. As the first stage of the Initiative, a mega-electron-volt (MeV) UED system has been constructed and commissioned to serve ultrafast science experiments and instrumentation development. The system operates at 120-Hz repetition rate with outstanding performance. In this paper, we report on the SLAC MeV UED system and its performance, including the reciprocal space resolution, temporal resolution, and machine stability.

Ultrafast lattice dynamics in photoexcited nanostructures. Femtosecond X-ray diffraction with optimized evaluation schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schick, Daniel

2013-01-01

Within the course of this thesis, I have investigated the complex interplay between electron and lattice dynamics in nanostructures of perovskite oxides. Femtosecond hard X-ray pulses were utilized to probe the evolution of atomic rearrangement directly, which is driven by ultrafast optical excitation of electrons. The physics of complex materials with a large number of degrees of freedom can be interpreted once the exact fingerprint of ultrafast lattice dynamics in time-resolved X-ray diffraction experiments for a simple model system is well known. The motion of atoms in a crystal can be probed directly and in real-time by femtosecond pulses of hard X-ray radiation in a pump-probe scheme. In order to provide such ultrashort X-ray pulses, I have built up a laser-driven plasma X-ray source. The setup was extended by a stable goniometer, a two-dimensional X-ray detector and a cryogen-free cryostat. The data acquisition routines of the diffractometer for these ultrafast X-ray diffraction experiments were further improved in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and angular resolution. The implementation of a high-speed reciprocal-space mapping technique allowed for a two-dimensional structural analysis with femtosecond temporal resolution. I have studied the ultrafast lattice dynamics, namely the excitation and propagation of coherent phonons, in photoexcited thin films and superlattice structures of the metallic perovskite SrRuO 3 . Due to the quasi-instantaneous coupling of the lattice to the optically excited electrons in this material a spatially and temporally well-defined thermal stress profile is generated in SrRuO 3 . This enables understanding the effect of the resulting coherent lattice dynamics in time-resolved X-ray diffraction data in great detail, e.g. the appearance of a transient Bragg peak splitting in both thin films and superlattice structures of SrRuO 3 . In addition, a comprehensive simulation toolbox to calculate the ultrafast lattice dynamics and the

Self-consistency in the phonon space of the particle-phonon coupling model

Science.gov (United States)

Tselyaev, V.; Lyutorovich, N.; Speth, J.; Reinhard, P.-G.

2018-04-01

In the paper the nonlinear generalization of the time blocking approximation (TBA) is presented. The TBA is one of the versions of the extended random-phase approximation (RPA) developed within the Green-function method and the particle-phonon coupling model. In the generalized version of the TBA the self-consistency principle is extended onto the phonon space of the model. The numerical examples show that this nonlinear version of the TBA leads to the convergence of results with respect to enlarging the phonon space of the model.

Matrix-product-state method with local basis optimization for nonequilibrium electron-phonon systems

Science.gov (United States)

Heidrich-Meisner, Fabian; Brockt, Christoph; Dorfner, Florian; Vidmar, Lev; Jeckelmann, Eric

We present a method for simulating the time evolution of quasi-one-dimensional correlated systems with strongly fluctuating bosonic degrees of freedom (e.g., phonons) using matrix product states. For this purpose we combine the time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) algorithm with a local basis optimization (LBO) approach. We discuss the performance of our approach in comparison to TEBD with a bare boson basis, exact diagonalization, and diagonalization in a limited functional space. TEBD with LBO can reduce the computational cost by orders of magnitude when boson fluctuations are large and thus it allows one to investigate problems that are out of reach of other approaches. First, we test our method on the non-equilibrium dynamics of a Holstein polaron and show that it allows us to study the regime of strong electron-phonon coupling. Second, the method is applied to the scattering of an electronic wave packet off a region with electron-phonon coupling. Our study reveals a rich physics including transient self-trapping and dissipation. Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) via FOR 1807.

Electrons and Phonons in Semiconductor Multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Ridley, B. K.

1996-11-01

This book provides a detailed description of the quantum confinement of electrons and phonons in semiconductor wells, superlattices and quantum wires, and shows how this affects their mutual interactions. It discusses the transition from microscopic to continuum models, emphasizing the use of quasi-continuum theory to describe the confinement of optical phonons and electrons. The hybridization of optical phonons and their interactions with electrons are treated, as are other electron scattering mechanisms. The book concludes with an account of the electron distribution function in three-, two- and one-dimensional systems, in the presence of electrical or optical excitation. This text will be of great use to graduate students and researchers investigating low-dimensional semiconductor structures, as well as to those developing new devices based on these systems.

Pseudogap in the Eliashberg approach based on electron-phonon and electron-electron-phonon interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szczesniak, R. [Institute of Physics, Czestochowa University of Technology (Poland); Institute of Physics, Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa (Poland); Durajski, A.P.; Duda, A.M. [Institute of Physics, Czestochowa University of Technology (Poland)

2017-04-15

The properties of the superconducting and the anomalous normal state were described by using the Eliashberg method. The pairing mechanism was reproduced with the help of the Hamiltonian, which models the electron-phonon and the electron-electron-phonon interaction (EEPh). The set of the Eliashberg equations, which determines the order parameter function (φ), the wave function renormalization factor (Z), and the energy shift function (χ), was derived. It was proven that for the sufficiently large values of the EEPh potential, the doping dependence of the order parameter (φ/Z) has the analogous course to that observed experimentally in cuprates. The energy gap in the electron density of states is induced by Z and χ - the contribution from φ is negligible. The electron density of states possesses the characteristic asymmetric form and the pseudogap is observed above the critical temperature. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Effective electron mass and phonon modes in n-type hexagonal InN

Science.gov (United States)

Kasic, A.; Schubert, M.; Saito, Y.; Nanishi, Y.; Wagner, G.

2002-03-01

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and micro-Raman scattering are used to study vibrational and electronic properties of high-quality hexagonal InN. The 0.22-μm-thick highly n-conductive InN film was grown on c-plane sapphire by radio-frequency molecular-beam epitaxy. Combining our results from the ellipsometry data analysis with Hall-effect measurements, the isotropically averaged effective electron mass in InN is determined as 0.14m0. The resonantly excited zone center E1 (TO) phonon mode is observed at 477 cm-1 in the ellipsometry spectra. Despite the high electron concentration in the film, a strong Raman mode occurs in the spectral range of the unscreened A1(LO) phonon. Because an extended carrier-depleted region at the sample surface can be excluded from the ellipsometry-model analysis, we assign this mode to the lower branch of the large-wave-vector LO-phonon-plasmon coupled modes arising from nonconserving wave-vector scattering processes. The spectral position of this mode at 590 cm-1 constitutes a lower limit for the unscreened A1(LO) phonon frequency.

Direct observation of magnon-phonon coupling in yttrium iron garnet

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Haoran; Shi, Zhong; Xu, Guangyong; Xu, Yadong; Chen, Xi; Sullivan, Sean; Zhou, Jianshi; Xia, Ke; Shi, Jing; Dai, Pengcheng

2017-09-01

The magnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet (YIG) with a ferrimagnetic transition temperature of ˜560 K has been widely used in microwave and spintronic devices. Anomalous features in spin Seeback effect (SSE) voltages have been observed in Pt/YIG and attributed to magnon-phonon coupling. Here, we use inelastic neutron scattering to map out low-energy spin waves and acoustic phonons of YIG at 100 K as a function of increasing magnetic field. By comparing the zero and 9.1 T data, we find that instead of splitting and opening up gaps at the spin wave and acoustic phonon dispersion intersecting points, magnon-phonon coupling in YIG enhances the hybridized scattering intensity. These results are different from expectations of conventional spin-lattice coupling, calling for different paradigms to understand the scattering process of magnon-phonon interactions and the resulting magnon polarons.

The Influence of the Optical Phonons on the Non-equilibrium Spin Current in the Presence of Spin-Orbit Couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanirokh, K.; Phirouznia, A.; Majidi, R.

2016-02-01

The influence of the electron coupling with non-polarized optical phonons on magnetoelectric effects of a two-dimensional electron gas system has been investigated in the presence of the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings. Numerical calculations have been performed in the non-equilibrium regime. In the previous studies in this field, it has been shown that the Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings cannot generate non-equilibrium spin current and the spin current vanishes identically in the absence of other relaxation mechanisms such as lattice vibrations. However, in the current study, based on a semiclassical approach, it was demonstrated that in the presence of electron-phonon coupling, the spin current and other magnetoelectric quantities have been modulated by the strength of the spin-orbit interactions.

Exchange Enhancement of the Electron-Phonon Interaction: The Case of Weakly Doped Two-Dimensional Multivalley Semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Pamuk, Betül; Zoccante, Paolo; Baima, Jacopo; Mauri, Francesco; Calandra, Matteo

2018-04-01

The effect of the exchange interaction on the vibrational properties and on the electron-phonon coupling were investigated in several recent works. In most of the cases, exchange tends to enhance the electron-phonon interaction, although the motivations for such behaviour are not completely understood. Here we consider the class of weakly doped two-dimensional multivalley semiconductors and we demonstrate that a more global picture emerges. In particular we show that in these systems, at low enough doping, even a moderate electron-electron interaction enhances the response to any perturbation inducing a valley polarization. If the valley polarization is due to the electron-phonon coupling, the electron-electron interaction results in an enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature. We demonstrate the applicability of the theory by performing random phase approximation and first principles calculations in transition metal chloronitrides. We find that exchange is responsible for the enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature in LixZrNCl and that much larger Tcs could be obtained in intercalated HfNCl if the synthesis of cleaner samples could remove the Anderson insulating state competing with superconductivity.

Direct Observation of Electron-Phonon Coupling and Slow Vibrational Relaxation in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Hurtado Parra, Sebastian; Straus, Daniel; Iotov, Natasha; Fichera, Bryan; Gebhardt, Julian; Rappe, Andrew; Subotnik, Joseph; Kikkawa, James; Kagan, Cherie

Quantum and dielectric confinement effects in Ruddlesden-Popper 2D hybrid perovskites create excitons with a binding energy exceeding 150 meV. We exploit the large exciton binding energy to study exciton and carrier dynamics as well as electron-phonon coupling (EPC) in hybrid perovskites using absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. At temperatures 75 K, excitonic absorption and PL exhibit homogeneous broadening. While absorption remains homogeneous, PL becomes inhomogeneous at temperatures <75K, which we speculate is caused by the formation and subsequent dynamics of a polaronic exciton. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences Grant DE-SC0002158 and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Grant DGE-1321851.

Electron mobility in monoclinic β-Ga2O3—Effect of plasmon-phonon coupling, anisotropy, and confinement

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Krishnendu; Singisetti, Uttam

2017-11-01

This work reports an investigation of electron transport in monoclinic \\beta-Ga2O3 based on a combination of density functional perturbation theory based lattice dynamical computations, coupling calculation of lattice modes with collective plasmon oscillations and Boltzmann theory based transport calculations. The strong entanglement of the plasmon with the different longitudinal optical (LO) modes make the role LO-plasmon coupling crucial for transport. The electron density dependence of the electron mobility in \\beta-Ga2O3 is studied in bulk material form and also in the form of two-dimensional electron gas. Under high electron density a bulk mobility of 182 cm2/ V.s is predicted while in 2DEG form the corresponding mobility is about 418 cm2/V.s when remote impurities are present at the interface and improves further as the remote impurity center moves away from the interface. The trend of the electron mobility shows promise for realizing high electron mobility in dopant isolated electron channels. The experimentally observed small anisotropy in mobility is traced through a transient Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the anisotropy of the IR active phonon modes is responsible for giving rise to the anisotropy in low-field electron mobility.

First-principles assessment of potential ultrafast laser-induced structural transition in Ni

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bévillon, E.; Colombier, J.P., E-mail: jean.philippe.colombier@univ-st-etienne.fr; Stoian, R.

2016-06-30

Highlights: • First-principles theory calculations in nonequilibrium conditions. • Electronic temperatures fully and consistently taken into account. • Evaluation of an ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-solid transition in Ni. • Relative energies, phonon spectra and energy path are evaluated. • Discussion on the generation of non-thermal forces in metals. - Abstract: The possibility to trigger ultrafast solid-to-solid transitions in transition metals under femtosecond laser irradiation is investigated by means of first-principles calculations. Electronic heating can drastically modify screening, charge distribution and atomic binding features, potentially determining new structural relaxation paths in the solid phase, before thermodynamic solid-to-liquid transformations set in. Consequently, we evaluate here the effect of electronic excitation on structural stability and conditions for structural transitions. Ni is chosen as a case study for the probability of a solid transition, and the stability of its FCC phase is compared to the non-standard HCP structure while accounting for the heating of the electronic subsystem. From a phonon spectra analysis, we show that the thermodynamic stability order reverses at an electronic temperature of around 10{sup 4} K. Both structures exhibit a dynamic stability, indicating they present a metastability depending on the heating. However, the general hardening of phonon modes with the increase of the electronic temperature points out that no transformation will occur, as confirmed by the study of a typical FCC to HCP diffusionless transformation path, showing an increasing energy barrier. Finally, based on electronic density of states interpretation, the tendency of different metal categories to undergo or not an ultrafast laser-induced structural transition is discussed.

Quasiparticle-phonon coupling in inelastic proton scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissbach, B.

1980-01-01

Multistep-processes in inelastic proton scattering from 89 Y are analyzed by using CCBA and DWBA on a quasiparticle phonon nuclear structure model. Indirect excitations caused by quasiparticle phonon coupling effects are found to be very important for the transition strengths and the shape of angular distributions. Core excitations are dominant for the higher order steps of the reaction. (author)

Electron-phonon interactions in correlated systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wysokinski, K.I.

1996-01-01

There exist attempts to describe the superconducting mechanism operating in HTS as based on antiferromagnetic fluctuations. It is not our intention to dwell on the superconducting mechanism, even though this is very a important issue. The main aim is to discuss the problem of interplay between electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions in correlated systems. We believe such analysis can be of importance for various materials and not only HTS'S. We shall however mainly refer to experiments on this last class of superconductors. Severe complications are to be expected by studying the problem. As is well known electron correlations are very important in narrow band systems, where the relevant electronic scale E F is quite small. In those circumstances, the phonon energy scale ω D is of comparable magnitude, with the ratio ω D /E F of order 1 signalling a possible break down of the Migdal - Eliashberg description of the electron-phonon interaction in metals. Here we shall assume the validity of the Migdal-Eliashberg approximation and concentrate on the mutual influence of electron and phonon subsystems. In the next section we shall discuss experimental motivation for and theoretical work related to the present problem. Section 3 contains a brief discussion of our theory. It is a self-consistent theory a la Migdal with strong correlations treated with an auxiliary boson technique. We conclude with results and their discussion. (orig.)

Thermal transport across metal–insulator interface via electron–phonon interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lifa; Wang, Jian-Sheng; Li, Baowen; Lü, Jing-Tao

2013-01-01

The thermal transport across a metal–insulator interface can be characterized by electron–phonon interaction through which an electron lead is coupled to a phonon lead if phonon–phonon coupling at the interface is very weak. We investigate the thermal conductance and rectification between the electron part and the phonon part using the nonequilibrium Green’s function method. It is found that the thermal conductance has a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of average temperature or the coupling strength between the phonon leads in the metal part and the insulator part. The metal–insulator interface shows a clear thermal rectification effect, which can be reversed by a change in average temperature or the electron–phonon coupling. (paper)

Observation of chiral phonons

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Hanyu; Yi, Jun; Li, Ming-yang; Xiao, Jun; Zhang, Lifa; Yang, Chih-Wen; Kaindl, Robert A.; Li, Lain-Jong; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

2018-01-01

Chirality reveals symmetry breaking of the fundamental interaction of elementary particles. In condensed matter, for example, the chirality of electrons governs many unconventional transport phenomena such as the quantum Hall effect. Here we show that phonons can exhibit intrinsic chirality in monolayer tungsten diselenide. The broken inversion symmetry of the lattice lifts the degeneracy of clockwise and counterclockwise phonon modes at the corners of the Brillouin zone. We identified the phonons by the intervalley transfer of holes through hole-phonon interactions during the indirect infrared absorption, and we confirmed their chirality by the infrared circular dichroism arising from pseudoangular momentum conservation. The chiral phonons are important for electron-phonon coupling in solids, phonon-driven topological states, and energy-efficient information processing.

Observation of chiral phonons

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Hanyu

2018-02-01

Chirality reveals symmetry breaking of the fundamental interaction of elementary particles. In condensed matter, for example, the chirality of electrons governs many unconventional transport phenomena such as the quantum Hall effect. Here we show that phonons can exhibit intrinsic chirality in monolayer tungsten diselenide. The broken inversion symmetry of the lattice lifts the degeneracy of clockwise and counterclockwise phonon modes at the corners of the Brillouin zone. We identified the phonons by the intervalley transfer of holes through hole-phonon interactions during the indirect infrared absorption, and we confirmed their chirality by the infrared circular dichroism arising from pseudoangular momentum conservation. The chiral phonons are important for electron-phonon coupling in solids, phonon-driven topological states, and energy-efficient information processing.

Ultrafast electron microscopy in materials science, biology, and chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, Wayne E.; Campbell, Geoffrey H.; Frank, Alan; Reed, Bryan; Schmerge, John F.; Siwick, Bradley J.; Stuart, Brent C.; Weber, Peter M.

2005-01-01

The use of pump-probe experiments to study complex transient events has been an area of significant interest in materials science, biology, and chemistry. While the emphasis has been on laser pump with laser probe and laser pump with x-ray probe experiments, there is a significant and growing interest in using electrons as probes. Early experiments used electrons for gas-phase diffraction of photostimulated chemical reactions. More recently, scientists are beginning to explore phenomena in the solid state such as phase transformations, twinning, solid-state chemical reactions, radiation damage, and shock propagation. This review focuses on the emerging area of ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM), which comprises ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) and dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM). The topics that are treated include the following: (1) The physics of electrons as an ultrafast probe. This encompasses the propagation dynamics of the electrons (space-charge effect, Child's law, Boersch effect) and extends to relativistic effects. (2) The anatomy of UED and DTEM instruments. This includes discussions of the photoactivated electron gun (also known as photogun or photoelectron gun) at conventional energies (60-200 keV) and extends to MeV beams generated by rf guns. Another critical aspect of the systems is the electron detector. Charge-coupled device cameras and microchannel-plate-based cameras are compared and contrasted. The effect of various physical phenomena on detective quantum efficiency is discussed. (3) Practical aspects of operation. This includes determination of time zero, measurement of pulse-length, and strategies for pulse compression. (4) Current and potential applications in materials science, biology, and chemistry. UEM has the potential to make a significant impact in future science and technology. Understanding of reaction pathways of complex transient phenomena in materials science, biology, and chemistry will provide fundamental

Pressure-induced increase of exciton-LO-phonon coupling in a ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum well

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Z. Z.; Liang, X. X.; Ban, S. L.

2003-07-01

The possibility of pressure-induced increase of exciton-LO-phonon coupling in ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum wells is studied. The ground state binding energies of the heavy hole excitons are calculated using a variational method with consideration of the electron-phonon interaction and the pressure dependence of the parameters. The results show that for quantum wells with intermediate well width, the exciton binding energy and the LO-phonon energy may coincide in the course of pressure increasing, resulting in the increase of exciton-LO-phonon coupling. It is also found that among the pressure-dependent parameters, the influence of the lattice constant is the most important one. The changes of both the effective masses and the dielectric constants have obvious effects on the exciton binding energy, but their influences are counterbalanced.

Non-Markovian response of ultrafast coherent electronic ring currents in chiral aromatic molecules in a condensed phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mineo, H.; Lin, S. H.; Fujimura, Y.; Xu, J.; Xu, R. X.; Yan, Y. J.

2013-01-01

Results of a theoretical study on non-Markov response for femtosecond laser-driven coherent ring currents in chiral aromatic molecules embedded in a condensed phase are presented. Coherent ring currents are generated by coherent excitation of a pair of quasi-degenerated π-electronic excited states. The coherent electronic dynamical behaviors are strongly influenced by interactions between the electronic system and phonon bath in a condensed phase. Here, the bath correlation time is not instantaneous but should be taken to be a finite time in ultrashort time-resolved experiments. In such a case, Markov approximation breaks down. A hierarchical master equation approach for an improved semiclassical Drude dissipation model was adopted to examine the non-Markov effects on ultrafast coherent electronic ring currents of (P)-2,2 ′ -biphenol in a condensed phase. Time evolution of the coherent ring current derived in the hierarchical master equation approach was calculated and compared with those in the Drude model in the Markov approximation and in the static limit. The results show how non-Markovian behaviors in quantum beat signals of ring currents depend on the Drude bath damping constant. Effects of temperatures on ultrafast coherent electronic ring currents are also clarified

Unified treatment of coupled optical and acoustic phonons in piezoelectric cubic materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Willatzen, Morten; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-01-01

A unified treatment of coupled optical and acoustic phonons in piezoelectric cubic materials is presented whereby the lattice displacement vector and the internal ionic displacement vector are found simultaneously. It is shown that phonon couplings exist in pairs only; either between the electric...... piezoelectricity in a cubic structured material slab. First, it is shown that isolated optical phonon modes generally cannot exist in piezoelectric cubic slabs. Second, we prove that confined acousto-optical phonon modes only exist for a discrete set of in-plane wave numbers in piezoelectric cubic slabs. Third...... potential and the lattice displacement coordinate perpendicular to the phonon wave vector or between the two other lattice displacement components. The former leads to coupled acousto-optical phonons by virtue of the piezoelectric effect. We then establish three new conjectures that entirely stem from...

New Aspects of Photocurrent Generation at Graphene pn Junctions Revealed by Ultrafast Optical Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Aivazian, Grant; Sun, Dong; Jones, Aaron; Ross, Jason; Yao, Wang; Cobden, David; Xu, Xiaodong

2012-02-01

The remarkable electrical and optical properties of graphene make it a promising material for new optoelectronic applications. However, one important, but so far unexplored, property is the role of hot carriers in charge and energy transport at graphene interfaces. Here we investigate the photocurrent (PC) dynamics at a tunable graphene pn junction using ultrafast scanning PC microscopy. Pump-probe measurements show a temperature dependent relaxation time of photogenerated carriers that increases from 1.5ps at 290K to 4ps at 20K; while the amplitude of the PC is independent of the lattice temperature. These observations imply that it is hot carriers, not phonons, which dominate ultrafast energy transport. Gate dependent measurements show many interesting features such as pump induced saturation, enhancement, and sign reversal of probe generated PC. These observations reveal that the underlying PC mechanism is a combination of the thermoelectric and built-in electric field effects. Our results enhance the understanding of non-equilibrium electron dynamics, electron-electron interactions, and electron-phonon interactions in graphene. They also determine fundamental limits on ultrafast device operation speeds (˜500 GHz) for graphene-based photodetectors.

Hot electron dynamics at semiconductor surfaces: Implications for quantum dot photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tisdale, William A., III

Finding a viable supply of clean, renewable energy is one of the most daunting challenges facing the world today. Solar cells have had limited impact in meeting this challenge because of their high cost and low power conversion efficiencies. Semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, are promising materials for use in novel solar cells because they can be processed with potentially inexpensive solution-based techniques and because they are predicted to have novel optoelectronic properties that could enable the realization of ultra-efficient solar power converters. However, there is a lack of fundamental understanding regarding the behavior of highly-excited, or "hot," charge carriers near quantum-dot and semiconductor interfaces, which is of paramount importance to the rational design of high-efficiency devices. The elucidation of these ultrafast hot electron dynamics is the central aim of this Dissertation. I present a theoretical framework for treating the electronic interactions between quantum dots and bulk semiconductor surfaces and propose a novel experimental technique, time-resolved surface second harmonic generation (TR-SHG), for probing these interactions. I then describe a series of experimental investigations into hot electron dynamics in specific quantum-dot/semiconductor systems. A two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy (2PPE) study of the technologically-relevant ZnO(1010) surface reveals ultrafast (sub-30fs) cooling of hot electrons in the bulk conduction band, which is due to strong electron-phonon coupling in this highly polar material. The presence of a continuum of defect states near the conduction band edge results in Fermi-level pinning and upward (n-type) band-bending at the (1010) surface and provides an alternate route for electronic relaxation. In monolayer films of colloidal PbSe quantum dots, chemical treatment with either hydrazine or 1,2-ethanedithiol results in strong and tunable electronic coupling between neighboring quantum dots

Design and implementation of an optimal laser pulse front tilting scheme for ultrafast electron diffraction in reflection geometry with high temporal resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Pennacchio

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Ultrafast electron diffraction is a powerful technique to investigate out-of-equilibrium atomic dynamics in solids with high temporal resolution. When diffraction is performed in reflection geometry, the main limitation is the mismatch in group velocity between the overlapping pump light and the electron probe pulses, which affects the overall temporal resolution of the experiment. A solution already available in the literature involved pulse front tilt of the pump beam at the sample, providing a sub-picosecond time resolution. However, in the reported optical scheme, the tilted pulse is characterized by a temporal chirp of about 1 ps at 1 mm away from the centre of the beam, which limits the investigation of surface dynamics in large crystals. In this paper, we propose an optimal tilting scheme designed for a radio-frequency-compressed ultrafast electron diffraction setup working in reflection geometry with 30 keV electron pulses containing up to 105 electrons/pulse. To characterize our scheme, we performed optical cross-correlation measurements, obtaining an average temporal width of the tilted pulse lower than 250 fs. The calibration of the electron-laser temporal overlap was obtained by monitoring the spatial profile of the electron beam when interacting with the plasma optically induced at the apex of a copper needle (plasma lensing effect. Finally, we report the first time-resolved results obtained on graphite, where the electron-phonon coupling dynamics is observed, showing an overall temporal resolution in the sub-500 fs regime. The successful implementation of this configuration opens the way to directly probe structural dynamics of low-dimensional systems in the sub-picosecond regime, with pulsed electrons.

Many-body Green’s function theory for electron-phonon interactions: Ground state properties of the Holstein dimer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Säkkinen, Niko; Leeuwen, Robert van; Peng, Yang; Appel, Heiko

2015-01-01

We study ground-state properties of a two-site, two-electron Holstein model describing two molecules coupled indirectly via electron-phonon interaction by using both exact diagonalization and self-consistent diagrammatic many-body perturbation theory. The Hartree and self-consistent Born approximations used in the present work are studied at different levels of self-consistency. The governing equations are shown to exhibit multiple solutions when the electron-phonon interaction is sufficiently strong, whereas at smaller interactions, only a single solution is found. The additional solutions at larger electron-phonon couplings correspond to symmetry-broken states with inhomogeneous electron densities. A comparison to exact results indicates that this symmetry breaking is strongly correlated with the formation of a bipolaron state in which the two electrons prefer to reside on the same molecule. The results further show that the Hartree and partially self-consistent Born solutions obtained by enforcing symmetry do not compare well with exact energetics, while the fully self-consistent Born approximation improves the qualitative and quantitative agreement with exact results in the same symmetric case. This together with a presented natural occupation number analysis supports the conclusion that the fully self-consistent approximation describes partially the bipolaron crossover. These results contribute to better understanding how these approximations cope with the strong localizing effect of the electron-phonon interaction

Electronic and optical properties of ZrB{sub 12} and YB{sub 6}. Discussion on electron-phonon coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teyssier, J.; Kuzmenko, A.; Marel, D. van der; Lortz, R.; Junod, A. [Departement de Physique de la Matiere Condensee, Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve 4 (Switzerland); Filippov, V.; Shitsevalova, N. [Institute for Problems of Materials Science NANU, Kiev (Ukraine)

2006-09-15

We report the optical properties of high-quality single crystals of low temperature superconductors zirconiumdodecaboride ZrB{sub 12} (T{sub c}=5.95 K) and yttrium hexaboride YB{sub 6} (T{sub c}=7.15 K) in the range 6 meV-4.6 eV at room temperature. The experimental optical conductivity was extracted from the analysis of the reflectivity in the infrared range and ellipsometry measurement of the dielectric function in the visible range. The electronic band structure of these compounds was calculated by the self-consistent full-potential LMTO method and used to compute the interband part of the optical conductivity and the plasma frequency {omega}{sub p}. A good agreement was observed between the interband part of the experimental optical conductivities and the band structure calculations. Different methods combining optical spectroscopy, resistivity, specific heat measurements and results of band structure calculations are used to determine the electron-phonon coupling constant. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

The lattice dynamical studies of rare earth compounds: electron-phonon interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jha, Prafulla K.; Sanyal, Sankar P.; Singh, R.K.

2002-01-01

During the last two decades chalcogenides and pnictides of rare earth (RE) atoms have drawn considerable attention of the solid state physicists because of their peculiar electronic, magnetic, optical and phonon properties. Some of these compounds e.g. sulphides and selenides of cerium (Ce), samarium (Sm), yttrium (Y), ytterbium (Yb), europium (Eu) and thulium (Tm) and their alloys show nonintegral valence (between 2 and 3), arising due to f-d electron hybridization at ambient temperature and pressure. The rare earth mixed valence compounds (MVC) reviewed in this article crystallize in simple cubic structure. Most of these compounds show the existence of strong electron-phonon coupling at half way to the zone boundary. This fact manifests itself through softening of the longitudinal acoustic mode, negative value of elastic constant C 12 etc. The purpose of this contribution is to review some of the recent activities in the fields of lattice dynamics and allied properties of rare earth compounds. The present article is primarily devoted to review the effect of electron-phonon interactions on the dynamical properties of rare earth compounds by using the lattice dynamical model theories based on charged density deformations and long-range many body forces. While the long range charge transfer effect arises due to f-d hybridization of nearly degenerate 4f-5d bands of rare earth ions, the density deformation comes into the picture of breathing motion of electron shells. These effects of charge transfer and charge density deformation when considered in the lattice dynamical models namely the three body force rigid ion model (TRM) and breathing shell model (BSM) are quite successful in explaining the phonon anomalies in these compounds and undoubtedly unraveled many important physical process governing the phonon anomalies in rare earth compounds

Phonon assisted electronic transition in telluric acid ammonium phosphate single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

El-Muraikhi, M.; Kassem, M. E.; Al-Houty, L.

The effect of gamma-irradiation on the absorption optical spectra of telluric acid ammonium phosphate single crystals (TAAP) has been studied, in the wave length of 200-600 nm, for samples irradiated by various doses up to 10 Mrad. The results show that the electron phonon coupling constant increases with the irradiation dose.

Effects of electron-phonon interaction on thermal and electrical transport through molecular nano-conductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lü, Jing-Tao, E-mail: jtlu@hust.edu.cn [School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074 Wuhan (China); Zhou, Hangbo [Department of Physics and Center for Computational Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117551 Singapore (Singapore); NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117456 Singapore (Singapore); Jiang, Jin-Wu [Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai University, 200072 Shanghai (China); Wang, Jian-Sheng [Department of Physics and Center for Computational Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117551 Singapore (Singapore)

2015-05-15

The topic of this review is the effects of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) on the transport properties of molecular nano-conductors. A nano-conductor connects to two electron leads and two phonon leads, possibly at different temperatures or chemical potentials. The EPI appears only in the nano-conductor. We focus on its effects on charge and energy transport. We introduce three approaches. For weak EPI, we use the nonequilibrium Green’s function method to treat it perturbatively. We derive the expressions for the charge and heat currents. For weak system-lead couplings, we use the quantum master equation approach. In both cases, we use a simple single level model to study the effects of EPI on the system’s thermoelectric transport properties. It is also interesting to look at the effect of currents on the dynamics of the phonon system. For this, we derive a semi-classical generalized Langevin equation to describe the nano-conductor’s atomic dynamics, taking the nonequilibrium electron system, as well as the rest of the atomic degrees of freedom as effective baths. We show simple applications of this approach to the problem of energy transfer between electrons and phonons.

Effects of electron-phonon interaction on thermal and electrical transport through molecular nano-conductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lü, Jing-Tao; Zhou, Hangbo; Jiang, Jin-Wu; Wang, Jian-Sheng

2015-01-01

The topic of this review is the effects of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) on the transport properties of molecular nano-conductors. A nano-conductor connects to two electron leads and two phonon leads, possibly at different temperatures or chemical potentials. The EPI appears only in the nano-conductor. We focus on its effects on charge and energy transport. We introduce three approaches. For weak EPI, we use the nonequilibrium Green’s function method to treat it perturbatively. We derive the expressions for the charge and heat currents. For weak system-lead couplings, we use the quantum master equation approach. In both cases, we use a simple single level model to study the effects of EPI on the system’s thermoelectric transport properties. It is also interesting to look at the effect of currents on the dynamics of the phonon system. For this, we derive a semi-classical generalized Langevin equation to describe the nano-conductor’s atomic dynamics, taking the nonequilibrium electron system, as well as the rest of the atomic degrees of freedom as effective baths. We show simple applications of this approach to the problem of energy transfer between electrons and phonons

Strong Carrier-Phonon Coupling in Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iaru, Claudiu M; Geuchies, Jaco J|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/370526090; Koenraad, Paul M; Vanmaekelbergh, Daniël|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304829137; Silov, Andrei Yu

2017-01-01

We highlight the importance of carrier-phonon coupling in inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals. The low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of CsPbBr3 has been investigated under a nonresonant and a nonstandard, quasi-resonant excitation scheme, and phonon replicas of the main PL

Vibronic coupling explains the ultrafast carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer in natural and artificial light harvesters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perlík, Václav; Seibt, Joachim; Šanda, František; Mančal, Tomáš [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, Ke Karlovu 5, Prague 121 16 (Czech Republic); Cranston, Laura J.; Cogdell, Richard J. [Institute of Molecular Cell and System Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, 120 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, Scotland (United Kingdom); Lincoln, Craig N.; Hauer, Jürgen, E-mail: juergen.hauer@tuwien.ac.at [Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27, 1040 Vienna (Austria); Savolainen, Janne [Department of Physical Chemistry II, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780 Bochum (Germany)

2015-06-07

The initial energy transfer steps in photosynthesis occur on ultrafast timescales. We analyze the carotenoid to bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer in LH2 Marichromatium purpuratum as well as in an artificial light-harvesting dyad system by using transient grating and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with 10 fs time resolution. We find that Förster-type models reproduce the experimentally observed 60 fs transfer times, but overestimate coupling constants, which lead to a disagreement with both linear absorption and electronic 2D-spectra. We show that a vibronic model, which treats carotenoid vibrations on both electronic ground and excited states as part of the system’s Hamiltonian, reproduces all measured quantities. Importantly, the vibronic model presented here can explain the fast energy transfer rates with only moderate coupling constants, which are in agreement with structure based calculations. Counterintuitively, the vibrational levels on the carotenoid electronic ground state play the central role in the excited state population transfer to bacteriochlorophyll; resonance between the donor-acceptor energy gap and the vibrational ground state energies is the physical basis of the ultrafast energy transfer rates in these systems.

Vibronic coupling explains the ultrafast carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer in natural and artificial light harvesters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perlík, Václav; Seibt, Joachim; Šanda, František; Mančal, Tomáš; Cranston, Laura J.; Cogdell, Richard J.; Lincoln, Craig N.; Hauer, Jürgen; Savolainen, Janne

2015-01-01

The initial energy transfer steps in photosynthesis occur on ultrafast timescales. We analyze the carotenoid to bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer in LH2 Marichromatium purpuratum as well as in an artificial light-harvesting dyad system by using transient grating and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with 10 fs time resolution. We find that Förster-type models reproduce the experimentally observed 60 fs transfer times, but overestimate coupling constants, which lead to a disagreement with both linear absorption and electronic 2D-spectra. We show that a vibronic model, which treats carotenoid vibrations on both electronic ground and excited states as part of the system’s Hamiltonian, reproduces all measured quantities. Importantly, the vibronic model presented here can explain the fast energy transfer rates with only moderate coupling constants, which are in agreement with structure based calculations. Counterintuitively, the vibrational levels on the carotenoid electronic ground state play the central role in the excited state population transfer to bacteriochlorophyll; resonance between the donor-acceptor energy gap and the vibrational ground state energies is the physical basis of the ultrafast energy transfer rates in these systems

Infrared rectification in a nanoantenna-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor tunnel diode.

Science.gov (United States)

Davids, Paul S; Jarecki, Robert L; Starbuck, Andrew; Burckel, D Bruce; Kadlec, Emil A; Ribaudo, Troy; Shaner, Eric A; Peters, David W

2015-12-01

Direct rectification of electromagnetic radiation is a well-established method for wireless power conversion in the microwave region of the spectrum, for which conversion efficiencies in excess of 84% have been demonstrated. Scaling to the infrared or optical part of the spectrum requires ultrafast rectification that can only be obtained by direct tunnelling. Many research groups have looked to plasmonics to overcome antenna-scaling limits and to increase the confinement. Recently, surface plasmons on heavily doped Si surfaces were investigated as a way of extending surface-mode confinement to the thermal infrared region. Here we combine a nanostructured metallic surface with a heavily doped Si infrared-reflective ground plane designed to confine infrared radiation in an active electronic direct-conversion device. The interplay of strong infrared photon-phonon coupling and electromagnetic confinement in nanoscale devices is demonstrated to have a large impact on ultrafast electronic tunnelling in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. Infrared dispersion of SiO2 near a longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode gives large transverse-field confinement in a nanometre-scale oxide-tunnel gap as the wavelength-dependent permittivity changes from 1 to 0, which leads to enhanced electromagnetic fields at material interfaces and a rectified displacement current that provides a direct conversion of infrared radiation into electric current. The spectral and electrical signatures of the nanoantenna-coupled tunnel diodes are examined under broadband blackbody and quantum-cascade laser (QCL) illumination. In the region near the LO phonon resonance, we obtained a measured photoresponsivity of 2.7 mA W(-1) cm(-2) at -0.1 V.

Control of Multiple Exciton Generation and Electron-Phonon Coupling by Interior Nanospace in Hyperstructured Quantum Dot Superlattice.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, I-Ya; Kim, DaeGwi; Hyeon-Deuk, Kim

2017-09-20

The possibility of precisely manipulating interior nanospace, which can be adjusted by ligand-attaching down to the subnanometer regime, in a hyperstructured quantum dot (QD) superlattice (QDSL) induces a new kind of collective resonant coupling among QDs and opens up new opportunities for developing advanced optoelectric and photovoltaic devices. Here, we report the first real-time dynamics simulations of the multiple exciton generation (MEG) in one-, two-, and three-dimensional (1D, 2D, and 3D) hyperstructured H-passivated Si QDSLs, accounting for thermally fluctuating band energies and phonon dynamics obtained by finite-temperature ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. We computationally demonstrated that the MEG was significantly accelerated, especially in the 3D QDSL compared to the 1D and 2D QDSLs. The MEG acceleration in the 3D QDSL was almost 1.9 times the isolated QD case. The dimension-dependent MEG acceleration was attributed not only to the static density of states but also to the dynamical electron-phonon couplings depending on the dimensionality of the hyperstructured QDSL, which is effectively controlled by the interior nanospace. Such dimension-dependent modifications originated from the short-range quantum resonance among component QDs and were intrinsic to the hyperstructured QDSL. We propose that photoexcited dynamics including the MEG process can be effectively controlled by only manipulating the interior nanospace of the hyperstructured QDSL without changing component QD size, shape, compositions, ligand, etc.

The kinetics of low-temperature electron-phonon relaxation in a metallic film following instantaneous heating of the electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezuglyi, A.I.; Shklovskii, V.A.

1997-01-01

The theoretical analysis of experiments on pulsed laser irradiation of metallic films sputtered on insulating supports is usually based on semiphenomenological dynamical equations for the electron and phonon temperatures, an approach that ignores the nonuniformity and the nonthermal nature of the phonon distribution function. In this paper we discuss a microscopic model that describes the dynamics of the electron-phonon system in terms of kinetic equations for the electron and phonon distribution functions. Such a model provides a microscopic picture of the nonlinear energy relaxation of the electron-phonon system of a rapidly heated film. We find that in a relatively thick film the energy relaxation of electrons consists of three stages: the emission of nonequilibrium phonons by 'hot' electrons, the thermalization of electrons and phonons due to phonon reabsorption, and finally the cooling of the thermalized electron-phonon system as a result of phonon exchange between film and substrate. In thin films, where there is no reabsorption of nonequilibrium phonons, the energy relaxation consists of only one stage, the first. The relaxation dynamics of an experimentally observable quantity, the phonon contribution to the electrical conductivity of the cooling film, is directly related to the dynamics of the electron temperature, which makes it possible to use the data of experiments on the relaxation of voltage across films to establish the electron-phonon and phonon-electron collision times and the average time of phonon escape from film to substrate

Ultra-fast relaxation, decoherence, and localization of photoexcited states in π-conjugated polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Mannouch, Jonathan R.; Barford, William; Al-Assam, Sarah

2018-01-01

The exciton relaxation dynamics of photoexcited electronic states in poly(p-phenylenevinylene) are theoretically investigated within a coarse-grained model, in which both the exciton and nuclear degrees of freedom are treated quantum mechanically. The Frenkel-Holstein Hamiltonian is used to describe the strong exciton-phonon coupling present in the system, while external damping of the internal nuclear degrees of freedom is accounted for by a Lindblad master equation. Numerically, the dynamics are computed using the time evolving block decimation and quantum jump trajectory techniques. The values of the model parameters physically relevant to polymer systems naturally lead to a separation of time scales, with the ultra-fast dynamics corresponding to energy transfer from the exciton to the internal phonon modes (i.e., the C-C bond oscillations), while the longer time dynamics correspond to damping of these phonon modes by the external dissipation. Associated with these time scales, we investigate the following processes that are indicative of the system relaxing onto the emissive chromophores of the polymer: (1) Exciton-polaron formation occurs on an ultra-fast time scale, with the associated exciton-phonon correlations present within half a vibrational time period of the C-C bond oscillations. (2) Exciton decoherence is driven by the decay in the vibrational overlaps associated with exciton-polaron formation, occurring on the same time scale. (3) Exciton density localization is driven by the external dissipation, arising from "wavefunction collapse" occurring as a result of the system-environment interactions. Finally, we show how fluorescence anisotropy measurements can be used to investigate the exciton decoherence process during the relaxation dynamics.

Ultrafast optical generation of squeezed magnon states and long lifetime coherent LO phonons

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jimin

2005-12-01

Ultrafast optical pulses have been used to generate, probe, and control low-energy elementary excitations in crystals. In particular, we report the first experimental demonstration of the generation of quantum squeezed states of magnons (collective spin-wave excitations) in a magnetic material, and new progress in experimental investigation of anharmonic interactions in a semiconductor. The mechanism for the magnon squeezing is two-magnon impulsive stimulated Raman scattering (ISRS). Femtosecond laser pulses have been used to coherently correlate degenerate counter-propagating magnons in the antiferromagnetic insulator MnF2. In the squeezed state, fluctuations of the magnetization of a crystallographic unit cell vary periodically in time and are reduced below that of the ground-state quantum noise. Similar experiments were also performed in another antiferromagnetic insulator, FeF2, for which the squeezing effect is one order of magnitude larger. We have also investigated the anharmonic interaction of the low-frequency E2 phonon in ZnO through ISRS. Temperature dependence of the linewidth and frequency indicates that the two-phonon up-conversion process is the dominant decay channel and isotopic disorder may be the main limit on the lifetime at low temperature. We have observed the longest lifetime of an optical phonon mode in a solid (211 ps at 5 K). And we have found that pump-probe experiments, compared with spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, have extremely high accuracy in determining the frequency of a low-lying excitation.

Ultrafast electron, lattice and spin dynamics on rare earth metal surfaces. Investigated with linear and nonlinear optical techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radu, I.E.

2006-03-15

This thesis presents the femtosecond laser-induced electron, lattice and spin dynamics on two representative rare-earth systems: The ferromagnetic gadolinium Gd(0001) and the paramagnetic yttrium Y(0001) metals. The employed investigation tools are the time-resolved linear reflectivity and second-harmonic generation, which provide complementary information about the bulk and surface/interface dynamics, respectively. The femtosecond laser excitation of the exchange-split surface state of Gd(0001) triggers simultaneously the coherent vibrational dynamics of the lattice and spin subsystems in the surface region at a frequency of 3 THz. The coherent optical phonon corresponds to the vibration of the topmost atomic layer against the underlying bulk along the normal direction to the surface. The coupling mechanism between phonons and magnons is attributed to the modulation of the exchange interaction J between neighbour atoms due to the coherent lattice vibration. This leads to an oscillatory motion of the magnetic moments having the same frequency as the lattice vibration. Thus these results reveal a new type of phonon-magnon coupling mediated by the modulation of the exchange interaction and not by the conventional spin-orbit interaction. Moreover, we show that coherent spin dynamics in the THz frequency domain is achievable, which is at least one order of magnitude faster than previously reported. The laser-induced (de)magnetization dynamics of the ferromagnetic Gd(0001) thin films have been studied. Upon photo-excitation, the nonlinear magneto-optics measurements performed in this work show a sudden drop in the spin polarization of the surface state by more than 50% in a <100 fs time interval. Under comparable experimental conditions, the time-resolved photoemission studies reveal a constant exchange splitting of the surface state. The ultrafast decrease of spin polarization can be explained by the quasi-elastic spin-flip scattering of the hot electrons among spin

Phonon properties and slow organic-to-inorganic sub-lattice thermalization in hybrid perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Maria; Chang, Angela; Xia, Yi; Sadasivam, Sridhar; Guo, Peijun; Kinaci, Alper; Lin, Hao-Wu; Darancet, Pierre; Schaller, Richard

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite halide compounds have been investigated extensively for photovoltaics (PVs) and related applications. The thermal transport properties of hybrid perovskites, including phonon-carrier and phonon-phonon interactions, are of significance for their PV and solar thermoelectric applications. The interlocking organic and inorganic sublattices can be thought of as an extreme form of nanostructuring. A result of this nanostructuring is the large gap in phonon frequencies between the organic and inorganic sublattices, which is expected to create bottlenecks in phonon equilibration. In this work, we use a combination of ultrafast spectroscopy including photoluminescence and transient absorption, as well as first principles density functional theory (DFT), ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, phonon lifetimes derived from DFT force constants, and non-equilibrium phonon dynamics accounting for phonon lifetimes, to determine the phonon and charge interaction processes. We find evidence that thermalization of carriers occur at an atypically slow 50-100 ps time scale owing to the complex interplay between electronic and phonon excitations.

Ultrafast electron diffraction with megahertz MeV electron pulses from a superconducting radio-frequency photoinjector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, L. W.; Lin, L.; Huang, S. L.; Quan, S. W.; Hao, J. K.; Zhu, F.; Wang, F.; Liu, K. X., E-mail: kxliu@pku.edu.cn [Institute of Heavy Ion Physics and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Jiang, T.; Zhu, P. F.; Fu, F.; Wang, R.; Zhao, L.; Xiang, D., E-mail: dxiang@sjtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2015-11-30

We report ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction operating at the megahertz repetition rate where the electron beam is produced in a superconducting radio-frequency (rf) photoinjector. We show that the beam quality is sufficiently high to provide clear diffraction patterns from gold and aluminium samples. With the number of electrons, several orders of magnitude higher than that from a normal conducting photocathode rf gun, such high repetition rate ultrafast MeV electron diffraction may open up many new opportunities in ultrafast science.

Attosecond electron pulse trains and quantum state reconstruction in ultrafast transmission electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Priebe, Katharina E.; Rathje, Christopher; Yalunin, Sergey V.; Hohage, Thorsten; Feist, Armin; Schäfer, Sascha; Ropers, Claus

2017-12-01

Ultrafast electron and X-ray imaging and spectroscopy are the basis for an ongoing revolution in the understanding of dynamical atomic-scale processes in matter. The underlying technology relies heavily on laser science for the generation and characterization of ever shorter pulses. Recent findings suggest that ultrafast electron microscopy with attosecond-structured wavefunctions may be feasible. However, such future technologies call for means to both prepare and fully analyse the corresponding free-electron quantum states. Here, we introduce a framework for the preparation, coherent manipulation and characterization of free-electron quantum states, experimentally demonstrating attosecond electron pulse trains. Phase-locked optical fields coherently control the electron wavefunction along the beam direction. We establish a new variant of quantum state tomography—`SQUIRRELS'—for free-electron ensembles. The ability to tailor and quantitatively map electron quantum states will promote the nanoscale study of electron-matter entanglement and new forms of ultrafast electron microscopy down to the attosecond regime.

Ultrafast optical pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy of strongly correlated electron materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averitt, R.D.; Taylor, Antoinette J.; Thorsmolle, V.K.; Jia, Quanxi; Lobad, A.I.; Trugman, S.A.

2001-01-01

We have used optical-pump far-infrared probe spectroscopy to probe the low energy electron dynamics of high temperature superconductors and colossal magnetoresistance manganites. For the superconductor YBa2Cu3O7, picosecond conductivity measurements probe the interplay between Cooper-pairs and quasiparticles. In optimally doped films, the recovery time for long-range phase-coherent pairing increases from ∼1.5 ps at 4K to ∼3.5 ps near Tc, consistent with the closing of the superconducting gap. For underdoped films, the measured recovery time is temperature independent (3.5 ps) in accordance with the presence of a pseudogap. Ultrafast picosecond measurements of optically induced changes in the absolute conductivity of La0:7M0:3MnO3 thin films (M = Ca, Sr) from 10K to ∼0.9Tc reveal a two-component relaxation. A fast, ∼2 ps, conductivity decrease arises from optically induced modification of the effective phonon temperature. The slower component, related to spin-lattice relaxation, has a lifetime that increases upon approaching Tc from below in accordance with an increasing spin specific heat. Our results indicate that for T<< Tc, the conductivity is determined by incoherent phonons while spin fluctuations dominate near Tc.

Phonon limited electronic transport in Pb

Science.gov (United States)

Rittweger, F.; Hinsche, N. F.; Mertig, I.

2017-09-01

We present a fully ab initio based scheme to compute electronic transport properties, i.e. the electrical conductivity σ and thermopower S, in the presence of electron-phonon interaction. We explicitly investigate the \

Electron mobility variance in the presence of an electric field: Electron-phonon field-induced tunnel scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melkonyan, S.V.

2012-01-01

The problem of electron mobility variance is discussed. It is established that in equilibrium semiconductors the mobility variance is infinite. It is revealed that the cause of the mobility variance infinity is the threshold of phonon emission. The electron-phonon interaction theory in the presence of an electric field is developed. A new mechanism of electron scattering, called electron-phonon field-induced tunnel (FIT) scattering, is observed. The effect of the electron-phonon FIT scattering is explained in terms of penetration of the electron wave function into the semiconductor band gap in the presence of an electric field. New and more general expressions for the electron-non-polar optical phonon scattering probability and relaxation time are obtained. The results show that FIT transitions have principle meaning for the mobility fluctuation theory: mobility variance becomes finite.

Long-wavelength optical phonon behavior in uniaxial strained graphene: Role of electron-phonon interaction

OpenAIRE

Assili, Mohamed; Haddad, Sonia

2014-01-01

We derive the frequency shifts and the broadening of $\\Gamma$ point longitudinal optical (LO) and transverse optical (TO) phonon modes, due to electron-phonon interaction, in graphene under uniaxial strain as a function of the electron density and the disorder amount. We show that, in the absence of a shear strain component, such interaction gives rise to a lifting of the degeneracy of the LO and TO modes which contributes to the splitting of the G Raman band. The anisotropy of the electronic...

Development of Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscope Capability.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collins, Kimberlee Chiyoko [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Talin, Albert Alec [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Chandler, David W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Michael, Joseph R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-11-01

Modern semiconductor devices rely on the transport of minority charge carriers. Direct examination of minority carrier lifetimes in real devices with nanometer-scale features requires a measurement method with simultaneously high spatial and temporal resolutions. Achieving nanometer spatial resolutions at sub-nanosecond temporal resolution is possible with pump-probe methods that utilize electrons as probes. Recently, a stroboscopic scanning electron microscope was developed at Caltech, and used to study carrier transport across a Si p-n junction [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] . In this report, we detail our development of a prototype scanning ultrafast electron microscope system at Sandia National Laboratories based on the original Caltech design. This effort represents Sandia's first exploration into ultrafast electron microscopy.

One and two-phonon processes of the spin-flip relaxation in quantum dots: Spin-phonon coupling mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zi-Wu; Li, Shu-Shen

2012-07-01

We investigate the spin-flip relaxation in quantum dots using a non-radiation transition approach based on the descriptions for the electron-phonon deformation potential and Fröhlich interaction in the Pavlov-Firsov spin-phonon Hamiltonian. We give the comparisons of the electron relaxations with and without spin-flip assisted by one and two-phonon processes. Calculations are performed for the dependence of the relaxation time on the external magnetic field, the temperature and the energy separation between the Zeeman sublevels of the ground and first-excited state. We find that the electron relaxation time of the spin-flip process is more longer by three orders of magnitudes than that of no spin-flip process.

Phonon-assisted damping of plasmons in three- and two-dimensional metals

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Fabio; Novko, Dino; Draxl, Claudia

2018-05-01

We investigate the effects of crystal lattice vibrations on the dispersion of plasmons. The loss function of the homogeneous electron gas (HEG) in two and three dimensions is evaluated numerically in the presence of electronic coupling to an optical phonon mode. Our calculations are based on many-body perturbation theory for the dielectric function as formulated by the Hedin-Baym equations in the Fan-Migdal approximation. The coupling to phonons broadens the spectral signatures of plasmons in the electron-energy loss spectrum (EELS) and it induces the decay of plasmons on timescales shorter than 1 ps. Our results further reveal the formation of a kink in the plasmon dispersion of the two-dimensional HEG, which marks the onset of plasmon-phonon scattering. Overall, these features constitute a fingerprint of plasmon-phonon coupling in EELS of simple metals. It is shown that these effects may be accounted for by resorting to a simplified treatment of the electron-phonon interaction which is amenable to first-principles calculations.

Electron-longitudinal-acoustic-phonon scattering in double-quantum-dot based quantum gates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Peiji; Woolard, Dwight L.

2008-01-01

We propose a nanostructure design which can significantly suppress longitudinal-acoustic-phonon-electron scattering in double-quantum-dot based quantum gates for quantum computing. The calculated relaxation rates vs. bias voltage exhibit a double-peak feature with a minimum approaching 10 5 s -1 . In this matter, the energy conservation law prohibits scattering contributions from phonons with large momenta; furthermore, increasing the barrier height between the double quantum dots reduces coupling strength between the dots. Hence, the joint action of the energy conservation law and the decoupling greatly reduces the scattering rates. The degrading effects of temperatures can be reduced simply by increasing the height of the barrier between the dots

Ultrafast Electron Dynamics in Solar Energy Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponseca, Carlito S; Chábera, Pavel; Uhlig, Jens; Persson, Petter; Sundström, Villy

2017-08-23

Electrons are the workhorses of solar energy conversion. Conversion of the energy of light to electricity in photovoltaics, or to energy-rich molecules (solar fuel) through photocatalytic processes, invariably starts with photoinduced generation of energy-rich electrons. The harvesting of these electrons in practical devices rests on a series of electron transfer processes whose dynamics and efficiencies determine the function of materials and devices. To capture the energy of a photogenerated electron-hole pair in a solar cell material, charges of opposite sign have to be separated against electrostatic attractions, prevented from recombining and being transported through the active material to electrodes where they can be extracted. In photocatalytic solar fuel production, these electron processes are coupled to chemical reactions leading to storage of the energy of light in chemical bonds. With the focus on the ultrafast time scale, we here discuss the light-induced electron processes underlying the function of several molecular and hybrid materials currently under development for solar energy applications in dye or quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, polymer-fullerene polymer solar cells, organometal halide perovskite solar cells, and finally some photocatalytic systems.

Ultrafast magnetization dynamics of lanthanide metals and alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sultan, Muhammad

2012-05-14

In this study, the laser-induced magnetization dynamics of the lanthanide ferromagnets Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb) and their alloys is investigated using femtosecond (fs) time-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and magnetic second harmonic generation (MSHG). The magnetization dynamics is analyzed from the time scale of a few fs up to several hundred picoseconds (ps). The contributions of electrons, phonons, spin fluctuations, as well as the temporal regimes corresponding to the spin-orbit and exchange interactions are disentangled. In addition to possible applications in magnetic storage devices, understanding magnetization dynamics in lanthanides is also important because of their different magnetic structure compared to well-studied itinerant ferromagnets. Lanthanides are model Heisenberg-ferromagnets with localized 4f magnetic moments and long range magnetic ordering through indirect exchange interaction. By optical excitation of the conduction electrons, which mediate the exchange interaction, and studying the induced dynamics of the localized 4f and delocalized 5d6s magnetic moments, one can obtain insight into the angular momentum transfer at ultrafast time scales. Moreover, lanthanides offer the possibility to tune spin-lattice coupling via the 4f shell occupation and the concomitant changes in the 4f spin and orbital moments due to Hund's rules. Utilizing this fact, the importance of spin-lattice coupling in laser-induced demagnetization is also analyzed by comparing the magnetization dynamics in Gd and Tb. By investigating the magnetization dynamics of localized 4f moments of Gd and Tb using time-resolved XMCD, it is found that the demagnetization proceeds in both metals in two time scales, following fs laser excitation, which are classified as: (i) non-equilibrium (t > 1 ps), with respect to equilibration of electron and phonon temperatures. The

Ultrafast electron diffraction studies of optically excited thin bismuth films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajkovic, Ivan

2008-01-01

This thesis contains work on the design and the realization of an experimental setup capable of providing sub-picosecond electron pulses for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and performing the study of ultrafast dynamics in bismuth after optical excitation using this setup. (orig.)

Ultrafast electron diffraction studies of optically excited thin bismuth films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajkovic, Ivan

2008-10-21

This thesis contains work on the design and the realization of an experimental setup capable of providing sub-picosecond electron pulses for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and performing the study of ultrafast dynamics in bismuth after optical excitation using this setup. (orig.)

Electron-phonon heat exchange in quasi-two-dimensional nanolayers

Science.gov (United States)

Anghel, Dragos-Victor; Cojocaru, Sergiu

2017-12-01

We study the heat power P transferred between electrons and phonons in thin metallic films deposited on free-standing dielectric membranes. The temperature range is typically below 1 K, such that the wavelengths of the excited phonon modes in the system is large enough so that the picture of a quasi-two-dimensional phonon gas is applicable. Moreover, due to the quantization of the components of the electron wavevectors perpendicular to the metal film's surface, the electrons spectrum forms also quasi two-dimensional sub-bands, as in a quantum well (QW). We describe in detail the contribution to the electron-phonon energy exchange of different electron scattering channels, as well as of different types of phonon modes. We find that heat flux oscillates strongly with thickness of the film d while having a much smoother variation with temperature (Te for the electrons temperature and Tph for the phonons temperature), so that one obtains a ridge-like landscape in the two coordinates, (d, Te) or (d, Tph), with crests and valleys aligned roughly parallel to the temperature axis. For the valley regions we find P ∝ Te3.5 - Tph3.5. From valley to crest, P increases by more than one order of magnitude and on the crests P cannot be represented by a simple power law. The strong dependence of P on d is indicative of the formation of the QW state and can be useful in controlling the heat transfer between electrons and crystal lattice in nano-electronic devices. Nevertheless, due to the small value of the Fermi wavelength in metals, the surface imperfections of the metallic films can reduce the magnitude of the oscillations of P vs. d, so this effect might be easier to observe experimentally in doped semiconductors.

Coupling of Hubbard fermions with phonons in La{sub 2} CuO{sub 4}: A combined study using density-functional theory and the generalized tight-binding method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shneyder, E.I., E-mail: shneyder@iph.krasn.ru [Kirensky Institute of Physics SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk 660036 (Russian Federation); Reshetnev Siberian State Aerospace University, Krasnoyarsk 660014 (Russian Federation); Spitaler, J. [Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH, Rosegger-Straße 18, A-8700 Leoben (Austria); Kokorina, E.E.; Nekrasov, I.A. [Institute of Electrophysics UB RAS, Amundsena Str. 106, 620016 Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Gavrichkov, V.A. [Kirensky Institute of Physics SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk 660036 (Russian Federation); Draxl, C. [Physics Department and IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Zum Großen Windkanal 6, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Ovchinnikov, S.G. [Kirensky Institute of Physics SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk 660036 (Russian Federation)

2015-11-05

We present results for the electron-phonon interaction of the Γ-point phonons in the tetragonal high-temperature phase of La{sub 2} CuO{sub 4} obtained from a hybrid scheme, combining density-functional theory (DFT) with the generalized tight-binding approach. As a starting point, eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors for the Γ-point phonons are determined from DFT within the frozen phonon approach utilizing the augmented plane wave + local orbitals method. The so obtained characteristics of electron-phonon coupling are converted into parameters of the generalized tight-binding method. This approach is a version of cluster perturbation theory and takes the strong on-site electron correlations into account. The obtained parameters describe the interaction of phonons with Hubbard fermions which form quasiparticle bands in strongly correlated electron systems. As a result, it is found that the Γ-point phonons with the strongest electron-phonon interaction are the A{sub 2u} modes (236 cm{sup −1}, 131 cm{sup −1} and 476 cm{sup −1}). Finally it is shown, that the single-electron spectral-weight redistribution between different Hubbard fermion quasiparticles results in a suppression of electron-phonon interaction which is strongest for the triplet Hubbard band with z oriented copper and oxygen electrons. - Highlights: • Electron-phonon interaction in strongly correlated electron systems is analyzed. • Interaction parameters between strongly correlated electrons and phonons are obtained. • The suppression of these parameters by strong electron correlations is demonstrated.

Numerical simulation of gas-phonon coupling in thermal transpiration flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiaohui; Singh, Dhruv; Murthy, Jayathi; Alexeenko, Alina A

2009-10-01

Thermal transpiration is a rarefied gas flow driven by a wall temperature gradient and is a promising mechanism for gas pumping without moving parts, known as the Knudsen pump. Obtaining temperature measurements along capillary walls in a Knudsen pump is difficult due to extremely small length scales. Meanwhile, simplified analytical models are not applicable under the practical operating conditions of a thermal transpiration device, where the gas flow is in the transitional rarefied regime. Here, we present a coupled gas-phonon heat transfer and flow model to study a closed thermal transpiration system. Discretized Boltzmann equations are solved for molecular transport in the gas phase and phonon transport in the solid. The wall temperature distribution is the direct result of the interfacial coupling based on mass conservation and energy balance at gas-solid interfaces and is not specified a priori unlike in the previous modeling efforts. Capillary length scales of the order of phonon mean free path result in a smaller temperature gradient along the transpiration channel as compared to that predicted by the continuum solid-phase heat transfer. The effects of governing parameters such as thermal gradients, capillary geometry, gas and phonon Knudsen numbers and, gas-surface interaction parameters on the efficiency of thermal transpiration are investigated in light of the coupled model.

Extended two-temperature model for ultrafast thermal response of band gap materials upon impulsive optical excitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Taeho [Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 (United States); Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Suwon 443-803 (Korea, Republic of); Teitelbaum, Samuel W.; Wolfson, Johanna; Nelson, Keith A., E-mail: kanelson@mit.edu [Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 (United States); Kandyla, Maria [Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 (United States); Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens 116-35 (Greece)

2015-11-21

Thermal modeling and numerical simulations have been performed to describe the ultrafast thermal response of band gap materials upon optical excitation. A model was established by extending the conventional two-temperature model that is adequate for metals, but not for semiconductors. It considers the time- and space-dependent density of electrons photoexcited to the conduction band and accordingly allows a more accurate description of the transient thermal equilibration between the hot electrons and lattice. Ultrafast thermal behaviors of bismuth, as a model system, were demonstrated using the extended two-temperature model with a view to elucidating the thermal effects of excitation laser pulse fluence, electron diffusivity, electron-hole recombination kinetics, and electron-phonon interactions, focusing on high-density excitation.

The manifestation of spin-phonon coupling in CaMnO{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goian, V., E-mail: goian@fzu.cz; Kamba, S.; Borodavka, F.; Nuzhnyy, D.; Savinov, M. [Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague (Czech Republic); Belik, A. A. [International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)

2015-04-28

Recently predicted presence of spin-phonon coupling in the CaMnO{sub 3} is experimentally confirmed in infrared (IR), Raman and time-domain THz spectra. Most of phonon frequencies seen below 350 cm{sup −1} exhibit significant shifts on cooling below antiferromagnetic phase transition at T{sub N} ≅ 120 K. Moreover, several new modes activate in the IR and Raman spectra on cooling below T{sub N}. Sum of phonon contributions to static permittivity exhibits small but reliable anomaly at T{sub N}. On the other hand, the spin-phonon coupling is not manifested in temperature dependence of radio-frequency permittivity, because intrinsic permittivity is screened by extrinsic contribution from conductivity, which enhances the permittivity to giant values.

2-D modeling of dual-mode acoustic phonon excitation of a triangular nanoplate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai, Po-Tse; Yu, Pyng; Tang, Jau

2010-01-01

Graphical abstract: Modeling the lattice dynamics of a triangular plate with the arrows indicating the direction of impulsive thermal stress. We investigated ultrafast structural dynamics of triangular nanoplates based on 2-D Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model to explain coherent acoustic phonon excitation in nanoprisms. - Abstract: In this theoretical work, we investigated coherent phonon excitation of a triangular nanoplate based on 2-D Fermi-Pasta-Ulam lattice model. Based on the two-temperature model commonly used in description of laser heating of metals, we considered two kinds of forces related to electronic and lattice stresses. Based on extensive simulation and analysis, we identified two major planar phonon modes, namely, a standing wave mode related to the triangle bisector and another mode corresponding to half of the side length. This work elucidates the roles of laser-induced electronic stress and lattice stress in controlling the initial phase and the amplitude ratio between these two phonon modes.

PREFACE: Ultrafast and nonlinear optics in carbon nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Kono, Junichiro

2013-02-01

Carbon-based nanomaterials—single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene, in particular—have emerged in the last decade as novel low-dimensional systems with extraordinary properties. Because they are direct-bandgap systems, SWCNTs are one of the leading candidates to unify electronic and optical functions in nanoscale circuitry; their diameter-dependent bandgaps can be utilized for multi-wavelength devices. Graphene's ultrahigh carrier mobilities are promising for high-frequency electronic devices, while, at the same time, it is predicted to have ideal properties for terahertz generation and detection due to its unique zero-gap, zero-mass band structure. There have been a large number of basic optical studies on these materials, but most of them were performed in the weak-excitation, quasi-equilibrium regime. In order to probe and assess their performance characteristics as optoelectronic materials under device-operating conditions, it is crucial to strongly drive them and examine their optical properties in highly non-equilibrium situations and with ultrashot time resolution. In this section, the reader will find the latest results in this rapidly growing field of research. We have assembled contributions from some of the leading experts in ultrafast and nonlinear optical spectroscopy of carbon-based nanomaterials. Specific topics featured include: thermalization, cooling, and recombination dynamics of photo-generated carriers; stimulated emission, gain, and amplification; ultrafast photoluminescence; coherent phonon dynamics; exciton-phonon and exciton-plasmon interactions; exciton-exciton annihilation and Auger processes; spontaneous and stimulated emission of terahertz radiation; four-wave mixing and harmonic generation; ultrafast photocurrents; the AC Stark and Franz-Keldysh effects; and non-perturbative light-mater coupling. We would like to express our sincere thanks to those who contributed their latest results to this special section, and the

Spin waves in terbium. II. Magnon-phonon interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, J.; Houmann, J.G.

1975-01-01

The selection rules for the linear couplings between magnons and phonons propagating in the c direction of a simple basal-plane hcp ferromagnet are determined by general symmetry considerations. The acoustic-optical magnon-phonon interactions observed in the heavy-rare-earth metals have been explained by Liu as originating from the mixing of the spin states of the conduction electrons due to the spin-orbit coupling. We find that this coupling mechanism introduces interactions which violate the selection rules for a simple ferromagnet. The interactions between the magnons and phonons propagating in the c direction of Tb have been studied experimentally by means of inelastic neutron scatttering. The magnons are coupled to both the acoustic- and optical-transverse phonons. By studying the behavior of the acoustic-optical coupling, we conclude that it is a spin-mixed-induced coupling as proposed by Liu. The coupled magnon--transverse-phonon system for the c direction of Tb is analyzed in detail, and the strengths of the couplings are deduced as a function of wave vector by combining the experimental studies with the theory

Coupled forward-backward trajectory approach for nonequilibrium electron-ion dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Shunsuke A.; Kelly, Aaron; Rubio, Angel

2018-04-01

We introduce a simple ansatz for the wave function of a many-body system based on coupled forward and backward propagating semiclassical trajectories. This method is primarily aimed at, but not limited to, treating nonequilibrium dynamics in electron-phonon systems. The time evolution of the system is obtained from the Euler-Lagrange variational principle, and we show that this ansatz yields Ehrenfest mean-field theory in the limit that the forward and backward trajectories are orthogonal, and in the limit that they coalesce. We investigate accuracy and performance of this method by simulating electronic relaxation in the spin-boson model and the Holstein model. Although this method involves only pairs of semiclassical trajectories, it shows a substantial improvement over mean-field theory, capturing quantum coherence of nuclear dynamics as well as electron-nuclear correlations. This improvement is particularly evident in nonadiabatic systems, where the accuracy of this coupled trajectory method extends well beyond the perturbative electron-phonon coupling regime. This approach thus provides an attractive route forward to the ab initio description of relaxation processes, such as thermalization, in condensed phase systems.

Inverse Edelstein effect induced by magnon-phonon coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Mingran; Puebla, Jorge; Auvray, Florent; Rana, Bivas; Kondou, Kouta; Otani, Yoshichika

2018-05-01

We demonstrate a spin to charge current conversion via magnon-phonon coupling and an inverse Edelstein effect on the hybrid device Ni/Cu (Ag )/Bi 2O3 . The generation of spin current (Js≈108A/m2 ) due to magnon-phonon coupling reveals the viability of acoustic spin pumping as a mechanism for the development of spintronic devices. A full in-plane magnetic field angle dependence of the power absorption and a combination of longitudinal and transverse voltage detection reveals the symmetric and asymmetric components of the inverse Edelstein effect voltage induced by Rayleigh-type surface acoustic waves. While the symmetric components are well studied, asymmetric components still need to be explored. We assign the asymmetric contributions to the interference between longitudinal and shear waves and an anisotropic charge distribution in our hybrid device.

Phonon-assisted Kondo effect in single-molecule quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic leads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Hui; Wen Tingdun; Liang, J.-Q.; Sun, Q.F.

2008-01-01

Based on the infinite-U Anderson model spin-polarized transport through the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) system of single-molecule quantum dot is investigated under the interplay of strong electron correlation and electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling. The spectral density and the nonlinear differential conductance are studied using the extended non-equilibrium Green's function method through calculating the dot-level splitting self-consistently. The results exhibit that a serial of peaks emerge on the two sides of the main Kondo peak for the antiparallel magnetic configuration of electrodes, while for the parallel case both the main and phonon-assisted satellite Kondo peaks all split up into two asymmetric peaks even at zero-bias. Correspondingly, the nonlinear differential conductance displays a set of satellite-peaks around the Kondo-peak in the presence of the e-ph interaction. Furthermore, extra maxima and minima appear in the TMR curve. The TMR alternates between the positive and the negative values along with the variation of bias voltage

Electron-phonon coupling in solubilized LHC II complexes of green plants investigated by line-narrowing and temperature-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

Pieper, J K; Renger, G; Schödel, R; Voigt, J

2001-01-01

Line-narrowed and temperature-dependent fluorescence spectra are reported for the solubilized trimeric light-harvesting complex of Photosystem II (LHC II). Special attention has been paid to eliminate effects owing to reabsorption and to ensure that the line-narrowed fluorescence spectra are virtually unaffected by hole burning or scattering artifacts. Analysis of line-narrowed fluorescence spectra at 4.2 K indicates that the lowest Q//y-state of LHC II is characterized by weak electron-phonon coupling with a Huang-Rhys factor of similar to 0.9 and a broad and strongly asymmetric one- phonon profile with a peak frequency omega//m of 15 cm**-**1 and a width of Gamma = 105 cm**-**1. The 4.2 K fluorescence data are further consistent with the assignment of the lowest Q//y-state at similar to 680.0 nm and an inhomogeneous width of similar to 80 cm**- **1 gathered from a recent hole-burning study (Pieper et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 1999, 103, 2412). The temperature dependence of the fluorescence spectra of LHC II is s...

Real-Time Observation of Exciton-Phonon Coupling Dynamics in Self-Assembled Hybrid Perovskite Quantum Wells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Limeng; Huynh, Uyen; Cheminal, Alexandre; Thomas, Tudor H; Shivanna, Ravichandran; Hinrichsen, Ture F; Ahmad, Shahab; Sadhanala, Aditya; Rao, Akshay

2017-11-28

Self-assembled hybrid perovskite quantum wells have attracted attention due to their tunable emission properties, ease of fabrication, and device integration. However, the dynamics of excitons in these materials, especially how they couple to phonons, remains an open question. Here, we investigate two widely used materials, namely, butylammonium lead iodide (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 PbI 4 and hexylammonium lead iodide (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 NH 3 ) 2 PbI 4 , both of which exhibit broad photoluminescence tails at room temperature. We performed femtosecond vibrational spectroscopy to obtain a real-time picture of the exciton-phonon interaction and directly identified the vibrational modes that couple to excitons. We show that the choice of the organic cation controls which vibrational modes the exciton couples to. In butylammonium lead iodide, excitons dominantly couple to a 100 cm -1 phonon mode, whereas in hexylammonium lead iodide, excitons interact with phonons with frequencies of 88 and 137 cm -1 . Using the determined optical phonon energies, we analyzed photoluminescence broadening mechanisms. At low temperatures (photoluminescence line shape observed in hybrid perovskite quantum wells and provide insights into the mechanism of exciton-phonon coupling in these materials.

Energy transfer in coupled nonlinear phononic waveguides: transition from wandering breather to nonlinear self-trapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosevich, Y A; Manevitch, L I; Savin, A V

2007-01-01

We consider, both analytically and numerically, the dynamics of stationary and slowly-moving breathers (localized short-wavelength excitations) in two weakly coupled nonlinear oscillator chains (nonlinear phononic waveguides). We show that there are two qualitatively different dynamical regimes of the coupled breathers: the oscillatory exchange of the low-amplitude breather between the phononic waveguides (wandering breather), and one-waveguide-localization (nonlinear self-trapping) of the high-amplitude breather. We also show that phase-coherent dynamics of the coupled breathers in two weakly linked nonlinear phononic waveguides has a profound analogy, and is described by a similar pair of equations, to the tunnelling quantum dynamics of two weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates in a symmetric double-well potential (single bosonic Josephson junction). The exchange of phonon energy and excitations between the coupled phononic waveguides takes on the role which the exchange of atoms via quantum tunnelling plays in the case of the coupled condensates. On the basis of this analogy, we predict a new tunnelling mode of the coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in a single bosonic Josephson junction in which their relative phase oscillates around π/2. The dynamics of relative phase of two weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates can be studied by means of interference, while the dynamics of the exchange of lattice excitations in coupled nonlinear phononic waveguides can be observed by means of light scattering

Non-equilibrium lattice dynamics of one-dimensional In chains on Si(111 upon ultrafast optical excitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Frigge

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The photoinduced structural dynamics of the atomic wire system on the Si(111-In surface has been studied by ultrafast electron diffraction in reflection geometry. Upon intense fs-laser excitation, this system can be driven in around 1 ps from the insulating (8×2 reconstructed low temperature phase to a metastable metallic (4×1 reconstructed high temperature phase. Subsequent to the structural transition, the surface heats up on a 6 times slower timescale as determined from a transient Debye-Waller analysis of the diffraction spots. From a comparison with the structural response of the high temperature (4×1 phase, we conclude that electron-phonon coupling is responsible for the slow energy transfer from the excited electron system to the lattice. The significant difference in timescales is evidence that the photoinduced structural transition is non-thermally driven.

Anomalous dispersion of optical phonons in La2-xSrxCuO4 at low temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2001-01-01

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements of cuprate system show that a discontinuity in dispersion develops in the middle of the highest energy of optical phonon at low temperatures. We present here a microscopic theory to explain the phonon anomaly in doped cuprate system in normal state. Anti-ferromagnetism due to copper moments is introduced in the electronic Hamiltonian. Phonon coupling to the hybridisation between conduction electrons of the system and the doped f-electrons is incorporated. The phonon self energy due to electron-phonon interaction, which involves the electronic density response function, is evaluated explicitly by Zubarev's Green's function technique in finite temperature and small wave vector limit. The temperature dependence of phonon frequency and the anomalous phonon dispersion are calculated numerically and studied by varying the position of the f-level (ε f ), the effective electron-phonon coupling strength (g), staggered field (h), and the hybridisation parameter (V). (author)

Ultrafast transmission electron microscopy using a laser-driven field emitter: Femtosecond resolution with a high coherence electron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feist, Armin; Bach, Nora; Rubiano da Silva, Nara; Danz, Thomas; Möller, Marcel; Priebe, Katharina E.; Domröse, Till; Gatzmann, J. Gregor; Rost, Stefan; Schauss, Jakob; Strauch, Stefanie; Bormann, Reiner; Sivis, Murat; Schäfer, Sascha, E-mail: sascha.schaefer@phys.uni-goettingen.de; Ropers, Claus, E-mail: claus.ropers@uni-goettingen.de

2017-05-15

We present the development of the first ultrafast transmission electron microscope (UTEM) driven by localized photoemission from a field emitter cathode. We describe the implementation of the instrument, the photoemitter concept and the quantitative electron beam parameters achieved. Establishing a new source for ultrafast TEM, the Göttingen UTEM employs nano-localized linear photoemission from a Schottky emitter, which enables operation with freely tunable temporal structure, from continuous wave to femtosecond pulsed mode. Using this emission mechanism, we achieve record pulse properties in ultrafast electron microscopy of 9 Å focused beam diameter, 200 fs pulse duration and 0.6 eV energy width. We illustrate the possibility to conduct ultrafast imaging, diffraction, holography and spectroscopy with this instrument and also discuss opportunities to harness quantum coherent interactions between intense laser fields and free-electron beams. - Highlights: • First implementation of an ultrafast TEM employing a nanoscale photocathode. • Localized single photon-photoemission from nanoscopic field emitter yields low emittance ultrashort electron pulses. • Electron pulses focused down to ~9 Å, with a duration of 200 fs and an energy width of 0.6 eV are demonstrated. • Quantitative characterization of ultrafast electron gun emittance and brightness. • A range of applications of high coherence ultrashort electron pulses is shown.

Ultrafast observation of critical nematic fluctuations and giant magnetoelastic coupling in iron pnictides

Science.gov (United States)

Patz, Aaron; Li, Tianqi; Ran, Sheng; Fernandes, Rafael M.; Schmalian, Joerg; Bud'Ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Perakis, Ilias E.; Wang, Jigang

2014-02-01

Many of the iron pnictides have strongly anisotropic normal-state characteristics, important for the exotic magnetic and superconducting behaviour these materials exhibit. Yet, the origin of the observed anisotropy is unclear. Electronically driven nematicity has been suggested, but distinguishing this as an independent degree of freedom from magnetic and structural orders is difficult, as these couple together to break the same tetragonal symmetry. Here we use time-resolved polarimetry to reveal critical nematic fluctuations in unstrained Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2. The femtosecond anisotropic response, which arises from the two-fold in-plane anisotropy of the complex refractive index, displays a characteristic two-step recovery absent in the isotropic response. The fast recovery appears only in the magnetically ordered state, whereas the slow one persists in the paramagnetic phase with a critical divergence approaching the structural transition temperature. The dynamics also reveal a gigantic magnetoelastic coupling that far exceeds electron-spin and electron-phonon couplings, opposite to conventional magnetic metals.

Ab initio study of lattice instabilities of zinc chalcogenides ZnX (X=O, S, Se, Te induced by ultrafast intense laser irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dahua Ren

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Ab initio calculations of lattice constants, lattice stabilities of ZnX (X=O, S, Se, Te at different electronic temperatures (Te have been performed using generalized gradient approximation (GGA pseudopotential method within the density functional theory (DFT. The calculated phonon frequencies of ZnX at Te = 0 eV accord well with the experimental and other theoretical values. Firstly, it is indicated that the lattice constants of ZnX increase and all the phonon frequencies reduce as Te increases. Additionally, the transverse-acoustic phonon frequencies of ZnX are imaginary with the elevation of Te, namely the lattices of ZnX become unstable under ultrafast intense laser irradiation. Moreover, the transverse optical mode-longitudinal optical mode (LO-TO splitting degree of ZnX (X=S, Se, Te gradually decreases as the electronic temperature increases, mainly due to the reason that the electronic excitation weakens the strength ionicity of ionic crystal ZnX under intense laser irradiation. However, the LO-TO splitting degree of ZnO firstly increases and then decreases with the increase of electronic temperature. After that, it can be helpful for understanding the mechanism of ultrafast intense laser induced semiconductors damage.

Generation of mega-electron-volt electron beams by an ultrafast intense laser pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaofang; Saleh, Ned; Krishnan, Mohan; Wang Haiwen; Backus, Sterling; Murnane, Margaret; Kapteyn, Henry; Umstadter, Donald; Wang Quandong; Shen Baifei

2003-01-01

Mega-electron-volt (MeV) electron emission from the interaction of an ultrafast (τ∼29 fs), intense (>10 18 W/cm 2 ) laser pulse with underdense plasmas has been studied. A beam of MeV electrons with a divergence angle as small as 1 deg. is observed in the forward direction, which is correlated with relativistic filamentation of the laser pulse in plasmas. A novel net-energy-gain mechanism is proposed for electron acceleration resulting from the relativistic filamentation and beam breakup. These results suggest an approach for generating a beam of femtosecond, MeV electrons at a kilohertz repetition rate with a compact ultrafast intense laser system

Renormalisation of Nonequilibrium Phonons Under Strong Perturbative Influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Sushrut Madhukar

Effects of strong perturbative influences, namely the presence of a narrow distribution of acoustic phonons, and the presence of an electron plasma, on the dynamics of nonequilibrium, near zone center, longitudinal optical phonons in GaP have been investigated in two separate experiments. The study of the effects of the interaction between the LO phonons and a heavily populated, narrow distribution of acoustic phonons lead to the observation of a new optically driven nonequilibrium phonon state. Time Resolved Coherent Antistokes Raman Scattering (TR-CARS), with picosecond resolution, was used to investigate the new mode. In order to achieve high occupation numbers in the acoustic branch, the picosecond laser pulses used were amplified up to 1.0 GW/cm^2 peak power per laser beam. An important characteristic property of the new state which differentiates it from the well known LO phonon state is the fact that rather than having the single decay rate observed under thermal equilibrium, the new state has two decay rates. Moreover, these two decay rates depend strongly on the distribution of the acoustic phonon occupation number. The coupling of the LO phonons with an electron plasma, on the other hand, was investigated by measurements of the shape of the Raman scattered line associated with the phonon-plasmon coupled mode. The plasma was generated by thermal excitation of carriers in doped samples. It was possible to study a large variety of plasma excitations by controlling the concentration of the dopant and the ambient temperature. A complete, self consistant model based on standard dielectric response theory is presented, and applied to the measurements of the phonon-plasmon coupled mode. It is possible to recover, via this model, the effective coupled mode damping rate, the plasma damping rate, and the plasma frequency as functions of ambient temperature, or the carrier concentration.

Electrically-driven GHz range ultrafast graphene light emitter (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Youngduck; Gao, Yuanda; Shiue, Ren-Jye; Wang, Lei; Aslan, Ozgur Burak; Kim, Hyungsik; Nemilentsau, Andrei M.; Low, Tony; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Bae, Myung-Ho; Heinz, Tony F.; Englund, Dirk R.; Hone, James

2017-02-01

Ultrafast electrically driven light emitter is a critical component in the development of the high bandwidth free-space and on-chip optical communications. Traditional semiconductor based light sources for integration to photonic platform have therefore been heavily studied over the past decades. However, there are still challenges such as absence of monolithic on-chip light sources with high bandwidth density, large-scale integration, low-cost, small foot print, and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology compatibility. Here, we demonstrate the first electrically driven ultrafast graphene light emitter that operate up to 10 GHz bandwidth and broadband range (400 1600 nm), which are possible due to the strong coupling of charge carriers in graphene and surface optical phonons in hBN allow the ultrafast energy and heat transfer. In addition, incorporation of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) encapsulation layers enable the stable and practical high performance even under the ambient condition. Therefore, electrically driven ultrafast graphene light emitters paves the way towards the realization of ultrahigh bandwidth density photonic integrated circuits and efficient optical communications networks.

Rigorous bounds on the free energy of electron-phonon models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raedt, Hans De; Michielsen, Kristel

1997-01-01

We present a collection of rigorous upper and lower bounds to the free energy of electron-phonon models with linear electron-phonon interaction. These bounds are used to compare different variational approaches. It is shown rigorously that the ground states corresponding to the sharpest bounds do

Electronic Contributions to the Phonon Damping in Metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Rune

1968-07-15

An imaginary part of the dielectric matrix is derived based on a first order perturbation expansion of the valence electron states in a local potential model of the crystal. The results are used to estimate the electronic contributions to the phonon damping in aluminum and lead. The corrections which have been obtained are of the same order of magnitude at small phonon momenta as the damping earlier calculated for the free electrons. However, the discrepancies between the theoretical and experimental results still remain. The major contribution to damping seems to originate in anharmonic effects, even at 80 deg K.

Comments on exciton-phonon coupling. II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, J.W.; Silbey, R.

1979-01-01

Two variational calculations of the energy and correlation functions for a simple exciton-phonon coupled system are presented and contrasted to the adiabatic solution and the exact solution. The simpler variational solution leads to two minima and abrupt changes in the properties of the system; an asymmetric variational wavefunction, motivated by the form of perturbation theory for this problem, leads to smooth behavior in agreement with the exact result. (Auth.)

Ultrafast collinear scattering and carrier multiplication in graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Brida, D; Tomadin, A; Manzoni, C; Kim, Y J; Lombardo, A; Milana, S; Nair, R R; Novoselov, K S; Ferrari, A C; Cerullo, G; Polini, M

2013-01-01

Graphene is emerging as a viable alternative to conventional optoelectronic, plasmonic and nanophotonic materials. The interaction of light with charge carriers creates an out-of-equilibrium distribution, which relaxes on an ultrafast timescale to a hot Fermi-Dirac distribution, that subsequently cools emitting phonons. Although the slower relaxation mechanisms have been extensively investigated, the initial stages still pose a challenge. Experimentally, they defy the resolution of most pump-probe setups, due to the extremely fast sub-100 fs carrier dynamics. Theoretically, massless Dirac fermions represent a novel many-body problem, fundamentally different from Schrödinger fermions. Here we combine pump-probe spectroscopy with a microscopic theory to investigate electron-electron interactions during the early stages of relaxation. We identify the mechanisms controlling the ultrafast dynamics, in particular the role of collinear scattering. This gives rise to Auger processes, including charge multiplication, which is key in photovoltage generation and photodetectors.

Lattice dynamics and electron/phonon interactions in epitaxial transition-metal nitrides

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Antonio Rodolph Bighetti

the films are completely dense with smooth surfaces (roughness = 1.3 nm, consistent with atomic-force microscopy analyses). Based upon temperature-dependent electronic transport measurements, epitaxial ZrN/MgO(001) layers have a room-temperature resistivity rho 300K of 12.0 muO-cm, a temperature coefficient of resistivity between 100 and 300 K of 5.6x10-8 O-cm K -1, a residual resistivity rhoo below 30 K of 0.78 muO-cm (corresponding to a residual resistivity ratio rho300K/rho 15K = 15), and the layers exhibit a superconducting transition temperature Tc = 10.4 K. The relatively high residual resistivity ratio, combined with long in-plane and out-of-plane x-ray coherence lengths, xi|| = 18 nm and xi⊥ = 161 nm, indicates high crystalline quality with low mosaicity. The reflectance of ZrN(001), as determined by variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, decreases slowly from 95% at 1 eV to 90% at 2 eV with a reflectance edge at 3.04 eV. Interband transitions dominate the dielectric response above 2 eV. The ZrN(001) nanoindentation hardness and modulus are 22.7+/-1.7 and 450+/-25 GPa. Transport electron/phonon coupling parameters and Eliashberg spectral functions alphatr2F(ho) are determined for Group-IV TM nitrides TiN, ZrN, and HfN, and the rare-earth (RE) nitride CeN using an inversion procedure based upon temperature-dependent (4 electron/phonon coupling parameters lambdatr vary from 1.11 for ZrN to 0.82 for HfN, 0.73 for TiN, and 0.44 for CeN. The small variation in lambda tr among the TM nitrides and the weak coupling in CeN are consistent with measured Tc values: 10.4 (ZrN), 9.18 (HfN), 5.35 (TiN), and electron/phonon coupling in conventional superconductors. Spectral peaks in alpha2F(ho), corresponding to regions in energy-space for which electrons couple to acoustic hoac and optical ho op phonon modes, are centered at ho ac = 33 and hoop = 57 meV for TiN, 25 and 60 meV for ZrN, 18 and 64 meV for HfN, and 21 and 39 meV for CeN. The acoustic modes soften with

Ultrafast dynamics in CeTe{sub 3} near the pressure-induced charge-density-wave transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tauch, Jonas; Obergfell, Manuel [Department of Physics and Center for Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz (Germany); Schaefer, Hanjo [Department of Physics and Center for Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz (Germany); Institute of Physics, Ilmenau University of Technology (Germany); Demsar, Jure [Department of Physics and Center for Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz (Germany); Institute of Physics, Ilmenau University of Technology (Germany); Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (Germany); Giraldo, Paula; Fisher, Ian R. [Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University (United States); Pashkin, Alexej [Department of Physics and Center for Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz (Germany); Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany)

2015-07-01

Femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy is an efficient tool for studying ultrafast dynamics in strongly correlated electronic systems, in particular, compounds with a charge-density-wave (CDW) order. Application of external pressure often leads to a suppression of a CDW state due to an impairment of the Fermi surface nesting. We combine time-resolved optical spectroscopy and diamond anvil cell technology to study electron and lattice dynamics in tri-telluride compound CeTe{sub 3}. Around pressures of 4 GPa we observe a gradual vanishing of the relaxation process related to the recombination of the photoexcited quasiparticles. The coherent oscillations of the phonon modes coupled to the CDW order parameter demonstrate even more dramatic suppression with increasing pressure. These observations clearly indicate a transition into the metallic state of CeTe{sub 3} induced by the external pressure.

rf streak camera based ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Musumeci, P; Moody, J T; Scoby, C M; Gutierrez, M S; Tran, T

2009-01-01

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the possibility of using a rf streak camera to time resolve in a single shot structural changes at the sub-100 fs time scale via relativistic electron diffraction. We experimentally tested this novel concept at the UCLA Pegasus rf photoinjector. Time-resolved diffraction patterns from thin Al foil are recorded. Averaging over 50 shots is required in order to get statistics sufficient to uncover a variation in time of the diffraction patterns. In the absence of an external pump laser, this is explained as due to the energy chirp on the beam out of the electron gun. With further improvements to the electron source, rf streak camera based ultrafast electron diffraction has the potential to yield truly single shot measurements of ultrafast processes.

Development of phonon-mediated cryogenic particle detectors with electron and nuclear recoil discrimination

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Sae Woo

1999-10-01

Observations have shown that galaxies, including our own, are surrounded by halos of ``dark matter''. One possibility is that this may be an undiscovered form of matter, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). This thesis describes the development of silicon based cryogenic particle detectors designed to directly detect interactions with these WIMPs. These detectors are part of a new class of detectors which are able to reject background events by simultaneously measuring energy deposited into phonons versus electron hole pairs. By using the phonon sensors with the ionization sensors to compare the partitioning of energy between phonons and ionizations we can discriminate between electron recoil events (background radiation) and nuclear recoil events (dark matter events). These detectors with built-in background rejection are a major advance in background rejection over previous searches. Much of this thesis will describe work in scaling the detectors from / g prototype devices to a fully functional prototype 100g dark matter detector. In particular, many sensors were fabricated and tested to understand the behavior of our phonon sensors, Quasipartice trapping assisted Electrothermal feedback Transition edge sensors (QETs). The QET sensors utilize aluminum quasiparticle traps attached to tungsten superconducting transition edge sensors patterned on a silicon substrate. The tungsten lines are voltage biased and self-regulate in the transition region. Phonons from particle interactions within the silicon propogate to the surface where they are absorbed by the aluminum generating quasiparticles in the aluminum. The quasiparticles diffuse into the tungsten and couple energy into the tungsten electron system. Consequently, the tungsten increases in resistance and causes a current pulse which is measured with a high bandwidth SQUID system. With this advanced sensor technology, we were able to demonstrate detectors with xy position sensitivity with electron and

High-T{sub c} superconductivity in monolayer FeSe on SrTiO{sub 3} via interface-induced small-q electron-phonon coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aperis, Alexandros; Oppeneer, Peter M. [Uppsala University (Sweden)

2016-07-01

A monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} becomes superconducting at temperatures that exceed T{sub c}=100 K, as compared to a bulk T{sub c} of 8 K. Recent ARPES measurements have provided strong evidence that an interfaced-induced electron-phonon interaction between FeSe electrons and SrTiO{sub 3} phonons plays a decisive role in this phenomenon. However, the mechanism that drives this tantalizing high-T{sub c} boost is still unclear. Here, we examine the recent experimental findings using fully anisotropic, full bandwidth multiband Eliashberg calculations focusing on the superconducting state of FeSe/STO. We use a realistic ten band tight-binding band structure for the electrons of monolayer FeSe and study how the suggested interface-induced small-q electron-phonon interaction mediates superconductivity. Our calculations produce a high-T{sub c} s-wave superconducting state with the experimentally resolved momentum dependence. Further, we calculate the normal metal/insulator/superconductor tunneling spectrum and identify fingerprints of the interface-induced phonon mechanism.

Electron beam dynamics in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope with Wehnelt electrode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bücker, K.; Picher, M.; Crégut, O. [Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, UMR 7504 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg (France); LaGrange, T. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Reed, B.W.; Park, S.T.; Masiel, D.J. [Integrated Dynamic Electron Solutions, Inc., 5653 Stoneridge Drive 117, Pleasanton, CA 94588 (United States); Banhart, F., E-mail: florian.banhart@ipcms.unistra.fr [Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, UMR 7504 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg (France)

2016-12-15

High temporal resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques have shown significant progress in recent years. Using photoelectron pulses induced by ultrashort laser pulses on the cathode, these methods can probe ultrafast materials processes and have revealed numerous dynamic phenomena at the nanoscale. Most recently, the technique has been implemented in standard thermionic electron microscopes that provide a flexible platform for studying material's dynamics over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, the electron pulses in such an ultrafast transmission electron microscope are characterized in detail. The microscope is based on a thermionic gun with a Wehnelt electrode and is operated in a stroboscopic photoelectron mode. It is shown that the Wehnelt bias has a decisive influence on the temporal and energy spread of the picosecond electron pulses. Depending on the shape of the cathode and the cathode-Wehnelt distance, different emission patterns with different pulse parameters are obtained. The energy spread of the pulses is determined by space charge and Boersch effects, given by the number of electrons in a pulse. However, filtering effects due to the chromatic aberrations of the Wehnelt electrode allow the extraction of pulses with narrow energy spreads. The temporal spread is governed by electron trajectories of different length and in different electrostatic potentials. High temporal resolution is obtained by excluding shank emission from the cathode and aberration-induced halos in the emission pattern. By varying the cathode-Wehnelt gap, the Wehnelt bias, and the number of photoelectrons in a pulse, tradeoffs between energy and temporal resolution as well as beam intensity can be made as needed for experiments. Based on the characterization of the electron pulses, the optimal conditions for the operation of ultrafast TEMs with thermionic gun assembly are elaborated. - Highlights: • A detailed characterization of electron

Oxygen Activated, Palladium Nanoparticle Catalyzed, Ultrafast Cross-Coupling of Organolithium Reagents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijnen, Dorus; Tosi, Filippo; Vila, Carlos; Stuart, Marc C. A.; Elsinga, Philip H.; Szymanski, Wiktor; Feringa, Ben L.

2017-01-01

The discovery of an ultrafast cross-coupling of alkyland aryllithium reagents with a range of aryl bromides is presented. The essential role of molecular oxygen to form the active palladium catalyst was established; palladium nanoparticles that are highly active in cross-coupling reactions with

Analytical approach to phonons and electron-phonon interactions in single-walled zigzag carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kandemir, B S; Keskin, M [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Ankara University, 06100 Tandogan, Ankara (Turkey)

2008-08-13

In this paper, exact analytical expressions for the entire phonon spectra in single-walled carbon nanotubes with zigzag geometry are presented by using a new approach, originally developed by Kandemir and Altanhan. This approach is based on the concept of construction of a classical lattice Hamiltonian of single-walled carbon nanotubes, wherein the nearest and next nearest neighbor and bond bending interactions are all included, then its quantization and finally diagonalization of the resulting second quantized Hamiltonian. Furthermore, within this context, explicit analytical expressions for the relevant electron-phonon interaction coefficients are also investigated for single-walled carbon nanotubes having this geometry, by the phonon modulation of the hopping interaction.

Analytical approach to phonons and electron-phonon interactions in single-walled zigzag carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kandemir, B S; Keskin, M

2008-01-01

In this paper, exact analytical expressions for the entire phonon spectra in single-walled carbon nanotubes with zigzag geometry are presented by using a new approach, originally developed by Kandemir and Altanhan. This approach is based on the concept of construction of a classical lattice Hamiltonian of single-walled carbon nanotubes, wherein the nearest and next nearest neighbor and bond bending interactions are all included, then its quantization and finally diagonalization of the resulting second quantized Hamiltonian. Furthermore, within this context, explicit analytical expressions for the relevant electron-phonon interaction coefficients are also investigated for single-walled carbon nanotubes having this geometry, by the phonon modulation of the hopping interaction

Emergence of an Out-of-Plane Optical Phonon (ZO) Kohn Anomaly in Quasifreestanding Epitaxial Graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Politano, Antonio; de Juan, Fernando; Chiarello, Gennaro; Fertig, Herbert A

2015-08-14

In neutral graphene, two prominent cusps known as Kohn anomalies are found in the phonon dispersion of the highest optical phonon at q=Γ (LO branch) and q=K (TO branch), reflecting a significant electron-phonon coupling (EPC) to undoped Dirac electrons. In this work, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy is used to measure the phonon dispersion around the Γ point in quasifreestanding graphene epitaxially grown on Pt(111). The Kohn anomaly for the LO phonon is observed at finite momentum q~2k_{F} from Γ, with a shape in excellent agreement with the theory and consistent with known values of the EPC and the Fermi level. More strikingly, we also observe a Kohn anomaly at the same momentum for the out-of-plane optical phonon (ZO) branch. This observation is the first direct evidence of the coupling of the ZO mode with Dirac electrons, which is forbidden for freestanding graphene but becomes allowed in the presence of a substrate. Moreover, we estimate the EPC to be even greater than that of the LO mode, making graphene on Pt(111) an optimal system to explore the effects of this new coupling in the electronic properties.

Electron and phonon drag in thermoelectric transport through coherent molecular conductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lü, Jing-Tao; Wang, Jian-Sheng; Hedegård, Per

2016-01-01

We study thermoelectric transport through a coherent molecular conductor connected to two electron and two phonon baths using the nonequilibrium Green's function method. We focus on the mutual drag between electron and phonon transport as a result of ‘momentum’ transfer, which happens only when...

Dynamical electron-phonon coupling, G W self-consistency, and vertex effect on the electronic band gap of ice and liquid water

Science.gov (United States)

Ziaei, Vafa; Bredow, Thomas

2017-06-01

We study the impact of dynamical electron-phonon (el-ph) effects on the electronic band gap of ice and liquid water by accounting for frequency-dependent Fan contributions in the el-ph mediated self-energy within the many-body perturbation theory (MBPT). We find that the dynamical el-ph coupling effects greatly reduce the static el-ph band-gap correction of the hydrogen-rich molecular ice crystal from-2.46 to -0.23 eV in great contrast to the result of Monserrat et al. [Phys. Rev. B 92, 140302 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.140302]. This is of particular importance as otherwise the static el-ph gap correction would considerably reduce the electronic band gap, leading to considerable underestimation of the intense peaks of optical absorption spectra of ice which would be in great disagreement to experimental references. By contrast, the static el-ph gap correction of liquid water is very moderate (-0.32 eV), and inclusion of dynamical effects slightly reduces the gap correction to -0.19 eV. Further, we determine the diverse sensitivity of ice and liquid water to the G W self-consistency and show that the energy-only self-consistent approach (GnWn ) exhibits large implicit vertex character in comparison to the quasiparticle self-consistent approach, for which an explicit calculation of vertex corrections is necessary for good agreement with experiment.

Spectral diffusion and electron-phonon coupling of the B800 BChl a molecules in LH2 complexes from three different species of purple bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Baier, J; Gabrielsen, M; Oellerich, S; Michel, H; van Heel, M; Cogdell, R J; Köhler, J

2009-11-04

We have investigated the spectral diffusion and the electron-phonon coupling of B800 bacteriochlorophyll a molecules in the peripheral light-harvesting complex LH2 for three different species of purple bacteria, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodospirillum molischianum, and Rhodopseudomonas acidophila. We come to the conclusion that B800 binding pockets for Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas acidophila are rather similar with respect to the polarity of the protein environment but that the packaging of the alphabeta-polypeptides seems to be less tight in Rb. sphaeroides with respect to the other two species.

Mode-selective vibrational modulation of charge transport in organic electronic devices

KAUST Repository

Bakulin, Artem A.

2015-08-06

The soft character of organic materials leads to strong coupling between molecular, nuclear and electronic dynamics. This coupling opens the way to influence charge transport in organic electronic devices by exciting molecular vibrational motions. However, despite encouraging theoretical predictions, experimental realization of such approach has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate experimentally that photoconductivity in a model organic optoelectronic device can be modulated by the selective excitation of molecular vibrations. Using an ultrafast infrared laser source to create a coherent superposition of vibrational motions in a pentacene/C60 photoresistor, we observe that excitation of certain modes in the 1,500–1,700 cm−1 region leads to photocurrent enhancement. Excited vibrations affect predominantly trapped carriers. The effect depends on the nature of the vibration and its mode-specific character can be well described by the vibrational modulation of intermolecular electronic couplings. This presents a new tool for studying electron–phonon coupling and charge dynamics in (bio)molecular materials.

Mode-selective vibrational modulation of charge transport in organic electronic devices

KAUST Repository

Bakulin, Artem A.; Lovrincic, Robert; Yu, Xi; Selig, Oleg; Bakker, Huib J.; Rezus, Yves L. A.; Nayak, Pabitra K.; Fonari, Alexandr; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Bredas, Jean-Luc; Cahen, David

2015-01-01

The soft character of organic materials leads to strong coupling between molecular, nuclear and electronic dynamics. This coupling opens the way to influence charge transport in organic electronic devices by exciting molecular vibrational motions. However, despite encouraging theoretical predictions, experimental realization of such approach has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate experimentally that photoconductivity in a model organic optoelectronic device can be modulated by the selective excitation of molecular vibrations. Using an ultrafast infrared laser source to create a coherent superposition of vibrational motions in a pentacene/C60 photoresistor, we observe that excitation of certain modes in the 1,500–1,700 cm−1 region leads to photocurrent enhancement. Excited vibrations affect predominantly trapped carriers. The effect depends on the nature of the vibration and its mode-specific character can be well described by the vibrational modulation of intermolecular electronic couplings. This presents a new tool for studying electron–phonon coupling and charge dynamics in (bio)molecular materials.

Room-Temperature Coherent Optical Phonon in 2D Electronic Spectra of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ Perovskite as a Possible Cooling Bottleneck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monahan, Daniele M. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States); Guo, Liang [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lin, Jia [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States); Dou, Letian [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States); Yang, Peidong [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States); Fleming, Graham R. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoSciences Inst. at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-06-29

A hot phonon bottleneck may be responsible for slow hot carrier cooling in methylammonium lead iodide hybrid perovskite, creating the potential for more efficient hot carrier photovoltaics. In room-temperature 2D electronic spectra near the band edge, we observe in this paper amplitude oscillations due to a remarkably long lived 0.9 THz coherent phonon population at room temperature. This phonon (or set of phonons) is assigned to angular distortions of the Pb–I lattice, not coupled to cation rotations. The strong coupling between the electronic transition and the 0.9 THz mode(s), together with relative isolation from other phonon modes, makes it likely to cause a phonon bottleneck. Finally, the pump frequency resolution of the 2D spectra also enables independent observation of photoinduced absorptions and bleaches independently and confirms that features due to band gap renormalization are longer-lived than in transient absorption spectra.

The strong thermoelectric effect in nanocarbon generated by the ballistic phonon drag of electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eidelman, E D; Vul', A Ya

2007-01-01

The thermoelectric power and thermoelectric figure of merit for carbon nanostructure consisting of graphite-like (sp 2 ) and diamond-like (sp 3 ) regions have been investigated. The probability of electron collisions with quasi-ballistic phonons in sp 2 regions has been analysed for the first time. We have shown that the probability is not small. We have analysed the influence of various factors on the process of the electron-ballistic phonon drag (the phonon drag effect). The thermoelectric power and thermoelectric figure of merit under conditions of ballistic transport were found to be substantially higher than those in the cases of drag by thermalized phonons and of electron diffusion. The thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in the case of a ballistic phonon contribution to the phonon drag of electrons should be 50 times that for chaotic phonons and 500 times that in the case of the diffusion process. In that case ZT should be a record (ZT≥2-3)

Confinement effects on electron and phonon degrees of freedom in nanofilm superconductors: A Green function approach

Science.gov (United States)

Saniz, R.; Partoens, B.; Peeters, F. M.

2013-02-01

The Green function approach to the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity is used to study nanofilms. We go beyond previous models and include effects of confinement on the strength of the electron-phonon coupling as well as on the electronic spectrum and on the phonon modes. Within our approach, we find that in ultrathin films, confinement effects on the electronic screening become very important. Indeed, contrary to what has been advanced in recent years, the sudden increases of the density of states when new bands start to be occupied as the film thickness increases, tend to suppress the critical temperature rather than to enhance it. On the other hand, the increase of the number of phonon modes with increasing number of monolayers in the film leads to an increase in the critical temperature. As a consequence, the superconducting critical parameters in such nanofilms are determined by these two competing effects. Furthermore, in sufficiently thin films, the condensate consists of well-defined subcondensates associated with the occupied bands, each with a distinct coherence length. The subcondensates can interfere constructively or destructively giving rise to an interference pattern in the Cooper pair probability density.

Features of electron-phonon interactions in nanotubes with chiral symmetry in magnetic field

CERN Document Server

Kibis, O V

2001-01-01

Interaction of the electrons with acoustic phonons in the nanotube with chiral symmetry by availability of the magnetic field, parallel to the nanotube axis, is considered. It is shown that the electron energy spectrum is asymmetric relative to the electron wave vector inversion and for that reason the electron-phonon interaction appears to be different for similar phonons with mutually contrary directions of the wave vector. This phenomenon leads to origination of the electromotive force by the spatially uniform electron gas heating and to appearance of the quadrupole component in the nanotube volt-ampere characteristics

One-dimensional hypersonic phononic crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomopoulos, N; Maschke, D; Koh, C Y; Thomas, E L; Tremel, W; Butt, H-J; Fytas, G

2010-03-10

We report experimental observation of a normal incidence phononic band gap in one-dimensional periodic (SiO(2)/poly(methyl methacrylate)) multilayer film at gigahertz frequencies using Brillouin spectroscopy. The band gap to midgap ratio of 0.30 occurs for elastic wave propagation along the periodicity direction, whereas for inplane propagation the system displays an effective medium behavior. The phononic properties are well captured by numerical simulations. The porosity in the silica layers presents a structural scaffold for the introduction of secondary active media for potential coupling between phonons and other excitations, such as photons and electrons.

Anisotropic Electron-Photon and Electron-Phonon Interactions in Black Phosphorus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Xi; Huang, Shengxi; Hasdeo, Eddwi H; Liang, Liangbo; Parkin, William M; Tatsumi, Yuki; Nugraha, Ahmad R T; Puretzky, Alexander A; Das, Paul Masih; Sumpter, Bobby G; Geohegan, David B; Kong, Jing; Saito, Riichiro; Drndic, Marija; Meunier, Vincent; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

2016-04-13

Orthorhombic black phosphorus (BP) and other layered materials, such as gallium telluride (GaTe) and tin selenide (SnSe), stand out among two-dimensional (2D) materials owing to their anisotropic in-plane structure. This anisotropy adds a new dimension to the properties of 2D materials and stimulates the development of angle-resolved photonics and electronics. However, understanding the effect of anisotropy has remained unsatisfactory to date, as shown by a number of inconsistencies in the recent literature. We use angle-resolved absorption and Raman spectroscopies to investigate the role of anisotropy on the electron-photon and electron-phonon interactions in BP. We highlight, both experimentally and theoretically, a nontrivial dependence between anisotropy and flake thickness and photon and phonon energies. We show that once understood, the anisotropic optical absorption appears to be a reliable and simple way to identify the crystalline orientation of BP, which cannot be determined from Raman spectroscopy without the explicit consideration of excitation wavelength and flake thickness, as commonly used previously.

Long-wavelength optical phonon behavior in uniaxial strained graphene: Role of electron-phonon interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Assili, M.; Haddad, S.

2014-09-01

We derive the frequency shifts and the broadening of Γ-point longitudinal optical (LO) and transverse optical (TO) phonon modes, due to electron-phonon interaction, in graphene under uniaxial strain as a function of the electron density and the disorder amount. We show that, in the absence of a shear strain component, such interaction gives rise to a lifting of the degeneracy of the LO and TO modes which contributes to the splitting of the G Raman band. The anisotropy of the electronic spectrum, induced by the strain, results in a polarization dependence of the LO and TO modes. This dependence is in agreement with the experimental results showing a periodic modulation of the Raman intensity of the split G peak. Moreover, the anomalous behavior of the frequency shift reported in undeformed graphene is found to be robust under strain.

Electron - polar acoustical phonon interactions in nitride based diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum well via hot electron magnetotransport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandya, Ankur; Shinde, Satyam; Jha, Prafulla K.

2015-01-01

In this paper the hot electron transport properties like carrier energy and momentum scattering rates and electron energy loss rates are calculated via interactions of electrons with polar acoustical phonons for Mn doped BN quantum well in BN nanosheets via piezoelectric scattering and deformation potential mechanisms at low temperatures with high electric field. Electron energy loss rate increases with the electric field. It is observed that at low temperatures and for low electric field the phonon absorption is taking place whereas, for sufficient large electric field, phonon emission takes place. Under the piezoelectric (polar acoustical phonon) scattering mechanism, the carrier scattering rate decreases with the reduction of electric field at low temperatures wherein, the scattering rate variation with electric field is limited by a specific temperature beyond which there is no any impact of electric field on such scattering

Carrier dynamics in graphene. Ultrafast many-particle phenomena

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malic, E.; Brem, S.; Jago, R. [Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden); Winzer, T.; Wendler, F.; Knorr, A. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Technische Universitaet Berlin (Germany); Mittendorff, M.; Koenig-Otto, J.C.; Schneider, H.; Helm, M.; Winnerl, S. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Ploetzing, T.; Neumaier, D. [Advanced Microelectronic Center Aachen, AMO GmbH, Aachen (Germany)

2017-11-15

Graphene is an ideal material to study fundamental Coulomb- and phonon-induced carrier scattering processes. Its remarkable gapless and linear band structure opens up new carrier relaxation channels. In particular, Auger scattering bridging the valence and the conduction band changes the number of charge carriers and gives rise to a significant carrier multiplication - an ultrafast many-particle phenomenon that is promising for the design of highly efficient photodetectors. Furthermore, the vanishing density of states at the Dirac point combined with ultrafast phonon-induced intraband scattering results in an accumulation of carriers and a population inversion suggesting the design of graphene-based terahertz lasers. Here, we review our work on the ultrafast carrier dynamics in graphene and Landau-quantized graphene is presented providing a microscopic view on the appearance of carrier multiplication and population inversion. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Renormalization of spin excitations in hexagonal HoMnO3 by magnon-phonon coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Taehun; Leiner, Jonathan C.; Park, Kisoo; Oh, Joosung; Sim, Hasung; Iida, Kazuki; Kamazawa, Kazuya; Park, Je-Geun

2018-05-01

Hexagonal HoMnO3, a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet, has been studied via inelastic neutron scattering. A simple Heisenberg model with a single-ion anisotropy describes most features of the spin-wave dispersion curves. However, there is shown to be a renormalization of the magnon energies located at around 11 meV. Since both the magnon-magnon interaction and magnon-phonon coupling can affect the renormalization in a noncollinear magnet, we have accounted for both of these couplings by using a Heisenberg XXZ model with 1 /S expansions [1] and the Einstein site phonon model [13], respectively. This quantitative analysis leads to the conclusion that the renormalization effect primarily originates from the magnon-phonon coupling, while the spontaneous magnon decay due to the magnon-magnon interaction is suppressed by strong two-ion anisotropy.

The manifestation of spin-phonon coupling in CaMnO.sub.3./sub..

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Goian, Veronica; Kamba, Stanislav; Borodavka, Fedir; Nuzhnyy, Dmitry; Savinov, Maxim; Belik, A.A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 117, č. 16 (2015), "164103-1"-"164103-6" ISSN 0021-8979 R&D Projects: GA ČR GP14-14122P Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : phonons * multiferroics * spin-phonon coupling Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.101, year: 2015

Seeing in 4D with electrons: development of ultrafast electron microscopy at Caltech

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baskin, J.S.; Zewail, A.H.

2014-01-01

The vision to develop 4D electron microscopy, a union of the capabilities of electron microscopy with ultrafast techniques to capture clearly defined images of the nano-scale structure of a material at each step in the course of its chemical or physical transformations, has been pursued at Caltech for the last decade. In this contribution, we will give a brief overview of the capabilities of three currently active Caltech 4D microscopy laboratories. Ongoing work is illustrated by a description of the most recent application of photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM), a field made possible only by the development of the 4D ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM). An appendix gives the various applications made so far and the historic roots of the development at Caltech. (authors)

Phonon anomalies and electron-phonon coupling of metal surfaces and thin films; Phononenanomalien und Elektron-Phonon-Kopplung an Metalloberflaechen und duennen Schichten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flach, B.

2000-01-01

This thesis has two topics: One is the investigation of an adsorbate induced phonon anomaly on W(110) and Mo{sub 1-x}Re{sub x}(110) (x = 5, 15, 25%) with inelastic helium atom scattering (HAS). The other one is the study of the growth, morphology and dynamics of ultra-thin lithium films deposited on W(110). In 1992 a giant phonon anomaly was found by J. Luedecke on the hydrogen saturated W(110) and Mo(110) surfaces. The anomaly consists of a deep and sharp indentation in the phonon dispersion curves in which the phonon energy nearly drops to zero ({omega}{sub 1}). In addition, a small and broad dip in the surface Rayleigh mode is observed ({omega}{sub 2}). The anomaly appears in the anti {gamma}-H- as well as in the anti {gamma}-S-direction of the surface Brillouin zone (SBZ). Since its first discovery, numerous other experimental and theoretical studies have followed. In the present work the effects is reinvestigated and experimental parameters, such as the crystal temperature and the incident energy, were changed in order to study their influence on the anomalous phonon behavior. In the case of H/Mo(110) the substrate was changed as well by alloying with small amounts of rhenium. In the present experiments a strong crystal temperature dependence of the {omega}{sub 2}-branch was found which leads to lower energies at the 'dip' for smaller temperatures, while the {omega}{sub 1}-anomaly remains unchanged. Such behavior agrees well with the picture that the {omega}{sub 2}-branch is due to a Kohn anomaly. (orig.)

Ultrafast magnetodynamics with free-electron lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Malvestuto, Marco; Ciprian, Roberta; Caretta, Antonio; Casarin, Barbara; Parmigiani, Fulvio

2018-02-01

The study of ultrafast magnetodynamics has entered a new era thanks to the groundbreaking technological advances in free-electron laser (FEL) light sources. The advent of these light sources has made possible unprecedented experimental schemes for time-resolved x-ray magneto-optic spectroscopies, which are now paving the road for exploring the ultimate limits of out-of-equilibrium magnetic phenomena. In particular, these studies will provide insights into elementary mechanisms governing spin and orbital dynamics, therefore contributing to the development of ultrafast devices for relevant magnetic technologies. This topical review focuses on recent advancement in the study of non-equilibrium magnetic phenomena from the perspective of time-resolved extreme ultra violet (EUV) and soft x-ray spectroscopies at FELs with highlights of some important experimental results.

Generalized two-temperature model for coupled phonon-magnon diffusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Bolin; Zhou, Jiawei; Chen, Gang

2014-07-11

We generalize the two-temperature model [Sanders and Walton, Phys. Rev. B 15, 1489 (1977)] for coupled phonon-magnon diffusion to include the effect of the concurrent magnetization flow, with a particular emphasis on the thermal consequence of the magnon flow driven by a nonuniform magnetic field. Working within the framework of the Boltzmann transport equation, we derive the constitutive equations for coupled phonon-magnon transport driven by gradients of both temperature and external magnetic fields, and the corresponding conservation laws. Our equations reduce to the original Sanders-Walton two-temperature model under a uniform external field, but predict a new magnon cooling effect driven by a nonuniform magnetic field in a homogeneous single-domain ferromagnet. We estimate the magnitude of the cooling effect in an yttrium iron garnet, and show it is within current experimental reach. With properly optimized materials, the predicted cooling effect can potentially supplement the conventional magnetocaloric effect in cryogenic applications in the future.

Strong electron-phonon interaction in the high-Tc superconductors: Evidence from the infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timusk, T.; Porter, C.D.; Tanner, D.B.

1991-01-01

We show that low-frequency structure in the infrared reflectance of the high-temperature superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 results from the electron-phonon interaction. Characteristic antiresonant line shapes are seen in the phonon region of the spectrum and the frequency-dependent scattering rate of the mid-infrared electronic continuum has peaks at 150 cm -1 (19 meV) and at 360 cm -1 (45 meV) in good agreement with phonon density-of-states peaks in neutron time-of-flight spectra that develop in superconducting samples. The interaction between the phonons and the charge carriers can be understood in terms of a charged-phonon model

Probe And Enhancement Of SBS Based Phonons In Infrared Fibers Using Waveguide Coupled External Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chung; Chong, Yat C.; Fong, Chee K.

1989-06-01

Interaction of GHz and MHz radiation with CO2 laser propagation in a silver halide fiber using sBs based phonon coupling is furthet investigated. The external signal serves to both probe and enhance laser generated sBs phonons in the fiber. Efficient coupling of microwave radiation into the fiber is accomplished by placing the fiber in a hollow metallic waveguide, designed and constructed to transmit the dominant mode in the 0.9-2.0 GHz band. MHz radiation is conveniently coupled into the fiber using the guided microwave radiation as carrier. Phonon emissions from the fiber under CO2 laser pumping are first established on a spectrum analyzer; low frequency generators ale then tuned to match these frequencies and their maximum interaction recorded. Such interactions are systematically studied by monitoring the amplitude and waveform of the reflected and transmitted laser pulse at various power levels and frequencies of the externally coupled radiation. A plot of reflected laser power versus incident laser power reveals a distinct sBs generated phonon threshold. Variouslaunch directions of the GHz and MHz radiation with respect to the direction of laser propagation are realized to verify theory governing sBs interactions. The MHz radiation and its associated phonons in the fiber are convenient tools for probing sBs related phenomenon in infrared fibers.

Electron beam dynamics in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope with Wehnelt electrode.

Science.gov (United States)

Bücker, K; Picher, M; Crégut, O; LaGrange, T; Reed, B W; Park, S T; Masiel, D J; Banhart, F

2016-12-01

High temporal resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques have shown significant progress in recent years. Using photoelectron pulses induced by ultrashort laser pulses on the cathode, these methods can probe ultrafast materials processes and have revealed numerous dynamic phenomena at the nanoscale. Most recently, the technique has been implemented in standard thermionic electron microscopes that provide a flexible platform for studying material's dynamics over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, the electron pulses in such an ultrafast transmission electron microscope are characterized in detail. The microscope is based on a thermionic gun with a Wehnelt electrode and is operated in a stroboscopic photoelectron mode. It is shown that the Wehnelt bias has a decisive influence on the temporal and energy spread of the picosecond electron pulses. Depending on the shape of the cathode and the cathode-Wehnelt distance, different emission patterns with different pulse parameters are obtained. The energy spread of the pulses is determined by space charge and Boersch effects, given by the number of electrons in a pulse. However, filtering effects due to the chromatic aberrations of the Wehnelt electrode allow the extraction of pulses with narrow energy spreads. The temporal spread is governed by electron trajectories of different length and in different electrostatic potentials. High temporal resolution is obtained by excluding shank emission from the cathode and aberration-induced halos in the emission pattern. By varying the cathode-Wehnelt gap, the Wehnelt bias, and the number of photoelectrons in a pulse, tradeoffs between energy and temporal resolution as well as beam intensity can be made as needed for experiments. Based on the characterization of the electron pulses, the optimal conditions for the operation of ultrafast TEMs with thermionic gun assembly are elaborated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrafast Non-Thermal Electron Dynamics in Single Layer Graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novoselov K.S.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available We study the ultrafast dynamics of non-thermal electron relaxation in graphene upon impulsive excitation. The 10-fs resolution two color pump-probe allows us to unveil the non-equilibrium electron gas decay at early times.

Hybrid functional calculation of electronic and phonon structure of BaSnO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bog G.; Jo, J.Y.; Cheong, S.W.

2013-01-01

Barium stannate, BaSnO 3 (BSO), with a cubic perovskite structure, has been highlighted as a promising host material for the next generation transparent oxide electrodes. This study examined theoretically the electronic structure and phonon structure of BSO using hybrid density functional theory based on the HSE06 functional. The electronic structure results of BSO were corrected by extending the phonon calculations based on the hybrid density functional. The fundamental thermal properties were also predicted based on a hybrid functional calculation. Overall, a detailed understanding of the electronic structure, phonon modes and phonon dispersion of BSO will provide a theoretical starting-point for engineering applications of this material. - Graphical Abstract: (a) Crystal structure of BaSnO 3 . The center ball is Ba and small (red) ball on edge is oxygen and SnO 6 octahedrons are plotted as polyhedron. (b) Electronic band structure along the high symmetry point in the Brillouin zone using the HSE06 hybrid functional. (c) The phonon dispersion curve calculated using the HSE06 hybrid functional (d) Zone center lowest energy F 1u phonon mode. Highlights: ► We report the full hybrid functional calculation of not only the electronic structure but also the phonon structure for BaSnO 3 . ► The band gap calculation of HSE06 revealed an indirect gap with 2.48 eV. ► The effective mass at the conduction band minimum and valence band maximum was calculated. ► In addition, the phonon structure of BSO was calculated using the HSE06 functional. ► Finally, the heat capacity was calculated and compared with the recent experimental result.

Phonon response of some heavy Fermion systems in dynamic limit

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, Jitendra; Shadangi, Namita; Nayak, Pratibindhya

2017-05-01

The phonon excitation spectrum of some Heavy Fermion (HF) systems in the presence of electron-phonon interaction is studied in the dynamic limit (ω≠0). The renormalized excitation phonon frequencies (ω˜ = ω/ω0) are evaluated through Periodic Anderson Model (PAM) in the presence of electron-phonon interaction using Zubarev-type double time temperature-dependent Green function. The calculated renormalized phonon energy is analyzed through the plots of (ω˜ = ω/ω0) against temperature for different system parameters like effective coupling strength ‘g’ and the position of f-level ‘d’. The observed behavior is analyzed and found to agree with the general features of HF systems found in experiments. Further, it is observed that in finite but small q-values the propagating phonons harden and change to localized peaks.

Ultrafast Coulomb-Induced Intervalley Coupling in Atomically Thin WS2.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Robert; Berghäuser, Gunnar; Schneider, Robert; Selig, Malte; Tonndorf, Philipp; Malić, Ermin; Knorr, Andreas; Michaelis de Vasconcellos, Steffen; Bratschitsch, Rudolf

2016-05-11

Monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides hold the promise for a new paradigm in electronics by exploiting the valley degree of freedom in addition to charge and spin. For MoS2, WS2, and WSe2, valley polarization can be conveniently initialized and read out by circularly polarized light. However, the underlying microscopic processes governing valley polarization in these atomically thin equivalents of graphene are still not fully understood. Here, we present a joint experiment-theory study on the ultrafast time-resolved intervalley dynamics in monolayer WS2. Based on a microscopic theory, we reveal the many-particle mechanisms behind the observed spectral features. We show that Coulomb-induced intervalley coupling explains the immediate and prominent pump-probe signal in the unpumped valley and the seemingly low valley polarization degrees typically observed in pump-probe measurements compared to photoluminescence studies. The gained insights are also applicable to other light-emitting monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, such as MoS2 and WSe2, where the Coulomb-induced intervalley coupling also determines the initial carrier dynamics.

Theory of the Influence of Phonon-Phonon and Electron-Phonon Interactions on the Scattering of Neutrons by Crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kokkedee, J.J.J.

1963-01-01

As predicted by harmonic theory the coherent inelastic spectrums of neutrons, scattered by a single, non-conducting crystal, for a particular angle of scattering consists of a number of delta-function peaks superposed on a continuous background. The peaks correspond to one-phonon processes in which one phonon is absorbed or emitted by the neutron; the background arises from multi-phonon processes. When anharmonic forces (phonon-phonon interactions) are present, the delta-function peaks are broadened into finite peaks, while their central frequencies are shifted with respect to the harmonic values. In the case of a metal there is in addition to phonon-phonon interactions an interaction between phonons and conduction electrons, which also gives a contribution to the displacement and broadening oftheone-phononpeaks. Continuing earlier work of Van Hove (sho considered the relatively simple case of a non-conductin crystal in its ground state (T = 0 o K) ), we have studied the shifts and widths of the scattering peaks as a 'result of the above-mentioned interactions by means of many particle perturbation theory, making extensive use of diagram techniques. Prerequisite to the entire discussion is the assumption that, independent of the strength of the interactions, the width of each peak is small compared to the value of the frequency at its centre; only then the peaks can be considered as being well defined with respect to the background to higher order in the interactions. This condition is expected to be fulfilled for temperatures which are not too high and values of the phonon wave vector which are not too large. Our procedure yields closed formulae for the partial scattering function describing the peaks, which can be evaluated to arbitrarily high accuracy. In particular an expansion for calculating the line shift and line width in powers of u/d and in terms of simple connected diagrams is obtained (u is an average atomic or ionic displacement, d is the smallest

Four-Dimensional Ultrafast Electron Microscopy: Insights into an Emerging Technique

KAUST Repository

Adhikari, Aniruddha

2016-12-15

Four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy (4D-UEM) is a novel analytical technique that aims to fulfill the long-held dream of researchers to investigate materials at extremely short spatial and temporal resolutions by integrating the excellent spatial resolution of electron microscopes with the temporal resolution of ultrafast femtosecond laser-based spectroscopy. The ingenious use of pulsed photoelectrons to probe surfaces and volumes of materials enables time-resolved snapshots of the dynamics to be captured in a way hitherto impossible by other conventional techniques. The flexibility of 4D-UEM lies in the fact that it can be used in both the scanning (S-UEM) and transmission (UEM) modes depending upon the type of electron microscope involved. While UEM can be employed to monitor elementary structural changes and phase transitions in samples using real-space mapping, diffraction, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and tomography, S-UEM is well suited to map ultrafast dynamical events on materials surfaces in space and time. This review provides an overview of the unique features that distinguish these techniques and also illustrates the applications of both S-UEM and UEM to a multitude of problems relevant to materials science and chemistry.

Review of the theoretical description of time-resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in electron-phonon mediated superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kemper, A.F. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Sentef, M.A. [Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free Electron Laser Science, Hamburg (Germany); Moritz, B. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States); Devereaux, T.P. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States); Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States); Freericks, J.K. [Department of Physics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC (United States)

2017-09-15

We review recent work on the theory for pump/probe photoemission spectroscopy of electron-phonon mediated superconductors in both the normal and the superconducting states. We describe the formal developments that allow one to solve the Migdal-Eliashberg theory in nonequilibrium for an ultrashort laser pumping field, and explore the solutions which illustrate the relaxation as energy is transferred from electrons to phonons. We focus on exact results emanating from sum rules and approximate numerical results which describe rules of thumb for relaxation processes. In addition, in the superconducting state, we describe how Anderson-Higgs oscillations can be excited due to the nonlinear coupling with the electric field and describe mechanisms where pumping the system enhances superconductivity. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Elastic scattering by hot electrons and apparent lifetime of longitudinal optical phonons in gallium nitride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khurgin, Jacob B., E-mail: jakek@jhu.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 (United States); Bajaj, Sanyam; Rajan, Siddharth [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States)

2015-12-28

Longitudinal optical (LO) phonons in GaN generated in the channel of high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) are shown to undergo nearly elastic scattering via collisions with hot electrons. The net result of these collisions is the diffusion of LO phonons in the Brillouin zone causing reduction of phonon and electron temperatures. This previously unexplored diffusion mechanism explicates how an increase in electron density causes reduction of the apparent lifetime of LO phonons, obtained from the time resolved Raman studies and microwave noise measurements, while the actual decay rate of the LO phonons remains unaffected by the carrier density. Therefore, the saturation velocity in GaN HEMT steadily declines with increased carrier density, in a qualitative agreement with experimental results.

Phonon transport in a curved aluminum thin film due to laser short pulse irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Mansoor, Saad Bin; Yilbas, Bekir Sami

2018-05-01

Laser short-pulse heating of a curved aluminum thin film is investigated. The Boltzmann transport equation is incorporated to formulate the heating situation. A Gaussian laser intensity distribution is considered along the film arc and time exponentially decaying of pulse intensity is incorporated in the analysis. The governing equations of energy transport in the electron and lattice sub-systems are coupled through the electron-phonon coupling parameter. To quantify the phonon intensity distribution in the thin film, equivalent equilibrium temperature is introduced, which is associated with the average energy of all phonons around a local point when the phonon energies are redistributed adiabatically to an equilibrium state. It is found the numerical simulations that electron temperature follows similar trend to the spatial distribution of the laser pulse intensity at the film edge. Temporal variation of electron temperature does not follow the laser pulse intensity distribution. The rise of temperature in the electron sub-system is fast while it remains slow in the lattice sub-system.

Electron mobility limited by optical phonons in wurtzite InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, W. H.; Qu, Y.; Ban, S. L.

2017-09-01

Based on the force-balance and energy-balance equations, the optical phonon-limited electron mobility in InxGa1-xN/GaN core-shell nanowires (CSNWs) is discussed. It is found that the electrons tend to distribute in the core of the CSNWs due to the strong quantum confinement. Thus, the scattering from first kind of the quasi-confined optical (CO) phonons is more important than that from the interface (IF) and propagating (PR) optical phonons. Ternary mixed crystal and size effects on the electron mobility are also investigated. The results show that the PR phonons exist while the IF phonons disappear when the indium composition x < 0.047, and vice versa. Accordingly, the total electron mobility μ first increases and then decreases with indium composition x, and reaches a peak value of approximately 3700 cm2/(V.s) when x = 0.047. The results also show that the mobility μ increases as increasing the core radius of CSNWs due to the weakened interaction between the electrons and CO phonons. The total electron mobility limited by the optical phonons exhibits an obvious enhancement as decreasing temperature or increasing line electron density. Our theoretical results are expected to be helpful to develop electronic devices based on CSNWs.

Terahertz instability of surface optical-phonon polaritons that interact with surface plasmon polaritons in the presence of electron drift

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sydoruk, O.; Solymar, L.; Shamonina, E.; Kalinin, V.

2010-01-01

Traveling-wave interaction between optical phonons and electrons drifting in diatomic semiconductors has potential for amplification and generation of terahertz radiation. Existing models of this interaction were developed for infinite materials. As a more practically relevant configuration, we studied theoretically a finite semiconductor slab surrounded by a dielectric. This paper analyzes the optical-phonon instability in the slab including the Lorentz force and compares it to the instability in an infinite material. As the analysis shows, the slab instability occurs because of the interaction of surface optical-phonon polaritons with surface plasmon polaritons in the presence of electron drift. The properties of the instability depend on the slab thickness when the thickness is comparable to the wavelength. For large slab thicknesses, however, the dispersion relation of the slab is similar to that of an infinite material, although the coupling is weaker. The results could be used for the design of practical terahertz traveling-wave oscillators and amplifiers.

Interband optical absorption in the Wannier-Stark ladder under the electron-LO-phonon resonance condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Govorov, A.O.

1993-08-01

Interband optical absorption in the Wannier-Stark ladder in the presence of the electron-LO-phonon resonance is investigated theoretically. The electron-LO-phonon resonance occurs when the energy spacing between adjacent Stark-ladder levels coincides with the LO-phonon energy. We propose a model describing the polaron effect in a superlattice. Calculations show that the absorption line shape is strongly modified due to the polaron effect under the electron-LO-phonon resonance condition. We consider optical phenomena in a normal magnetic field that leads to enhancement of polaron effects. (author). 17 refs, 5 figs

Ultrafast Plasmonic Electron Emission from Ag Nanolayers with Different Roughness

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Márton, I.; Ayadi, V.; Rácz, P.; Stefaniuk, T.; Wróbel, Piotr; Földi, P.; Dombi, P.

2016-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 3 (2016), s. 811-816 ISSN 1557-1955 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Nanoparticles * Ultrafast phenomena * Electron emission Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 2.139, year: 2016

Ultrafast demagnetization in rare-earth alloys: the role of spin-orbit coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Guyader, Loic; Solopow, Sergej; Radu, Florin; Holldack, Karsten; Mitzner, Rolf; Kachel, Torsten; Pontius, Niko; Foehlisch, Alexander; Radu, Ilie [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie GmbH, Berlin (Germany); Abrudan, Radu [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie GmbH, Berlin (Germany); Institut fuer Experimentalphysik/Festkoerperphysik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum (Germany)

2015-07-01

Understanding the ultrafast demagnetization occurring upon femtosecond laser excitation of a magnetic material is a fundamental problem of modern magnetism and its microscopic origin remains highly elusive and intensely debated. Particularly, the spin-orbit coupling mediating the spin-lattice interaction is one of the key ingredients. An intriguing case of tunable parallel to anti-parallel LS coupling can be realized in rare-earth (RE) alloys. For instance, Gd60Sm40 and Gd60Dy40 alloys have similar absolute S and L, but exhibit opposite LS coupling while displaying the same ferromagnetic ordering temperature of 250 K. They constitute thus an ideal case to investigate the particular role of the LS coupling on the ultrafast demagnetization. Here we report on the properties of such RE thin film alloys using X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) with the spin and orbit sum rules at M5,4 edges. Femtosecond time-resolved transmission XMCD measurements performed at the slicing beamline reveal the element-specific demagnetization time constant in these alloys. Funding from European Union through FEMTOSPIN is gratefully acknowledged.

Particle-phonon coupling in the odd-A Rb isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishan, K.; Basu, S.K.; Sen, S.

1976-01-01

The level properties of 83 Rb and 85 Rb have been calculated in a quasiparticle-phonon coupling model which couples the proton quasiparticle motion in the 1fsub(5/2), 2psub(1/2), 2psub(3/2) and 1gsub(9/2) orbitals to the vibrations of the neighbouring even core. The calculated level spectra, spectroscopic factors and B(E2) values for several levels are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Branching ratios for transitions originating from several levels are also reproduced. (author)

Electronic and structural response of nanomaterials to ultrafast and ultraintense laser pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Chen-Wei; Zhou, Xiang; Lin, Zhibin; Xie, Rui-Hua; Li, Fu-Li; Allen, Roland E

2014-02-01

The interaction of materials with ultrafast and ultraintense laser pulses is a current frontier of science both experimentally and theoretically. In this review, we briefly discuss some recent theoretical studies by the present authors with our method of semiclassical electron-radiation-ion dynamics (SERID). In particular, Zhou et al. and Jiang et al. respectively, determined the optimal duration and optimal timing for a series of femtosecond scale laser pulses to excite a specific vibrational mode in a general chemical system. A set of such modes can be used as a "fingerprint" for characterizing a particular molecule or a complex in a solid. One can therefore envision many applications, ranging from fundamental studies to detection of chemical or biological agents. Allen et al. proved that dimers are preferentially emitted during photofragmentation of C60 under an ultrafast and ultraintense laser pulse. For interactions between laser pulses and semiconductors, e.g., GaAs, Si and InSb, besides experimentally accessible optical properties--epsilon(omega) and chi(2)-Allen et al. offered many other indicators to confirm the nonthermal nature of structural changes driven by electronic excitations and occurring during the first few hundred femtoseconds. Lin et al. found that, after the application of a femtosecond laser pulse, excited electrons in materials automatically equilibrate to a Fermi-Dirac distribution within roughly 100 fs, solely because of their coupling to the nuclear motion, even though the resulting electronic temperature is one to two orders of magnitude higher than the kinetic temperature defined by the nuclear motion.

Phonon-induced renormalization of the electron spectrum of biased bilayer graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Kryuchkov, S. V.; Kukhar, E. I.

2018-05-01

The effect of the electron-phonon interaction on the electron subsystem of the bilayer graphene has been investigated in the case when there is a potential bias between the graphene layers. The electron-phonon interaction has been shown to lead to increasing of the curvature of the lower dispersion branch of the conduction band of the bigraphene in the vicinity of the Dirac point. The latter corresponds to the decreasing of the absolute value of the electron effective mass. The corresponding correction to the effective mass has been calculated. Dependence of this correction on the bias has been investigated. Influence of such effect on the bigraphene conductivity is discussed.

Measurements of the ballistic-phonon component resulting from nuclear and electron recoils in crystalline silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, A.T.; Cabrera, B.; Dougherty, B.L.; Penn, M.J.; Pronko, J.G.; Tamura, S.

1996-01-01

We present measurements of the ballistic-phonon component resulting from nuclear and electron recoils in silicon at ∼380 mK. The detectors used for these experiments consist of a 300-μm-thick monocrystal of silicon instrumented with superconducting titanium transition-edge sensors. These sensors detect the initial wavefront of athermal phonons and give a pulse height that is sensitive to changes in surface-energy density resulting from the focusing of ballistic phonons. Nuclear recoils were generated by neutron bombardment of the detector. A Van de Graaff proton accelerator and a thick 7 Li target were used. Pulse-height spectra were compared for neutron, x-ray, and γ-ray events. A previous analysis of this data set found evidence for an increase in the ballistic-phonon component for nuclear recoils compared to electron recoils at a 95% confidence level. An improved understanding of the detector response has led to a change in the result. In the present analysis, the data are consistent with no increase at the 68% confidence level. This change stems from an increase in the uncertainty of the result rather than a significant change in the central value. The increase in ballistic phonon energy for nuclear recoils compared to electron recoils as a fraction of the total phonon energy (for equal total phonon energy events) was found to be 0.024 +0.041 -0.055 (68% confidence level). This result sets a limit of 11.6% (95% confidence level) on the ballistic phonon enhancement for nuclear recoils predicted by open-quote open-quote hot spot close-quote close-quote and electron-hole droplet models, which is the most stringent to date. To measure the ballistic-phonon component resulting from electron recoils, the pulse height as a function of event depth was compared to that of phonon simulations. (Abstract Truncated)

Ultrafast transient-absorption of the solvated electron in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Y.; Alfano, J.C.; Walhout, P.K.; Barbara, P.F.

1994-01-01

Ultrafast near infrared (NIR)-pump/variable wavelength probe transient-absorption spectroscopy has been performed on the aqueous solvated electron. The photodynamics of the solvated electron excited to its p-state are qualitatively similar to previous measurements of the dynamics of photoinjected electrons at high energy. This result confirms the previous interpretation of photoinjected electron dynamics as having a rate-limiting bottleneck at low energies presumably involving the p-state

Generation of acoustic phonons from quasi-two-dimensional hole gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, J.; Oh, I.K.

2002-01-01

Full text: Generation of phonons from two dimensional electron and hole gases in quantum wells has attracted much attraction recently. The mechanism of phonon emission plays an important role in the phonon spectroscopy which enables us to study the angular and polarization dependence of phonon emission. The acoustic phonon emission from a quasi-two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) in quantum wells is influenced by the anisotropic factors in the valence band structure, screening, elastic property, etc. The anisotropy in the valence band structure gives rise to anisotropic effective mass and deformation potential and that in the elastic constants leads to anisotropic sound velocity. Piezoelectric coupling in non-centrosymmetric materials such as GaAs is also anisotropic. In this paper, considering the anisotropy in the effective mass, deformation potential, piezoelectric coupling and screening effect, we present a theory to study the angular and polarization dependence of acoustic phonon emission from a quasi-2DHG in quantum wells. The theory is finally applied to calculate the rate of acoustic phonon emission in GaAs quantum wells

General decoupling procedure for expectation values of four-operator products in electron–phonon quantum kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teeny, Nicolas; Fähnle, Manfred

2013-01-01

In the density-matrix formalism of electron–phonon quantum kinetics, the hierarchy of infinitely many coupled equations of motion for the expectation values of products of electron and phonon creation and annihilation operators of arbitrary order is usually terminated on the level of the equations of motion for the expectation values of three-operator products by using decoupling procedures for the four-operator products occurring in these equations. In the literature, decoupling procedures are discussed for special types of electron and phonon states. In the present paper, generalized decoupling procedures are derived for arbitrary electron and phonon states. (paper)

Renormalization effects and phonon density of states in high temperature superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod Ashokan

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Using the versatile double time thermodynamic Green's function approach based on many body theory the renormalized frequencies, phonon energy line widths, shifts and phonon density of states (PDOS are investigated via a newly formulated Hamiltonian (does not include BCS type Hamiltonian that includes the effects of electron-phonon, anharmonicities and that of isotopic impurities. The automatic appearance of pairons, temperature, impurity and electron-phonon coupling of renormalized frequencies, widths, shifts and PDOS emerges as a characteristic feature of present theory. The numerical investigations on PDOS for the YBa2Cu3O7 − δ crystal predicts several new feature of high temperature superconductors (HTS and agreements with experimental observations.

Damping of acoustic flexural phonons in silicene: influence on high-field electronic transport

Science.gov (United States)

Rengel, Raúl; Iglesias, José M.; Mokhtar Hamham, El; Martín, María J.

2018-06-01

Silicene is a two-dimensional buckled material with broken horizontal mirror symmetry and Dirac-like dispersion. Under such conditions, flexural acoustic (ZA) phonons play a dominant role. Consequently, it is necessary to consider some suppression mechanism for electron–phonon interactions with long wavelengths in order to reach mobilities useful for electronic applications. In this work, we analyze, by means of an ensemble Monte Carlo simulator, the influence of several possibilities for the description of the effect of ZA phonon damping on electronic transport in silicene. The results show that a hard cutoff situation (total suppression for phonons with a wavelength longer than a critical one), as it has been proposed in the literature, does not yield a realistic picture regarding the electronic distribution function, and it artificially induces a negative differential resistance at moderate and high fields. Sub-parabolic dispersions, on the other hand, may provide a more realistic description in terms of the behavior of the electron distribution in the momentum space, but need extremely short cutoff wavelengths to reach functional mobility and drift velocity values.

An ultrafast electron microscope gun driven by two-photon photoemission from a nanotip cathode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bormann, Reiner; Strauch, Stefanie; Schäfer, Sascha; Ropers, Claus

2015-01-01

We experimentally and numerically investigate the performance of an advanced ultrafast electron source, based on two-photon photoemission from a tungsten needle cathode incorporated in an electron microscope gun geometry. Emission properties are characterized as a function of the electrostatic gun settings, and operating conditions leading to laser-triggered electron beams of very low emittance (below 20 nm mrad) are identified. The results highlight the excellent suitability of optically driven nano-cathodes for the further development of ultrafast transmission electron microscopy

Ultrafast quasiparticle dynamics of FeTe0.75Se0.25 superconductor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katagiri T.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The electron-phonon coupling constant (λ≈0.45 obtained from femtosecond pump-probe reflection measurements suggests that a phonon-mediated process cannot be the dominant mechanism for superconductivity of FeTe0.75Se0.25.

Prediction of phonon-mediated superconductivity in hole-doped black phosphorus.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yanqing; Sun, Hongyi; Sun, Junhui; Lu, Zhibin; You, Yong

2018-01-10

We study the conventional electron-phonon mediated superconducting properties of hole-doped black phosphorus by density functional calculations and get quite a large electron-phonon coupling (EPC) constant λ ~ 1.0 with transition temperature T C ~ 10 K, which is comparable to MgB 2 when holes are doped into the degenerate and nearly flat energy bands around the Fermi level. We predict that the softening of low-frequency [Formula: see text] optical mode and its phonon displacement, which breaks the lattice nonsymmorphic symmetry of gliding plane and lifts the band double degeneracy, lead to a large EPC. These factors are favorable for BCS superconductivity.

Prediction of phonon-mediated superconductivity in hole-doped black phosphorus

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yanqing; Sun, Hongyi; Sun, Junhui; Lu, Zhibin; You, Yong

2018-01-01

We study the conventional electron-phonon mediated superconducting properties of hole-doped black phosphorus by density functional calculations and get quite a large electron-phonon coupling (EPC) constant λ ~ 1.0 with transition temperature T C ~ 10 K, which is comparable to MgB2 when holes are doped into the degenerate and nearly flat energy bands around the Fermi level. We predict that the softening of low-frequency B3g1 optical mode and its phonon displacement, which breaks the lattice nonsymmorphic symmetry of gliding plane and lifts the band double degeneracy, lead to a large EPC. These factors are favorable for BCS superconductivity.

Local symmetry breaking and spin–phonon coupling in SmCrO3 orthochromite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Amrani, M.; Zaghrioui, M.; Ta Phuoc, V.; Gervais, F.; Massa, Néstor E.

2014-01-01

Raman scattering and infrared reflectivity performed on polycrystalline SmCrO 3 support strong influence of the antiferromagnetic order on phonon modes. Both measurements show softening of some modes below T N . Such a behavior is explained by spin–phonon coupling in this compound. Furthermore, temperature dependence of the infrared spectra has demonstrated important changes compared to the Raman spectra, suggesting strong structural modifications due to the cation displacements rather to those of the oxygen ions. Our results reveal that polar distortions originating in local symmetry breaking, i.e. local non-centrosymmetry, resulting in Cr off-centring. - Highlights: • We investigated Raman and infrared phonon modes of SmCrO 3 versus temperature. • Results reveal strong influence of the antiferromagnetic order on phonon modes. • Temperature dependence of the infrared spectra shows strong structural modifications suggesting local symmetry breaking

The Electron-Phonon Interaction as Studied by Photoelectron Spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, D.W.

2004-01-01

With recent advances in energy and angle resolution, the effects of electron-phonon interactions are manifest in many valence-band photoelectron spectra (PES) for states near the Fermi level in metals

Strong-coupling interaction in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, D.K.

1991-01-01

Extensive experimental and theoretical work have been done to understand the mechanisms of superconductivity. Until 1986 when Bednorz and Muller discovered superconductivity in the copper oxide perovskite, the principal mechanism was found to be electron-phonon interaction and the characteristics of superconductivity vary depending on the strength of the electron-phonon interaction and the electronic structure. The essential characteristic of these conventional superconductors could be divided into two groups: wide band metals with low density of states N(E F ) at the Fermi energy E F and a rather weak electron-phonon coupling V obeying the universal characteristics of the BCS theory and narrow d band metals, compounds, and alloys with high values of N(E F ), electron-phonon coupling V and non negligible Coulomb interaction between the electrons. In this paper a short summary and the important results of these theories are discussed. The inherent limitations of these theories based on electron-phonon interaction will be discussed. The authors indicate the major characteristics of the new superconductors. These characteristics are difficult to explain on the basis of either the conventional electron-phonon theory or theories based on magnetic interactions alone

Probing electronic phase transitions with phonons via inelastic neutron scattering: superconductivity in borocarbides, charge and magnetic order in manganites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, F.

2007-11-02

The present thesis concentrates on the signatures of strong electron-phonon coupling in phonon properties measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed on the triple-axis spectrometers 1T and DAS PUMA at the research reactors in Saclay (France) and Munich (Germany), respectively. The work is subdivided into two separate chapters: In the first part, we report measurements of the lattice dynamical properties, i.e. phonon frequency, linewidth and intensity, of the conventional, i.e. phonon-mediated, superconductor YNi{sub 2}B{sub 2}C of the rare-earth-borocarbide family. The detailed check of theoretical predictions for these properties, which were calculated in the theory group of our institute, was one major goal of this work. We measured phonons in the normal state, i.e. T>T{sub c}, for several high symmetry directions up to 70 meV. We were able to extract the full temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap 2{delta}(T) from our phonon scans with such accuracy that even deviations from the weak coupling BCS behaviour could be clearly observed. By measuring phonons at different wave vectors we demonstrated that phonons are sensitive to the gap anisotropy under the precondition, that different phonons get their coupling strength from different parts of the Fermi surface. In the second part, we investigated the properties of Mn-O bond-stretching phonons in the bilayer manganite La{sub 2-2x}Sr{sub 1+2x}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7}. At the doping level x=0.38 this compound has an ferromagnetic groundstate and exhibits the so-called colossal magnetoresistance effect in the vicinity of the Curie temperature T{sub C}. The atomic displacement patterns of the investigated phonons closely resemble possible Jahn-Teller distortions of the MnO{sub 6} octahedra, which are introduced in this compound by the Jahn-Teller active Mn{sup 3+} ions. We observed strong renormalizations of the phonon frequencies and clear peaks of

Probing electronic phase transitions with phonons via inelastic neutron scattering: superconductivity in borocarbides, charge and magnetic order in manganites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, F.

2007-01-01

The present thesis concentrates on the signatures of strong electron-phonon coupling in phonon properties measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed on the triple-axis spectrometers 1T and DAS PUMA at the research reactors in Saclay (France) and Munich (Germany), respectively. The work is subdivided into two separate chapters: In the first part, we report measurements of the lattice dynamical properties, i.e. phonon frequency, linewidth and intensity, of the conventional, i.e. phonon-mediated, superconductor YNi 2 B 2 C of the rare-earth-borocarbide family. The detailed check of theoretical predictions for these properties, which were calculated in the theory group of our institute, was one major goal of this work. We measured phonons in the normal state, i.e. T>T c , for several high symmetry directions up to 70 meV. We were able to extract the full temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap 2Δ(T) from our phonon scans with such accuracy that even deviations from the weak coupling BCS behaviour could be clearly observed. By measuring phonons at different wave vectors we demonstrated that phonons are sensitive to the gap anisotropy under the precondition, that different phonons get their coupling strength from different parts of the Fermi surface. In the second part, we investigated the properties of Mn-O bond-stretching phonons in the bilayer manganite La 2-2x Sr 1+2x Mn 2 O 7 . At the doping level x=0.38 this compound has an ferromagnetic groundstate and exhibits the so-called colossal magnetoresistance effect in the vicinity of the Curie temperature T C . The atomic displacement patterns of the investigated phonons closely resemble possible Jahn-Teller distortions of the MnO 6 octahedra, which are introduced in this compound by the Jahn-Teller active Mn 3+ ions. We observed strong renormalizations of the phonon frequencies and clear peaks of the intrinsic phonon linewidth near the order

Quantum Kinetic Theory and Applications Electrons, Photons, Phonons

CERN Document Server

Vasko, Fedir T

2006-01-01

This lecture-style monograph is addressed to several categories of readers. First, it will be useful for graduate students studying theory. Second, the topics covered should be interesting for postgraduate students of various specializations. Third, the researchers who want to understand the background of modern theoretical issues in more detail can find a number of useful results here. The phenomena covered involve kinetics of electron, phonon, and photon systems in solids. The dynamical properties and interactions of electrons, phonons, and photons are briefly described in Chapter 1. Further, in Chapters 2-8, the authors present the main theoretical methods: linear response theory, various kinetic equations for the quasiparticles under consideration, and diagram technique. The presentation of the key approaches is always accompanied by solutions of concrete problems to illustrate ways to apply the theory. The remaining chapters are devoted to various manifestations of quantum transport in solids. The choice...

Phonon induced optical gain in a current carrying two-level quantum dot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eskandari-asl, Amir, E-mail: amir.eskandari.asl@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C. Evin, Tehran 1983963113 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); School of Nano Science, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box: 19395-5531, Tehran, Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-05-15

In this work we consider a current carrying two level quantum dot (QD) that is coupled to a single mode phonon bath. Using self-consistent Hartree-Fock approximation, we obtain the I-V curve of QD. By considering the linear response of our system to an incoming classical light, we see that depending on the parametric regime, the system could have weak or strong light absorption or may even show lasing. This lasing occurs at high enough bias voltages and is explained by a population inversion considering side bands, while the total electron population in the higher level is less than the lower one. The frequency at which we have the most significant lasing depends on the level spacing and phonon frequency and not on the electron-phonon coupling strength.

The phonon-coupling model for Skyrme forces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyutorovich, N.; Tselyaev, V. [St. Petersburg State University (Russian Federation); Speth, J., E-mail: J.Speth@fz-juelich.de; Krewald, S. [Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institut für Kernphysik (Germany); Reinhard, P.-G. [Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institut für Theoretische Physik II (Germany)

2016-11-15

A short review on the self-consistent RPA based on the energy-density functional of the Skyrme type is given. We also present an extension of the RPA where the coupling of phonons to the single-particle states is considered. Within this approach we present numerical results which are compared with data. The self-consistent approach is compared with the Landau–Migdal theory. Here we derive from the self-consistent ph interaction, the Landau–Migdal parameters as well as their density dependence. In the Appendix a new derivation of the reduced matrix elements of the ph interaction is presented.

Phonon linewidth due to electron-phonon interactions with strong forward scattering in FeSe thin films on oxide substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yan [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Rademaker, Louk [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Dagotto, Elbio R. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Johnston, Steven [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2017-08-18

Here, the discovery of an enhanced superconducting transition temperature T_c in monolayers of FeSe grown on several oxide substrates has opened a new route to high-T_c superconductivity through interface engineering. One proposal for the origin of the observed enhancement is an electronphonon (e-ph) interaction across the interface that peaked at small momentum transfers. In this paper, we examine the implications of such a coupling on the phononic properties of the system. We show that a strong forward scattering leads to a sizable broadening of phonon lineshape, which may result in charge instabilities at long-wavelengths. However, we further find that the inclusion of Coulombic screening significantly reduces the phonon broadening. Our results show that one might not expect anomalously broad phonon linewidths in the FeSe interface systems, despite the fact that the e-ph interaction has a strong peak in the forward scattering (small \\bfq ) direction.

A Numerical Study on Phonon Spectral Contributions to Thermal Conduction in Silicon-on-Insulator Transistor Using Electron-Phonon Interaction Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Hyung-sun; Koh, Young Ha; Jin, Jae Sik [Chosun College of Science and Technology, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

The aim of this study is to understand the phonon transfer characteristics of a silicon thin film transistor. For this purpose, the Joule heating mechanism was considered through the electron-phonon interaction model whose validation has been done. The phonon transport characteristics were investigated in terms of phonon mean free path for the variations in the device power and silicon layer thickness from 41 nm to 177 nm. The results may be used for developing the thermal design strategy for achieving reliability and efficiency of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) transistor, further, they will increase the understanding of heat conduction in SOI systems, which are very important in the semiconductor industry and the nano-fabrication technology.

Chirality effect on electron phonon relaxation, energy loss, and thermopower in single and bilayer graphene in BG regime

Science.gov (United States)

Ansari, Meenhaz; Ashraf, S. S. Z.

2017-10-01

We investigate the energy dependent electron-phonon relaxation rate, energy loss rate, and phonon drag thermopower in single layer graphene (SLG) and bilayer graphene (BLG) under the Bloch-Gruneisen (BG) regime through coupling to acoustic phonons interacting via the Deformation potential in the Boltzmann transport equation approach. We find that the consideration of the chiral nature of electrons alters the temperature dependencies in two-dimensional structures of SLG and BLG from that shown by other conventional 2DEG system. Our investigations indicate that the BG analytical results are valid for temperatures far below the BG limit (˜TBG/4) which is in conformity with a recent experimental investigation for SLG [C. B. McKitterick et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 075410 (2016)]. For temperatures above this renewed limit (˜TBG/4), there is observed a suppression in energy loss rate and thermo power in SLG, but enhancement is observed in relaxation rate and thermopower in BLG, while a suppression in the energy loss rate is observed in BLG. This strong nonmonotonic temperature dependence in SLG has also been experimentally observed within the BG limit [Q. Ma et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 247401 (2014)].

Bond-order wave phase of the extended Hubbard model: Electronic solitons, paramagnetism, and coupling to Peierls and Holstein phonons

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Manoranjan; Soos, Zoltán G.

2010-10-01

The bond-order wave (BOW) phase of the extended Hubbard model (EHM) in one dimension (1D) is characterized at intermediate correlation U=4t by exact treatment of N -site systems. Linear coupling to lattice (Peierls) phonons and molecular (Holstein) vibrations are treated in the adiabatic approximation. The molar magnetic susceptibility χM(T) is obtained directly up to N=10 . The goal is to find the consequences of a doubly degenerate ground state (gs) and finite magnetic gap Em in a regular array. Degenerate gs with broken inversion symmetry are constructed for finite N for a range of V near the charge-density-wave boundary at V≈2.18t where Em≈0.5t is large. The electronic amplitude B(V) of the BOW in the regular array is shown to mimic a tight-binding band with small effective dimerization δeff . Electronic spin and charge solitons are elementary excitations of the BOW phase and also resemble topological solitons with small δeff . Strong infrared intensity of coupled molecular vibrations in dimerized 1D systems is shown to extend to the regular BOW phase while its temperature dependence is related to spin solitons. The Peierls instability to dimerization has novel aspects for degenerate gs and substantial Em that suppresses thermal excitations. Finite Em implies exponentially small χM(T) at low temperature followed by an almost linear increase with T . The EHM with U=4t is representative of intermediate correlations in quasi-1D systems such as conjugated polymers or organic ion-radical and charge-transfer salts. The vibronic and thermal properties of correlated models with BOW phases are needed to identify possible physical realizations.

Analytic model of electron pulse propagation in ultrafast electron diffraction experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michalik, A.M.; Sipe, J.E.

2006-01-01

We present a mean-field analytic model to study the propagation of electron pulses used in ultrafast electron diffraction experiments (UED). We assume a Gaussian form to characterize the electron pulse, and derive a system of ordinary differential equations that are solved quickly and easily to give the pulse dynamics. We compare our model to an N-body numerical simulation and are able to show excellent agreement between the two result sets. This model is a convenient alternative to time consuming and computationally intense N-body simulations in exploring the dynamics of UED electron pulses, and as a tool for refining UED experimental designs

Phonon spectra, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of WS2 nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Evarestov, Robert A; Bandura, Andrei V; Porsev, Vitaly V; Kovalenko, Alexey V

2017-11-15

Hybrid density functional theory calculations are performed for the first time on the phonon dispersion and thermodynamic properties of WS 2 -based single-wall nanotubes. Symmetry analysis is presented for phonon modes in nanotubes using the standard (crystallographic) factorization for line groups. Symmetry and the number of infra-red and Raman active modes in achiral WS 2 nanotubes are given for armchair and zigzag chiralities. It is demonstrated that a number of infrared and Raman active modes is independent on the nanotube diameter. The zone-folding approach is applied to find out an impact of curvature on electron and phonon band structure of nanotubes rolled up from the monolayer. Phonon frequencies obtained both for layers and nanotubes are used to compute the thermal contributions to their thermodynamic functions. The temperature dependences of energy, entropy, and heat capacity of nanotubes are estimated with respect to those of the monolayer. The role of phonons in the stability estimation of nanotubes is discussed based on Helmholtz free energy calculations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in a π-Conjugated Oligomer/Porphyrin Complex

KAUST Repository

Aly, Shawkat Mohammede

2014-10-02

Controlling charge transfer (CT), charge separation (CS), and charge recombination (CR) at the donor-acceptor interface is extremely important to optimize the conversion efficiency in solar cell devices. In general, ultrafast CT and slow CR are desirable for optimal device performance. In this Letter, the ultrafast excited-state CT between platinum oligomer (DPP-Pt(acac)) as a new electron donor and porphyrin as an electron acceptor is monitored for the first time using femtosecond (fs) transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy with broad-band capability and 120 fs temporal resolution. Turning the CT on/off has been shown to be possible either by switching from an organometallic oligomer to a metal-free oligomer or by controlling the charge density on the nitrogen atom of the porphyrin meso unit. Our time-resolved data show that the CT and CS between DPP-Pt(acac) and cationic porphyrin are ultrafast (approximately 1.5 ps), and the CR is slow (ns time scale), as inferred from the formation and the decay of the cationic and anionic species. We also found that the metallic center in the DPP-Pt(acac) oligomer and the positive charge on the porphyrin are the keys to switching on/off the ultrafast CT process.

Examination of a proposed phonon-coupling mechanism for cold fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, O.H.

1992-01-01

In this paper the proposed nuclear energy in an atomic lattice (NEAL) mechanism for nuclear fusion in a cathode during electrolysis of D 2 O is examined. In this mechanism, coupled harmonic motion of deuterons is supposed to lead to a reduction in the width of the Coulomb barrier for proton-deuteron (p-d) fusion in palladium, thereby substantially increasing the fusion rate. Instead, it is argued that deuteron-deuteron coupling does not have an important effect and that interaction with phonons does not enhance the p-d fusion rate

Anharmonic phonons and the isotope effect in superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crespi, V.H.; Cohen, M.L.; Penn, D.R.

1991-01-01

Anharmonic interionic potentials are examined in an Einstein model to study the unusual isotope-effect exponents for the high-T c oxides. The mass dependences of the electron-phonon coupling constant λ and the average phonon frequency √ left-angle ω 2 right-angle are computed from weighted sums over the oscillator levels. The isotope-effect exponent is depressed below 1/2 by either a double-well potential or a potential with positive quadratic and quartic parts. Numerical solutions of Schroedinger's equation for double-well potentials produce λ's in the range 1.5--4 for a material with a vanishing isotope-effect parameter α. However, low phonon frequencies limit T c to roughly 15 K. A negative quartic perturbation to a harmonic well can increase α above 1/2. In the extreme-strong-coupling limit, α is 1/2, regardless of anharmonicity

Decoherence in semiconductor cavity QED systems due to phonon couplings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Per Kær; Mørk, Jesper

2014-01-01

We investigate the effect of electron-phonon interactions on the coherence properties of single photons emitted from a semiconductor cavity QED (quantum electrodynamics) system, i.e., a quantum dot embedded in an optical cavity. The degree of indistinguishability, governing the quantum mechanical...

Evidence for strong electron-lattice coupling in La2-xSrxNiO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McQueeney, R.J.; Sarrao, J.L.

1999-01-01

The inelastic neutron scattering spectra were measured for several Sr concentrations of polycrystalline La 2-x Sr x NiO 4 . The authors find that the generalized phonon density-of-states is identical for x = 0 and x = 1/8. For x = 1/3 and x = 1/2, the band of phonons corresponding to the in-plane oxygen vibrations (> 65 meV) splits into two subbands centered at 75 meV and 85 meV. The lower frequency band increases in amplitude for the x = 1/2 sample, indicating that it is directly related to the hole concentration. These changes are associated with the coupling of oxygen vibrations to doped holes which reside in the NiO 2 planes and are a signature of strong electron-lattice coupling. Comparison of La 1.9 Sr 0.1 CuO 4 and La 1.875 Sr 0.125 NiO 4 demonstrates that much stronger electron-lattice coupling occurs for particular modes in the cuprate for modest doping and is likely related to the metallic nature of the cuprate

Heat Exchange Between Electrons and Phonons in Nanosystems at Sub-Kelvin Temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anghel Dragoş-Victor

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Ultra-sensitive nanoscopic detectors for electromagnetic radiation consist of thin metallic films deposited on dielectric membranes. The metallic films, of thickness d of the order of 10 nm, form the thermal sensing element (TSE, which absorbs the incident radiation and measures its power flux or the energies of individual photons. To achieve the sensitivity required for astronomical observations, the TSE works at temperatures of the order of 0.1 K. The dielectric membranes are used as support and for thermal insulation of the TSE and are of thickness L − d of the order of 100 nm (L being the total thickness of the system. In such conditions, the phonon gas in the detector assumes a quasi-two-dimensional distribution, whereas quantization of the electrons wavenumbers in the direction perpendicular to the film surfaces leads to the formation of quasi two-dimensional electronic sub-bands. The heat exchange between electrons and phonons has an important contribution to the performance of the device and is dominated by the interaction between the electrons and the antisymmetric acoustic phonons.

Ultrafast chemical interface scattering as an additional decay channel for nascent nonthermal electrons in small metal nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Christophe; Abid, Jean-Pierre; Fermin, David; Girault, Hubert H

2004-05-15

The use of 4.2 nm gold nanoparticles wrapped in an adsorbates shell and embedded in a TiO2 metal oxide matrix gives the opportunity to investigate ultrafast electron-electron scattering dynamics in combination with electronic surface phenomena via the surface plasmon lifetimes. These gold nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit a large nonclassical broadening of the surface plasmon band, which is attributed to a chemical interface damping. The acceleration of the loss of surface plasmon phase coherence indicates that the energy and the momentum of the collective electrons can be dissipated into electronic affinity levels of adsorbates. As a result of the preparation process, gold NPs are wrapped in a shell of sulfate compounds that gives rise to a large density of interfacial molecules confined between Au and TiO2, as revealed by Fourier-transform-infrared spectroscopy. A detailed analysis of the transient absorption spectra obtained by broadband femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy allows separating electron-electron and electron-phonon interaction. Internal thermalization times (electron-electron scattering) are determined by probing the decay of nascent nonthermal electrons (NNEs) and the build-up of the Fermi-Dirac electron distribution, giving time constants of 540 to 760 fs at 0.42 and 0.34 eV from the Fermi level, respectively. Comparison with literature data reveals that lifetimes of NNEs measured for these small gold NPs are more than four times longer than for silver NPs with similar sizes. The surprisingly long internal thermalization time is attributed to an additional decay mechanism (besides the classical e-e scattering) for the energy loss of NNEs, identified as the ultrafast chemical interface scattering process. NNEs experience an inelastic resonant scattering process into unoccupied electronic states of adsorbates, that directly act as an efficient heat bath, via the excitation of molecular vibrational modes. The two-temperature model is no longer

Hot-electrons-induced ultrafast demagnitization in Co/Pt multilayers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergeard, N.; Hehn, M.; Mangin, S.; Lengaigne, G.; Montaigne, F.; Lalieu, M. L. M.; Koopmans, B.; Malinowski, G.

2016-01-01

Using specially engineered structures to tailor the optical absorption in a metallic multilayer, we analyze the magnetization dynamics of a Co/Pt multilayer buried below a thick Cu layer. We demonstrate that hot electrons alone can very efficiently induce ultrafast demagnetization. Simulations based

Theory of one-dimensional hopping motion of a heavy particle interacting with phonons by different couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Itai, K.

1987-02-01

Two models which describe one-dimensional hopping motion of a heavy particle interacting with phonons are discussed. Model A corresponds to hopping in 1D metals or to the polaron problem. In model B the momentum dependence of the particle-phonon coupling is proportional to k-1/2. The scaling equations show that only in model B does localization occur for a coupling larger than a critical value. In the localization region this model shows close analogy to the Caldeira-Leggett model for macroscopic quantum tunneling.

Signature of electron-phonon interaction in high temperature superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod Ashokan

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The theory of thermal conductivity of high temperature superconductors (HTS based on electron and phonon line width (life times formulation is developed with Quantum dynamical approach of Green's function. The frequency line width is observed as an extremely sensitive quantity in the transport phenomena of HTS as a collection of large number of scattering processes. The role of resonance scattering and electron-phonon interaction processes is found to be most prominent near critical temperature. The theory successfully explains the spectacular behaviour of high Tc superconductors in the vicinity of transition temperature. A successful agreement between theory and experiment has been obtained by analyzing the thermal conductivity data for the sample La1.8Sr0.2CuO4 in the temperature range 0 − 200K. The theory is equally and successfully applicable to all other high Tc superconductors.

Local symmetry breaking and spin–phonon coupling in SmCrO{sub 3} orthochromite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El Amrani, M. [GREMAN CNRS UMR 7347, Université F. Rabelais, IUT de Blois, 15 rue de la Chocolatrie 41029 Blois cedex (France); Zaghrioui, M., E-mail: zaghrioui@univ-tours.fr [GREMAN CNRS UMR 7347, Université F. Rabelais, IUT de Blois, 15 rue de la Chocolatrie 41029 Blois cedex (France); Ta Phuoc, V.; Gervais, F. [GREMAN CNRS UMR 7347, Université F. Rabelais, IUT de Blois, 15 rue de la Chocolatrie 41029 Blois cedex (France); Massa, Néstor E. [Laboratorio Nacional de Investigacion y Servicios en Espectroscopia Optica-Centro CEQUINOR, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, C. C. 962, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)

2014-06-01

Raman scattering and infrared reflectivity performed on polycrystalline SmCrO{sub 3} support strong influence of the antiferromagnetic order on phonon modes. Both measurements show softening of some modes below T{sub N}. Such a behavior is explained by spin–phonon coupling in this compound. Furthermore, temperature dependence of the infrared spectra has demonstrated important changes compared to the Raman spectra, suggesting strong structural modifications due to the cation displacements rather to those of the oxygen ions. Our results reveal that polar distortions originating in local symmetry breaking, i.e. local non-centrosymmetry, resulting in Cr off-centring. - Highlights: • We investigated Raman and infrared phonon modes of SmCrO{sub 3} versus temperature. • Results reveal strong influence of the antiferromagnetic order on phonon modes. • Temperature dependence of the infrared spectra shows strong structural modifications suggesting local symmetry breaking.

Phonon dynamics of graphene on metals

Science.gov (United States)

Taleb, Amjad Al; Farías, Daniel

2016-03-01

The study of surface phonon dispersion curves is motivated by the quest for a detailed understanding of the forces between the atoms at the surface and in the bulk. In the case of graphene, additional motivation comes from the fact that thermal conductivity is dominated by contributions from acoustic phonons, while optical phonon properties are essential to understand Raman spectra. In this article, we review recent progress made in the experimental determination of phonon dispersion curves of graphene grown on several single-crystal metal surfaces. The two main experimental techniques usually employed are high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and inelastic helium atom scattering (HAS). The different dispersion branches provide a detailed insight into the graphene-substrate interaction. Softening of optical modes and signatures of the substrate‧s Rayleigh wave are observed for strong graphene-substrate interactions, while acoustic phonon modes resemble those of free-standing graphene for weakly interacting systems. The latter allows determining the bending rigidity and the graphene-substrate coupling strength. A comparison between theory and experiment is discussed for several illustrative examples. Perspectives for future experiments are discussed.

Ultrafast quantum computation in ultrastrongly coupled circuit QED systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yimin; Guo, Chu; Zhang, Guo-Qiang; Wang, Gangcheng; Wu, Chunfeng

2017-01-01

The latest technological progress of achieving the ultrastrong-coupling regime in circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems has greatly promoted the developments of quantum physics, where novel quantum optics phenomena and potential computational benefits have been predicted. Here, we propose a scheme to accelerate the nontrivial two-qubit phase gate in a circuit QED system, where superconducting flux qubits are ultrastrongly coupled to a transmission line resonator (TLR), and two more TLRs are coupled to the ultrastrongly-coupled system for assistant. The nontrivial unconventional geometric phase gate between the two flux qubits is achieved based on close-loop displacements of the three-mode intracavity fields. Moreover, as there are three resonators contributing to the phase accumulation, the requirement of the coupling strength to realize the two-qubit gate can be reduced. Further reduction in the coupling strength to achieve a specific controlled-phase gate can be realized by adding more auxiliary resonators to the ultrastrongly-coupled system through superconducting quantum interference devices. We also present a study of our scheme with realistic parameters considering imperfect controls and noisy environment. Our scheme possesses the merits of ultrafastness and noise-tolerance due to the advantages of geometric phases. PMID:28281654

Quantum Hooke's Law to Classify Pulse Laser Induced Ultrafast Melting

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hao; Ding, Hepeng; Liu, Feng

2015-02-01

Ultrafast crystal-to-liquid phase transition induced by femtosecond pulse laser excitation is an interesting material's behavior manifesting the complexity of light-matter interaction. There exist two types of such phase transitions: one occurs at a time scale shorter than a picosecond via a nonthermal process mediated by electron-hole plasma formation; the other at a longer time scale via a thermal melting process mediated by electron-phonon interaction. However, it remains unclear what material would undergo which process and why? Here, by exploiting the property of quantum electronic stress (QES) governed by quantum Hooke's law, we classify the transitions by two distinct classes of materials: the faster nonthermal process can only occur in materials like ice having an anomalous phase diagram characterized with dTm/dP < 0, where Tm is the melting temperature and P is pressure, above a high threshold laser fluence; while the slower thermal process may occur in all materials. Especially, the nonthermal transition is shown to be induced by the QES, acting like a negative internal pressure, which drives the crystal into a ``super pressing'' state to spontaneously transform into a higher-density liquid phase. Our findings significantly advance fundamental understanding of ultrafast crystal-to-liquid phase transitions, enabling quantitative a priori predictions.

Phonon excess heating in electronic relaxation theory in quantum dots

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Král, Karel; Lin, Ch. Y.

2008-01-01

Roč. 22, č. 20 (2008), s. 3439-3460 ISSN 0217-9792 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 866 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : quantum dots * electron -phonon interaction * electron ic transport Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.558, year: 2008

Temperature Dependence of the Spin-Hall Conductivity of a Two-Dimensional Impure Rashba Electron Gas in the Presence of Electron-Phonon and Electron-Electron Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Yavari, H.; Mokhtari, M.; Bayervand, A.

2015-03-01

Based on Kubo's linear response formalism, temperature dependence of the spin-Hall conductivity of a two-dimensional impure (magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities) Rashba electron gas in the presence of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions is analyzed theoretically. We will show that the temperature dependence of the spin-Hall conductivity is determined by the relaxation rates due to these interactions. At low temperature, the elastic lifetimes ( and are determined by magnetic and nonmagnetic impurity concentrations which are independent of the temperature, while the inelastic lifetimes ( and related to the electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions, decrease when the temperature increases. We will also show that since the spin-Hall conductivity is sensitive to temperature, we can distinguish the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions.

Dynamics of impurity modes and electron–phonon interaction in Heavy Fermion (HF) systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shadangi, N.; Sahoo, J.; Mohanty, S.; Nayak, P.

2014-01-01

A theoretical explanation is provided to understand the effect of small concentration of impurities characterized by change in mass and nearest neighbor force constants on the phonon spectrum as well as on the electron–phonon interaction in some Heavy Fermion (HF) systems in the normal state within theoretical framework of the Periodic Anderson Model (PAM). Three different mechanisms of the electron–phonon interactions, namely, the usual interaction between the phonons with the electrons in the f-bands, electrons arising from that of hybridization term of PAM and the local electron–phonon coupling at the impurity sites are considered. Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) is used to evaluate the configuration averaged self–energy and the total Green function. For simplicity of calculation the CPA self–energy is evaluated in Average t -matrix Approximation (ATA). The analytical analysis is carried out for finite T in the long wavelength limit. The influence of impurity mass parameter λ and other system parameters such as d, the position of f-level, the effective coupling strength g on the calculated re-normalized phonon frequency and the excitation spectrum through the spectral function is studied. The numerical analysis of the results does show the influence of impurities as evident from different plots in this paper.

Four-Dimensional Ultrafast Electron Microscopy: Insights into an Emerging Technique

KAUST Repository

Adhikari, Aniruddha; Eliason, Jeffrey K.; Sun, Jingya; Bose, Riya; Flannigan, David J.; Mohammed, Omar F.

2016-01-01

Four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy (4D-UEM) is a novel analytical technique that aims to fulfill the long-held dream of researchers to investigate materials at extremely short spatial and temporal resolutions by integrating the excellent

Generation of attosecond electron packets via conical surface plasmon electron acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Greig, S. R.; Elezzabi, A. Y.

2016-01-01

We present a method for the generation of high kinetic energy attosecond electron packets via magnetostatic and aperture filtering of conical surface plasmon (SP) accelerated electrons. The conical SP waves are excited by coupling an ultrafast radially polarized laser beam to a conical silica lens coated with an Ag film. Electromagnetic and particle tracking models are employed to characterize the ultrafast electron packets. PMID:26764129

Effect of donor orientation on ultrafast intermolecular electron transfer in coumarin-amine systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, P. K.; Nath, S.; Bhasikuttan, A. C.; Kumbhakar, M.; Mohanty, J.; Sarkar, S. K.; Mukherjee, T.; Pal, H.

2008-01-01

Effect of donor amine orientation on nondiffusive ultrafast intermolecular electron transfer (ET) reactions in coumarin-amine systems has been investigated using femtosecond fluorescence upconversion measurements. Intermolecular ET from different aromatic and aliphatic amines used as donor solvents to the excited coumarin-151 (C151) acceptor occurs with ultrafast rates such that the shortest fluorescence lifetime component (τ 1 ) is the measure of the fastest ET rate (τ 1 =τ ET fast =(k ET fast ) -1 ), assigned to the C151-amine contact pairs in which amine donors are properly oriented with respect to C151 to maximize the acceptor-donor electronic coupling (V el ). It is interestingly observed that as the amine solvents are diluted by suitable diluents (either keeping solvent dielectric constant similar or with increasing dielectric constant), the τ 1 remains almost in the similar range as long as the amine dilution does not cross a certain critical limit, which in terms of the amine mole fraction (x A ) is found to be ∼0.4 for aromatic amines and ∼0.8 for aliphatic amines. Beyond these dilutions in the two respective cases of the amine systems, the τ 1 values are seen to increase very sharply. The large difference in the critical x A values involving aromatic and aliphatic amine donors has been rationalized in terms of the largely different orientational restrictions for the ET reactions as imposed by the aliphatic (n-type) and aromatic (π-type) nature of the amine donors [A. K. Satpati et al., J. Mol. Struct. 878, 84 (2008)]. Since the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the n-type aliphatic amines is mostly centralized at the amino nitrogen, only some specific orientations of these amines with respect to the close-contact acceptor dye [also of π-character; A. K. Satpati et al., J. Mol. Struct. 878, 84 (2008) and E. W. Castner et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 104, 2869 (2000)] can give suitable V el and thus ultrafast ET reaction. In contrary, the

Large calculated electron-phonon interactions in La2-xMxCuO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krakauer, H.; Pickett, W.E.; Cohen, R.E.

1993-01-01

Results of self-consistent linearized-augmented-plane-wave calculations within the local-density-functional approximation (LDA) are presented of the electron-phonon-induced linewidths and interaction strength of selected phonons in La 2-xMx CuO 4 at x=0.15. Through the use of a supercell geometry, rigid-ion-type approximations are avoided and the full electron-phonon matrix elements are determined from finite differences of the LDA potentials corresponding to frozen-in phonon at Γ X, and Z. At the X point, all fully symmetric A g modes (i.e., having the symmetry of the oxygen planar-breathing mode) as well as three modes having B 3g symmetry are examined. Small linewidths were found for the three B 3g modes, and moderate linewidths for the A g modes, the largest corresponding to ratios γ q,ν /ω q,ν =0.02 for the oxygen breathing and axial modes

Dephasing of LO-phonon-plasmon hybrid modes in n-type GaAs

Science.gov (United States)

Vallée, F.; Ganikhanov, F.; Bogani, F.

1997-11-01

The relaxation dynamics of coherent phononlike LO-phonon-plasmon hybrid modes is investigated in n-doped GaAs using an infrared time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering technique. Measurements performed for different crystal temperatures in the range 10-300 K as a function of the electron density injected by doping show a large reduction of the hybrid mode dephasing time compared to the bare LO-phonon one for densities larger than 1016 cm-3. The results are interpreted in terms of coherent decay of the LO-phonon-plasmon mixed mode in the weak-coupling regime and yield information on the plasmon and electron relaxation. The estimated average electron momentum relaxation times are smaller than those deduced from Hall mobility measurements, as expected from our theoretical model.

Electron-lattice energy relaxation in laser-excited thin-film Au-insulator heterostructures studied by ultrafast MeV electron diffraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolowski-Tinten, K; Shen, X; Zheng, Q; Chase, T; Coffee, R; Jerman, M; Li, R K; Ligges, M; Makasyuk, I; Mo, M; Reid, A H; Rethfeld, B; Vecchione, T; Weathersby, S P; Dürr, H A; Wang, X J

2017-09-01

We apply time-resolved MeV electron diffraction to study the electron-lattice energy relaxation in thin film Au-insulator heterostructures. Through precise measurements of the transient Debye-Waller-factor, the mean-square atomic displacement is directly determined, which allows to quantitatively follow the temporal evolution of the lattice temperature after short pulse laser excitation. Data obtained over an extended range of laser fluences reveal an increased relaxation rate when the film thickness is reduced or the Au-film is capped with an additional insulator top-layer. This behavior is attributed to a cross-interfacial coupling of excited electrons in the Au film to phonons in the adjacent insulator layer(s). Analysis of the data using the two-temperature-model taking explicitly into account the additional energy loss at the interface(s) allows to deduce the relative strength of the two relaxation channels.

Quantum modeling of ultrafast photoinduced charge separation

Science.gov (United States)

Rozzi, Carlo Andrea; Troiani, Filippo; Tavernelli, Ivano

2018-01-01

Phenomena involving electron transfer are ubiquitous in nature, photosynthesis and enzymes or protein activity being prominent examples. Their deep understanding thus represents a mandatory scientific goal. Moreover, controlling the separation of photogenerated charges is a crucial prerequisite in many applicative contexts, including quantum electronics, photo-electrochemical water splitting, photocatalytic dye degradation, and energy conversion. In particular, photoinduced charge separation is the pivotal step driving the storage of sun light into electrical or chemical energy. If properly mastered, these processes may also allow us to achieve a better command of information storage at the nanoscale, as required for the development of molecular electronics, optical switching, or quantum technologies, amongst others. In this Topical Review we survey recent progress in the understanding of ultrafast charge separation from photoexcited states. We report the state-of-the-art of the observation and theoretical description of charge separation phenomena in the ultrafast regime mainly focusing on molecular- and nano-sized solar energy conversion systems. In particular, we examine different proposed mechanisms driving ultrafast charge dynamics, with particular regard to the role of quantum coherence and electron-nuclear coupling, and link experimental observations to theoretical approaches based either on model Hamiltonians or on first principles simulations.

Ultrafast intersystem-crossing in platinum containing π-conjugated polymers with tunable spin-orbit coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, C-X; Singh, S; Gambetta, A; Drori, T; Tong, M; Tretiak, S; Vardeny, Z V

2013-01-01

The development of efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and organic photovoltaic cells requires control over the dynamics of spin sensitive excitations. Embedding heavy metal atoms in π-conjugated polymer chains enhances the spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and thus facilitates intersystem crossing (ISC) from the singlet to triplet manifolds. Here we use various nonlinear optical spectroscopies such as two-photon absorption and electroabsorption in conjunction with electronic structure calculations, for studying the energies, emission bands and ultrafast dynamics of spin photoexcitations in two newly synthesized π-conjugated polymers that contain intrachain platinum (Pt) atoms separated by one (Pt-1) or three (Pt-3) organic spacer units. The controllable SOC in these polymers leads to a record ISC time of white OLEDs.

Ultrafast quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins: Interresidue and intrahelical electron transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu Weihong; Li Tanping; Zhang Luyuan; Yang Yi; Kao Yating; Wang Lijuan [Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, Program of Biophysics, Chemical Physics, and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Zhong Dongping [Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, Program of Biophysics, Chemical Physics, and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)], E-mail: dongping@mps.ohio-state.edu

2008-06-23

Quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins has been critical to the understanding of protein dynamics and enzyme reactions using tryptophan as a molecular optical probe. We report here our systematic examinations of potential quenching residues with more than 40 proteins. With site-directed mutation, we placed tryptophan to desired positions or altered its neighboring residues to screen quenching groups among 20 amino acid residues and of peptide backbones. With femtosecond resolution, we observed the ultrafast quenching dynamics within 100 ps and identified two ultrafast quenching groups, the carbonyl- and sulfur-containing residues. The former is glutamine and glutamate residues and the later is disulfide bond and cysteine residue. The quenching by the peptide-bond carbonyl group as well as other potential residues mostly occurs in longer than 100 ps. These ultrafast quenching dynamics occur at van der Waals distances through intraprotein electron transfer with high directionality. Following optimal molecular orbital overlap, electron jumps from the benzene ring of the indole moiety in a vertical orientation to the LUMO of acceptor quenching residues. Molecular dynamics simulations were invoked to elucidate various correlations of quenching dynamics with separation distances, relative orientations, local fluctuations and reaction heterogeneity. These unique ultrafast quenching pairs, as recently found to extensively occur in high-resolution protein structures, may have significant biological implications.

Isoscalar and isovector giant resonances in a self-consistent phonon coupling approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyutorovich, N.; Tselyaev, V. [Physical Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, RU-198504 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Speth, J., E-mail: J.Speth@fz-juelich.de [Institut für Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Krewald, S.; Grümmer, F. [Institut für Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Reinhard, P.-G. [Institut für Theoretische Physik II, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany)

2015-10-07

We present fully self-consistent calculations of isoscalar giant monopole and quadrupole as well as isovector giant dipole resonances in heavy and light nuclei. The description is based on Skyrme energy-density functionals determining the static Hartree–Fock ground state and the excitation spectra within random-phase approximation (RPA) and RPA extended by including the quasiparticle-phonon coupling at the level of the time-blocking approximation (TBA). All matrix elements were derived consistently from the given energy-density functional and calculated without any approximation. As a new feature in these calculations, the single-particle continuum was included thus avoiding the artificial discretization usually implied in RPA and TBA. The step to include phonon coupling in TBA leads to small, but systematic, down shifts of the centroid energies of the giant resonances. These shifts are similar in size for all Skyrme parametrizations investigated here. After all, we demonstrate that one can find Skyrme parametrizations which deliver a good simultaneous reproduction of all three giant resonances within TBA.

Electron-Electron and Electron-Phonon interactions effects on the tunnel electronic spectrum of PbS quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongyue; Lhuillier, Emmanuel; Yu, Qian; Mottaghizadeh, Alireza; Ulysse, Christian; Zimmers, Alexandre; Dubertret, Benoit; Aubin, Herve

2015-03-01

We present a tunnel spectroscopy study of the electronic spectrum of single PbS Quantum Dots (QDs) trapped between nanometer-spaced electrodes, measured at low temperature T=5 K. The carrier filling of the QD can be controlled either by the drain voltage in the shell filling regime or by a gate voltage. In the empty QD, the tunnel spectrum presents the expected signature of the 8x degenerated excited levels. In the drain controlled shell filling regime, the levels degeneracies are lifted by the global electrostatic Coulomb energy of the QD; in the gate controlled shell filling regime, the levels degeneracies are lifted by the intra-Coulomb interactions. In the charged quantum dot, electron-phonons interactions lead to the apparition of Franck-Condon side bands on the single excited levels and possibly Franck Condon blockade at low energy. The sharpening of excited levels at higher gate voltage suggests that the magnitude of electron-phonon interactions is decreased upon increasing the electron filling in the quantum dot. This work was supported by the French ANR Grants 10-BLAN-0409-01, 09-BLAN-0388-01, by the Region Ile-de-France in the framework of DIM Nano-K and by China Scholarship Council.

Nonequilibrium Dynamics in a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Electron Plasma after Ultrafast Intersubband Excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lutgen, S.; Kaindl, R.A.; Woerner, M.; Elsaesser, T.; Hase, A.; Kuenzel, H.; Gulia, M.; Meglio, D.; Lugli, P.

1996-01-01

The dynamics of electrons in GaInAs/AlInAs quantum wells is studied after excitation from the n=1 to the n=2 conduction subband. Femtosecond pump-probe experiments demonstrate for the first time athermal distributions of n=1 electrons on a surprisingly long time scale of 2ps. Thermalization involves intersubband scattering of excited electrons via optical phonon emission with a time constant of 1ps and intrasubband Coulomb and phonon scattering. Ensemble Monte Carlo simulations show that the slow electron equilibration results from Pauli blocking and screening of carrier-carrier scattering. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Flexural phonon limited phonon drag thermopower in bilayer graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Ansari, Mohd Meenhaz; Ashraf, SSZ

2018-05-01

We investigate the phonon drag thermopower from flexural phonons as a function of electron temperature and carrier concentration in the Bloch-Gruneisen regime in non-strained bilayer graphene using Boltzmann transport equation approach. The flexural phonons are expected to be the major source of intrinsic scattering mechanism in unstrained bilayer graphene due to their large density. The flexural phonon modes dispersion relation is quadratic so these low energy flexural phonons abound at room temperature and as a result deform the bilayer graphene sheet in the out of plane direction and affects the transport properties. We also produce analytical result for phonon-drag thermopower from flexural phonons and find that phonon-drag thermopower depicts T2 dependence on temperature and n-1 on carrier concentration.

Ultrafast electron microscopy integrated with a direct electron detection camera.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young Min; Kim, Young Jae; Kim, Ye-Jin; Kwon, Oh-Hoon

2017-07-01

In the past decade, we have witnessed the rapid growth of the field of ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM), which provides intuitive means to watch atomic and molecular motions of matter. Yet, because of the limited current of the pulsed electron beam resulting from space-charge effects, observations have been mainly made to periodic motions of the crystalline structure of hundreds of nanometers or higher by stroboscopic imaging at high repetition rates. Here, we develop an advanced UEM with robust capabilities for circumventing the present limitations by integrating a direct electron detection camera for the first time which allows for imaging at low repetition rates. This approach is expected to promote UEM to a more powerful platform to visualize molecular and collective motions and dissect fundamental physical, chemical, and materials phenomena in space and time.

Ultrafast directional beam switching in coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning, C. Z.; Goorjian, P.

2001-01-01

We propose a strategy to performing ultrafast directional beam switching using two coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The proposed strategy is demonstrated for two VCSELs of 5.6 μm in diameter placed about 1 μm apart from the edges, showing a switching speed of 42 GHz with a maximum far-field angle span of about 10 degree. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Hot LO-phonon limited electron transport in ZnO/MgZnO channels

Science.gov (United States)

Šermukšnis, E.; Liberis, J.; Matulionis, A.; Avrutin, V.; Toporkov, M.; Özgür, Ü.; Morkoç, H.

2018-05-01

High-field electron transport in two-dimensional channels at ZnO/MgZnO heterointerfaces has been investigated experimentally. Pulsed current-voltage (I-V) and microwave noise measurements used voltage pulse widths down to 30 ns and electric fields up to 100 kV/cm. The samples investigated featured electron densities in the range of 4.2-6.5 × 1012 cm-2, and room temperature mobilities of 142-185 cm2/V s. The pulsed nature of the applied field ensured negligible, if any, change in the electron density, thereby allowing velocity extraction from current with confidence. The highest extracted electron drift velocity of ˜0.5 × 107 cm/s is somewhat smaller than that estimated for bulk ZnO; this difference is explained in the framework of longitudinal optical phonon accumulation (hot-phonon effect). The microwave noise data allowed us to rule out the effect of excess acoustic phonon temperature caused by Joule heating. Real-space transfer of hot electrons into the wider bandgap MgZnO layer was observed to be a limiting factor in samples with a high Mg content (48%), due to phase segregation and the associated local lowering of the potential barrier.

Rode's iterative calculation of surface optical phonon scattering limited electron mobility in N-polar GaN devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Krishnendu; Singisetti, Uttam

2015-01-01

N-polar GaN channel mobility is important for high frequency device applications. Here, we report theoretical calculations on the surface optical (SO) phonon scattering rate of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in N-polar GaN quantum well channels with high-k dielectrics. Rode's iterative calculation is used to predict the scattering rate and mobility. Coupling of the GaN plasmon modes with the SO modes is taken into account and dynamic screening is employed under linear polarization response. The effect of SO phonons on 2DEG mobility was found to be small at >5 nm channel thickness. However, the SO mobility in 3 nm N-polar GaN channels with HfO 2 and ZrO 2 high-k dielectrics is low and limits the total mobility. The SO scattering for SiN dielectric on GaN was found to be negligible due to its high SO phonon energy. Using Al 2 O 3 , the SO phonon scattering does not affect mobility significantly only except the case when the channel is too thin with a low 2DEG density

Photoinduced Electron Transfer in the Strong Coupling Regime: Waveguide-Plasmon Polaritons.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Peng; Cadusch, Jasper; Chakraborty, Debadi; Smith, Trevor A; Roberts, Ann; Sader, John E; Davis, Timothy J; Gómez, Daniel E

2016-04-13

Reversible exchange of photons between a material and an optical cavity can lead to the formation of hybrid light-matter states where material properties such as the work function [ Hutchison et al. Adv. Mater. 2013 , 25 , 2481 - 2485 ], chemical reactivity [ Hutchison et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2012 , 51 , 1592 - 1596 ], ultrafast energy relaxation [ Salomon et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2009 , 48 , 8748 - 8751 ; Gomez et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2013 , 117 , 4340 - 4346 ], and electrical conductivity [ Orgiu et al. Nat. Mater. 2015 , 14 , 1123 - 1129 ] of matter differ significantly to those of the same material in the absence of strong interactions with the electromagnetic fields. Here we show that strong light-matter coupling between confined photons on a semiconductor waveguide and localized plasmon resonances on metal nanowires modifies the efficiency of the photoinduced charge-transfer rate of plasmonic derived (hot) electrons into accepting states in the semiconductor material. Ultrafast spectroscopy measurements reveal a strong correlation between the amplitude of the transient signals, attributed to electrons residing in the semiconductor and the hybridization of waveguide and plasmon excitations.

Supra-ballistic phonons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, F.M.

1989-05-01

Energetic particles moving with a solid, either from nuclear reactions or externally injected, deposit energy by inelastic scattering processes which eventually appears as thermal energy. If the transfer of energy occurs in a crystalline solid then it is possible to couple some of the energy directly to the nuclei forming the lattice by generating phonons. In this paper the transfer of energy from a compound excited nucleus to the lattice is examined by introducing a virtual particle Π. It is shown that by including a Π in the nuclear reaction a substantial amount of energy can be coupled directly to the lattice. In the lattice this particle behaves as a spatially localized phonon of high energy, the so-called supra-ballistic phonon. By multiple inelastic scattering the supra-ballistic phonon eventually thermalizes. Because both the virtual particle Π and the equivalent supra-ballistic phonon have no charge or spin and can only exist within a lattice it is difficult to detect other than by its decay into thermal phonons. The possibility of a Π removing excess energy from a compound nucleus formed by the cold fusion of deuterium is examined. (Author)

Spin relaxation in quantum dots: Role of the phonon modulated spin-orbit interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Alcalde, A. M.; Romano, C. L.; Sanz, L.; Marques, G. E.

2010-01-01

We calculate the spin relaxation rates in a parabolic InSb quantum dots due to the spin interaction with acoustical phonons. We considered the deformation potential mechanism as the dominant electron-phonon coupling in the Pavlov-Firsov spin-phonon Hamiltonian. We analyze the behavior of the spin relaxation rates as a function of an external magnetic field and mean quantum dot radius. Effects of the spin admixture due to Dresselhaus contribution to spin-orbit interaction are also discussed.

The A1g mode in the Hg-1201 phonon spectrum as an indicator of N→S transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dovgij, Ya.

2011-01-01

By analyzing the structure of and the temperature changes in HgBa 2 CuO 4+y phonon spectra, the electron-phonon coupling constant g has been determined for the first time. It is shown that this compound is a superconductor with strong coupling. A frequency interval around 60.4 MeV in the HgBa 2 CuO 4+y phonon spectrum, which may be classed as a 'soft mode', is revealed. The dominant partial contribution to the density of phonon states in that spectral range is found to be given by O(2) atomic vibrations.

Comparison of electron and phonon transport in disordered semiconductor carbon nanotubes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sevincli, Haldun; Lehmann, T.; Ryndyk, D. A.

2013-01-01

as a function of length of the disordered device shows that both electrons and phonons with different energies display different transport regimes, i.e. quasi-ballistic, diffusive and localization regimes coexist. In the light of the results we discuss heating of the semiconductor device in electronic...

Phonon structure in proximity tunnel junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarate, H.G.; Carbotte, J.P.

1985-01-01

We have iterated to convergence, for the first time, a set of four coupled real axis Eliashberg equations for the superconducting gap and renormalization functions on each side of a proximity sandwich. We find that the phenomenological procedures developed to extract the size of the normal side electron-phonon interaction from tunneling data are often reasonable but may in some cases need modifications. In all the cases considered the superconducting phonon structure reflected on the normal side, as well as other structures, shows considerable agreement with experiment as to size, shape, and variation with barrier transmission coefficient. Finally, we study the effects of depairing on these structures

Ultrafast electron and energy transfer in dye-sensitized iron oxide and oxyhydroxide nanoparticles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gilbert, Benjamin; Katz, Jordan E.; Huse, Nils

2013-01-01

photo-initiated interfacial electron transfer. This approach enables time-resolved study of the fate and mobility of electrons within the solid phase. However, complete analysis of the ultrafast processes following dye photoexcitation of the sensitized iron(iii) oxide nanoparticles has not been reported....... We addressed this topic by performing femtosecond transient absorption (TA) measurements of aqueous suspensions of uncoated and DCF-sensitized iron oxide and oxyhydroxide nanoparticles, and an aqueous iron(iii)–dye complex. Following light absorption, excited state relaxation times of the dye of 115...... a four-state model of the dye-sensitized system, finding electron and energy transfer to occur on the same ultrafast timescale. The interfacial electron transfer rates for iron oxides are very close to those previously reported for DCF-sensitized titanium dioxide (for which dye–oxide energy transfer...

Concept and design of a beam blanker with integrated photoconductive switch for ultrafast electron microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Weppelman, I G C; Moerland, R J; Hoogenboom, J P; Kruit, P

2018-01-01

We present a new method to create ultrashort electron pulses by integrating a photoconductive switch with an electrostatic deflector. This paper discusses the feasibility of such a system by analytical and numerical calculations. We argue that ultrafast electron pulses can be achieved for micrometer scale dimensions of the blanker, which are feasible with MEMS-based fabrication technology. According to basic models, the design presented in this paper is capable of generating 100 fs electron pulses with spatial resolutions of less than 10 nm. Our concept for an ultrafast beam blanker (UFB) may provide an attractive alternative to perform ultrafast electron microscopy, as it does not require modification of the microscope nor realignment between DC and pulsed mode of operation. Moreover, only low laser pulse energies are required. Due to its small dimensions the UFB can be inserted in the beam line of a commercial microscope via standard entry ports for blankers or variable apertures. The use of a photoconductive switch ensures minimal jitter between laser and electron pulses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theory of electron-phonon-dislon interacting system—toward a quantized theory of dislocations

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingda; Tsurimaki, Yoichiro; Meng, Qingping; Andrejevic, Nina; Zhu, Yimei; Mahan, Gerald D.; Chen, Gang

2018-02-01

We provide a comprehensive theoretical framework to study how crystal dislocations influence the functional properties of materials, based on the idea of a quantized dislocation, namely a ‘dislon’. In contrast to previous work on dislons which focused on exotic phenomenology, here we focus on their theoretical structure and computational power. We first provide a pedagogical introduction that explains the necessity and benefits of taking the dislon approach and why the dislon Hamiltonian takes its current form. Then, we study the electron-dislocation and phonon-dislocation scattering problems using the dislon formalism. Both the effective electron and phonon theories are derived, from which the role of dislocations on electronic and phononic transport properties is computed. Compared with traditional dislocation scattering studies, which are intrinsically single-particle, low-order perturbation and classical quenched defect in nature, the dislon theory not only allows easy incorporation of quantum many-body effects such as electron correlation, electron-phonon interaction, and higher-order scattering events, but also allows proper consideration of the dislocation’s long-range strain field and dynamic aspects on equal footing for arbitrary types of straight-line dislocations. This means that instead of developing individual models for specific dislocation scattering problems, the dislon theory allows for the calculation of electronic structure and electrical transport, thermal transport, optical and superconducting properties, etc, under one unified theory. Furthermore, the dislon theory has another advantage over empirical models in that it requires no fitting parameters. The dislon theory could serve as a major computational tool to understand the role of dislocations on multiple materials’ functional properties at an unprecedented level of clarity, and may have wide applications in dislocated energy materials.

Electrical modulation and switching of transverse acoustic phonons

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, H.; Jho, Y. D.; Rhim, S. H.; Yee, K. J.; Yoon, S. Y.; Shim, J. P.; Lee, D. S.; Ju, J. W.; Baek, J. H.; Stanton, C. J.

2016-07-01

We report on the electrical manipulation of coherent acoustic phonon waves in GaN-based nanoscale piezoelectric heterostructures which are strained both from the pseudomorphic growth at the interfaces as well as through external electric fields. In such structures, transverse symmetry within the c plane hinders both the generation and detection of the transverse acoustic (TA) modes, and usually only longitudinal acoustic phonons are generated by ultrafast displacive screening of potential gradients. We show that even for c -GaN, the combined application of lateral and vertical electric fields can not only switch on the normally forbidden TA mode, but they can also modulate the amplitudes and frequencies of both modes. By comparing the transient differential reflectivity spectra in structures with and without an asymmetric potential distribution, the role of the electrical controllability of phonons was demonstrated as changes to the propagation velocities, the optical birefringence, the electrically polarized TA waves, and the geometrically varying optical sensitivities of phonons.

Design and commissioning of an aberration-corrected ultrafast spin-polarized low energy electron microscope with multiple electron sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Weishi; Yu, Lei; Zhu, Lin; Yang, Xiaodong; Wei, Zheng; Liu, Jefferson Zhe; Feng, Jun; Kunze, Kai; Schaff, Oliver; Tromp, Ruud; Tang, Wen-Xin

2017-03-01

We describe the design and commissioning of a novel aberration-corrected low energy electron microscope (AC-LEEM). A third magnetic prism array (MPA) is added to the standard AC-LEEM with two prism arrays, allowing the incorporation of an ultrafast spin-polarized electron source alongside the standard cold field emission electron source, without degrading spatial resolution. The high degree of symmetries of the AC-LEEM are utilized while we design the electron optics of the ultrafast spin-polarized electron source, so as to minimize the deleterious effect of time broadening, while maintaining full control of electron spin. A spatial resolution of 2nm and temporal resolution of 10ps (ps) are expected in the future time resolved aberration-corrected spin-polarized LEEM (TR-AC-SPLEEM). The commissioning of the three-prism AC-LEEM has been successfully finished with the cold field emission source, with a spatial resolution below 2nm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface phonons

CERN Document Server

Wette, Frederik

1991-01-01

In recent years substantial progress has been made in the detection of surface phonons owing to considerable improvements in inelastic rare gas scattering tech­ niques and electron energy loss spectroscopy. With these methods it has become possible to measure surface vibrations in a wide energy range for all wave vectors in the two-dimensional Brillouin zone and thus to deduce the complete surface phonon dispersion curves. Inelastic atomic beam scattering and electron energy loss spectroscopy have started to play a role in the study of surface phonons similar to the one played by inelastic neutron scattering in the investigation of bulk phonons in the last thirty years. Detailed comparison between experimen­ tal results and theoretical studies of inelastic surface scattering and of surface phonons has now become feasible. It is therefore possible to test and to improve the details of interaction models which have been worked out theoretically in the last few decades. At this point we felt that a concise, co...

Robust adiabatic approach to optical spin entangling in coupled quantum dots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauger, Erik M; Benjamin, Simon C; Lovett, Brendon W; Nazir, Ahsan; Stace, Thomas M

2008-01-01

Excitonic transitions offer a possible route to ultrafast optical spin manipulation in coupled nanostructures. We perform here a detailed study of the three principal exciton-mediated decoherence channels for optically controlled electron spin qubits in coupled quantum dots: radiative decay of the excitonic state, exciton-phonon interactions, and Landau-Zener transitions between laser-dressed states. We consider a scheme for producing an entangling controlled-phase gate on a pair of coupled spins which, in its simplest dynamic form, renders the system subject to fast decoherence rates associated with exciton creation during the gating operation. In contrast, we show that an adiabatic approach employing off-resonant laser excitation allows us to suppress all sources of decoherence simultaneously, significantly increasing the fidelity of operations at only a relatively small gating time cost. We find that controlled-phase gates accurate to one part in 10 2 can realistically be achieved with the adiabatic approach, whereas the conventional dynamic approach does not appear to support a fidelity suitable for scalable quantum computation. Our predictions could be demonstrated experimentally in the near future

Nonlinear phononics and structural control of strongly correlated materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mankowsky, Roman

2016-01-20

Mid-infrared light pulses can be used to resonantly excite infrared-active vibrational modes for the phase control of strongly correlated materials on subpicosecond timescales. As the energy is transferred directly into atomic motions, dissipation into the electronic system is reduced, allowing for the emergence of unusual low energy collective properties. Light-induced superconductivity, insulator-metal transitions and melting of magnetic order demonstrate the potential of this method. An understanding of the mechanism, by which these transitions are driven, is however missing. The aim of this work is to uncover this process by investigating the nonlinear lattice dynamics induced by the excitation and to elucidate their contribution to the modulation of collective properties of strongly correlated materials. The first signature of nonlinear lattice dynamics was reported in the observation of coherent phonon oscillations, resonant with the excitation of an infrared-active phonon mode in a manganite. This nonlinear phononic coupling can be described within a model, which predicts not only oscillatory coherent phonons dynamics but also directional atomic displacements along the coupled modes on average, which could cause the previously observed transitions. We verified this directional response and quantified the anharmonic coupling constant by tracing the atomic motions in a time-resolved hard X-ray diffraction experiment with sub-picometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution. In a subsequent study, we investigated the role of nonlinear lattice dynamics in the emergence of superconductivity far above the equilibrium transition temperature, an intriguing effect found to follow lattice excitation of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x}. By combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the anharmonic coupling constants with time-resolved X-ray diffraction experiments, we identified a structural rearrangement, which appears and decays with the same temporal

Surface strain engineering through Tb doping to study the pressure dependence of exciton-phonon coupling in ZnO nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, A.; Dhar, S.; Singh, B. P.; Nayak, C.; Bhattacharyya, D.; Jha, S. N.

2013-01-01

A compressive hydrostatic strain has been found to develop in the ZnO lattice as a result of accumulation of Tb ions on the surface of the nanoparticles for Tb mole-fraction less than 0.04. This hydrostatic strain can be controlled up to ≈14 GPa by varying the Tb mole-fraction. Here, we have utilized this novel technique of surface strain engineering through Tb doping for introducing hydrostatic compressive strain in the lattice to study the pressure dependent electronic and vibrational properties of ZnO nanoparticles. Our study reveals that when subjected to pressure, nanoparticles of ZnO behave quite differently than bulk in many aspects. Unlike bulk ZnO, which is reported to go through a wurtzite to rock-salt structural phase transition at ≈8 GPa, ZnO nanoparticles do not show such transition and remain in wurtzite phase even at 14 GPa of pressure. Furthermore, the Grüneisen parameters for the optical phonon modes are found to be order of magnitude smaller in ZnO nanoparticles as compared to bulk. Our study also suggests an increase of the dielectric constant with pressure, which is opposite to what has been reported for bulk ZnO. Interestingly, it has also been found that the exciton-phonon interaction depends strongly upon pressure in this system. The exciton-phonon coupling has been found to decrease as pressure increases. A variational technique has been adopted to theoretically calculate the exciton-LO phonon coupling coefficient in ZnO nanoparticles as a function of pressure, which shows a good agreement with the experimental results. These findings imply that surface engineering of ZnO nanoparticles with Tb could indeed be an efficient tool to enhance and control the optical performance of this material

Surface strain engineering through Tb doping to study the pressure dependence of exciton-phonon coupling in ZnO nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, A.; Dhar, S., E-mail: dhar@phy.iitb.ac.in; Singh, B. P. [Physics Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076 (India); Nayak, C.; Bhattacharyya, D. [Applied Spectroscopy Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085 (India); Jha, S. N. [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore (India)

2013-12-07

A compressive hydrostatic strain has been found to develop in the ZnO lattice as a result of accumulation of Tb ions on the surface of the nanoparticles for Tb mole-fraction less than 0.04. This hydrostatic strain can be controlled up to ≈14 GPa by varying the Tb mole-fraction. Here, we have utilized this novel technique of surface strain engineering through Tb doping for introducing hydrostatic compressive strain in the lattice to study the pressure dependent electronic and vibrational properties of ZnO nanoparticles. Our study reveals that when subjected to pressure, nanoparticles of ZnO behave quite differently than bulk in many aspects. Unlike bulk ZnO, which is reported to go through a wurtzite to rock-salt structural phase transition at ≈8 GPa, ZnO nanoparticles do not show such transition and remain in wurtzite phase even at 14 GPa of pressure. Furthermore, the Grüneisen parameters for the optical phonon modes are found to be order of magnitude smaller in ZnO nanoparticles as compared to bulk. Our study also suggests an increase of the dielectric constant with pressure, which is opposite to what has been reported for bulk ZnO. Interestingly, it has also been found that the exciton-phonon interaction depends strongly upon pressure in this system. The exciton-phonon coupling has been found to decrease as pressure increases. A variational technique has been adopted to theoretically calculate the exciton-LO phonon coupling coefficient in ZnO nanoparticles as a function of pressure, which shows a good agreement with the experimental results. These findings imply that surface engineering of ZnO nanoparticles with Tb could indeed be an efficient tool to enhance and control the optical performance of this material.

Effect of Holstein phonons on the electronic properties of graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stauber, T; Peres, N M R

2008-01-01

We obtain the self-energy of the electronic propagator due to the presence of Holstein polarons within the first Born approximation. This leads to a renormalization of the Fermi velocity of 1%. We further compute the optical conductivity of the system at the Dirac point and at finite doping within the Kubo formula. We argue that the effects due to Holstein phonons are negligible and that the Boltzmann approach, which does not include inter-band transitions and can thus not treat optical phonons due to their high energy of ℎω 0 ∼ 0.1-0.2 eV, remains valid

Ultrafast electron microscopy integrated with a direct electron detection camera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Min Lee

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In the past decade, we have witnessed the rapid growth of the field of ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM, which provides intuitive means to watch atomic and molecular motions of matter. Yet, because of the limited current of the pulsed electron beam resulting from space-charge effects, observations have been mainly made to periodic motions of the crystalline structure of hundreds of nanometers or higher by stroboscopic imaging at high repetition rates. Here, we develop an advanced UEM with robust capabilities for circumventing the present limitations by integrating a direct electron detection camera for the first time which allows for imaging at low repetition rates. This approach is expected to promote UEM to a more powerful platform to visualize molecular and collective motions and dissect fundamental physical, chemical, and materials phenomena in space and time.

Phonon properties of americium phosphide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arya, B. S., E-mail: bsarya13@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Govt. Narmada P G College, Hoshangabad -461001 (India); Aynyas, Mahendra [Department of Physics, C. S. A. Govt. P. G. College Sehore-46601 (India); Sanyal, S. P. [Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal-462026 (India)

2016-05-23

Phonon properties of AmP have been studied by using breathing shell models (BSM) which includes breathing motion of electrons of the Am atoms due to f-d hybridization. The phonon dispersion curves, specific heat calculated from present model. The calculated phonon dispersion curves of AmP are presented follow the same trend as observed in uranium phosphide. We discuss the significance of this approach in predicting the phonon dispersion curves of these compounds and examine the role of electron-phonon interaction.

Thermal transport through a spin-phonon interacting junction: A nonequilibrium Green's function method study

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zu-Quan; Lü, Jing-Tao

2017-09-01

Using the nonequilibrium Green's function method, we consider heat transport in an insulating ferromagnetic spin chain model with spin-phonon interaction under an external magnetic field. Employing the Holstein-Primakoff transformation to the spin system, we treat the resulted magnon-phonon interaction within the self-consistent Born approximation. We find the magnon-phonon coupling can change qualitatively the magnon thermal conductance in the high-temperature regime. At a spectral mismatched ferromagnetic-normal insulator interface, we also find thermal rectification and negative differential thermal conductance due to the magnon-phonon interaction. We show that these effects can be effectively tuned by the external applied magnetic field, a convenient advantage absent in anharmonic phonon and electron-phonon systems studied before.

Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy of Conical Intersections

Science.gov (United States)

Neville, Simon P.; Chergui, Majed; Stolow, Albert; Schuurman, Michael S.

2018-06-01

Ongoing developments in ultrafast x-ray sources offer powerful new means of probing the complex nonadiabatically coupled structural and electronic dynamics of photoexcited molecules. These non-Born-Oppenheimer effects are governed by general electronic degeneracies termed conical intersections, which play a key role, analogous to that of a transition state, in the electronic-nuclear dynamics of excited molecules. Using high-level ab initio quantum dynamics simulations, we studied time-resolved x-ray absorption (TRXAS) and photoelectron spectroscopy (TRXPS) of the prototypical unsaturated organic chromophore, ethylene, following excitation to its S2(π π*) state. The TRXAS, in particular, is highly sensitive to all aspects of the ensuing dynamics. These x-ray spectroscopies provide a clear signature of the wave packet dynamics near conical intersections, related to charge localization effects driven by the nuclear dynamics. Given the ubiquity of charge localization in excited state dynamics, we believe that ultrafast x-ray spectroscopies offer a unique and powerful route to the direct observation of dynamics around conical intersections.

Electron–phonon superconductivity in YIn3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billington, D; Llewellyn-Jones, T M; Maroso, G; Dugdale, S B

2013-01-01

First-principles calculations of the electron–phonon coupling were performed on the cubic intermetallic compound YIn 3 . The electron–phonon coupling constant was found to be λ ep = 0.42. Using the Allen–Dynes formula with a Coulomb pseudopotential of μ* = 0.10, a T c of approximately 0.77 K is obtained which is reasonably consistent with the experimentally observed temperature (between 0.8 and 1.1 K). The results indicate that conventional electron–phonon coupling is capable of producing the superconductivity in this compound. (paper)

Isoscalar and isovector giant resonances in a self-consistent phonon coupling approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Lyutorovich

2015-10-01

Full Text Available We present fully self-consistent calculations of isoscalar giant monopole and quadrupole as well as isovector giant dipole resonances in heavy and light nuclei. The description is based on Skyrme energy-density functionals determining the static Hartree–Fock ground state and the excitation spectra within random-phase approximation (RPA and RPA extended by including the quasiparticle-phonon coupling at the level of the time-blocking approximation (TBA. All matrix elements were derived consistently from the given energy-density functional and calculated without any approximation. As a new feature in these calculations, the single-particle continuum was included thus avoiding the artificial discretization usually implied in RPA and TBA. The step to include phonon coupling in TBA leads to small, but systematic, down shifts of the centroid energies of the giant resonances. These shifts are similar in size for all Skyrme parametrizations investigated here. After all, we demonstrate that one can find Skyrme parametrizations which deliver a good simultaneous reproduction of all three giant resonances within TBA.

Effect of thermal phonons on the superconducting transition temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leavens, C.R.; Talbot, E.

1983-01-01

There is no consensus in the literature on whether or not thermal phonons depress the superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/. In this paper it is shown by accurate numerical solution of the real-frequency Eliashberg equations for the pairing self-energy phi and renormalization function Z that thermal phonons in the kernel for phi raise T/sub c/ but those in Z lower it by a larger amount so that the net effect is to depress T/sub c/. (A previous calculation which ignored the effect of thermal phonons in phi overestimated the suppression of T/sub c/ by at least a factor of 3.) It is shown how to switch off the thermal phonons in the imaginary-frequency Eliashberg equations, exactly for Z and approximately for phi. The real-frequency and approximate imaginary-frequency results for the depression of T/sub c/ by thermal phonons are in very satisfactory agreement. Thermal phonons are found to depress the transition temperature of Nb 3 Sn by only 2%. It is estimated that the suppression of T/sub c/ by thermal phonons saturates at about 50% in the limit of very strong electron-phonon coupling

Direct observation of the ultrafast electron transfer process in a polymer/fullerene blend

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cerullo, G.; Lanzani, G.; Silvestri, S. De; Brabec, Ch.J.; Zerza, G.; Sariciftci, N.S.; Hummelen, J.C.

2000-01-01

Photoinduced electron transfer in organic molecules is an extensively investigated topic both because of fundamental interest in the photophysics and for applications to artificial photosynthesis. Highly efficient ultrafast electron transfer from photoexcited conjugated polymers to C60 has been

Quantum coherent optical phase modulation in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope.

Science.gov (United States)

Feist, Armin; Echternkamp, Katharina E; Schauss, Jakob; Yalunin, Sergey V; Schäfer, Sascha; Ropers, Claus

2015-05-14

Coherent manipulation of quantum systems with light is expected to be a cornerstone of future information and communication technology, including quantum computation and cryptography. The transfer of an optical phase onto a quantum wavefunction is a defining aspect of coherent interactions and forms the basis of quantum state preparation, synchronization and metrology. Light-phase-modulated electron states near atoms and molecules are essential for the techniques of attosecond science, including the generation of extreme-ultraviolet pulses and orbital tomography. In contrast, the quantum-coherent phase-modulation of energetic free-electron beams has not been demonstrated, although it promises direct access to ultrafast imaging and spectroscopy with tailored electron pulses on the attosecond scale. Here we demonstrate the coherent quantum state manipulation of free-electron populations in an electron microscope beam. We employ the interaction of ultrashort electron pulses with optical near-fields to induce Rabi oscillations in the populations of electron momentum states, observed as a function of the optical driving field. Excellent agreement with the scaling of an equal-Rabi multilevel quantum ladder is obtained, representing the observation of a light-driven 'quantum walk' coherently reshaping electron density in momentum space. We note that, after the interaction, the optically generated superposition of momentum states evolves into a train of attosecond electron pulses. Our results reveal the potential of quantum control for the precision structuring of electron densities, with possible applications ranging from ultrafast electron spectroscopy and microscopy to accelerator science and free-electron lasers.

Ultrafast laser-semiconductor interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schile, L.A.

1996-01-01

Studies of the ultrafast (< 100 fs) interactions of infrared, sub-100 fs laser pulses with IR, photosensitive semiconductor materials InGaAs, InSb, and HgCdTe are reported. Both the carrier dynamics and the associated Terahertz radiation from these materials are discussed. The most recent developments of femtosecond (< 100 fs) Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPO) has extended the wavelength range from the visible to 5.2 μm. The photogenerated semiconductor free carrier dynamics are determined in the 77 to 300 degrees K temperature range using the Transmission Correlation Peak (TCP) method. The electron-phonon scattering times are typically 200 - 600 fs. Depending upon the material composition and substrate on which the IR crystalline materials are deposited, the nonlinear TCP absorption gives recombination rates as fast as 10's of picoseconds. For the HgCdTe, there exists a 400 fs electron-phonon scattering process along with a much longer 3600 fs loss process. Studies of the interactions of these ultrashort laser pulses with semiconductors produce Terahertz (Thz) radiative pulses. With undoped InSb, there is a substantial change in the spectral content of this THz radiation between 80 - 260 degrees K while the spectrum of Te-doped InSb remains nearly unchanged, an effect attributed to its mobility being dominated by impurity scattering. At 80 degrees K, the terahertz radiation from undoped InSb is dependent on wavelength, with both a higher frequency spectrum and much larger amplitudes generated at longer wavelengths. No such effect is observed at 260 degrees K. Finally, new results on the dependence of the emitted THz radiation on the InSb crystal's orientation is presented

Electronic response and longitudinal phonons of a charge-density-wave distorted linear chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giuliani, G.

1978-01-01

The longitudinal-phonon spectrum of an incommensurate charge-density-wave distorted linear chain at T = 0 K are calculated. This is done by direct numerical evaluation of the full static-electronic-response matrix. The electronic band structure assumed for this purpose is that of a mean-field theory 1-D Peierls insulator. The present results show how, within this simplified, but self-consistent picture, the phase and amplitude modes connect to, and interact with, the ordinary longitudinal-phonon branch. Effects due to our inclusion of (0,2ksub(F)) scattering along with the usual (-2ksub(F), 2ksub(F)) are also pointed out. An alternative approximate expression for the 1-D electronic-response matrix is also given. (author)

Equivalent circuit-level model of quantum cascade lasers with integrated hot-electron and hot-phonon effects

Science.gov (United States)

Yousefvand, H. R.

2017-12-01

We report a study of the effects of hot-electron and hot-phonon dynamics on the output characteristics of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using an equivalent circuit-level model. The model is developed from the energy balance equation to adopt the electron temperature in the active region levels, the heat transfer equation to include the lattice temperature, the nonequilibrium phonon rate to account for the hot phonon dynamics and simplified two-level rate equations to incorporate the carrier and photon dynamics in the active region. This technique simplifies the description of the electron-phonon interaction in QCLs far from the equilibrium condition. Using the presented model, the steady and transient responses of the QCLs for a wide range of sink temperatures (80 to 320 K) are investigated and analysed. The model enables us to explain the operating characteristics found in QCLs. This predictive model is expected to be applicable to all QCL material systems operating in pulsed and cw regimes.

Ultrafast electron microscopy: Instrument response from the single-electron to high bunch-charge regimes

Science.gov (United States)

Plemmons, Dayne A.; Flannigan, David J.

2017-09-01

We determine the instrument response of an ultrafast electron microscope equipped with a conventional thermionic electron gun and absent modifications beyond the optical ports. Using flat, graphite-encircled LaB6 cathodes, we image space-charge effects as a function of photoelectron-packet population and find that an applied Wehnelt bias has a negligible effect on the threshold levels (>103 electrons per pulse) but does appear to suppress blurring at the upper limits (∼105 electrons). Using plasma lensing, we determine the instrument-response time for 700-fs laser pulses and find that single-electron packets are laser limited (1 ps), while broadening occurs well below the space-charge limit.

Ultra-fast electron capture by electrosterically-stabilized gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghandi, Khashayar; Findlater, Alexander D; Mahimwalla, Zahid; MacNeil, Connor S; Awoonor-Williams, Ernest; Zahariev, Federico; Gordon, Mark S

2015-07-21

Ultra-fast pre-solvated electron capture has been observed for aqueous solutions of room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) surface-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs; ∼9 nm). The extraordinarily large inverse temperature dependent rate constants (k(e)∼ 5 × 10(14) M(-1) s(-1)) measured for the capture of electrons in solution suggest electron capture by the AuNP surface that is on the timescale of, and therefore in competition with, electron solvation and electron-cation recombination reactions. The observed electron transfer rates challenge the conventional notion that radiation induced biological damage would be enhanced in the presence of AuNPs. On the contrary, AuNPs stabilized by non-covalently bonded ligands demonstrate the potential to quench radiation-induced electrons, indicating potential applications in fields ranging from radiation therapy to heterogeneous catalysis.

Ab initio phonon dispersions of face centered cubic Pb: effects of spin-orbit coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dal Corso, Andrea

2008-01-01

I present the ab initio phonon dispersions of face centered cubic Pb calculated within the framework of density functional perturbation theory, with plane waves and a fully relativistic ultrasoft pseudopotential which includes spin-orbit coupling effects. I find that, within the local density approximation, the theory gives phonon frequencies close to the experimental inelastic neutron scattering data. Many of the anomalies present in these dispersions are well reproduced by the fully relativistic pseudopotential theory and can be shown to appear only for small values of the smearing parameter that controls the sharpness of the Fermi surface.

The determination of the acoustical phonon dispersion branches of CePd3 by inelastic neutron diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severing, A.

1985-07-01

The result of this thesis is, that the phonon dispersion of CePd 3 , measured by inelastic neutron scattering, does not show any phonon softening effects due to valence fluctuations as it is observed in the phonon dispersion spectra of TmSe, SmS under pressure and SMsub(.75)Ysub(.25)S in dependence of the temperature. Even at low temperature no softening effects could be detected in comparison to the room temperature data. However we see indications for the existence of intermediate valence induced electron-phonon couplings in the linewidth of the longitudinal acoustic phonon in -direction with reduced wavevector xi=0.2. This phonon seems to be broadened at 135 K. If this broadening is a real intermediate valence effect, this effects manifest themselves much weaker in CePd 3 than in the substances with NaCl-structure. The question whether such couplings realy exist can only be answered by further measurements. (orig.)

Mutual interactions of phonons, rotons, and gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolis, Alberto; Penco, Riccardo

2018-04-01

We introduce an effective point-particle action for generic particles living in a zero-temperature superfluid. This action describes the motion of the particles in the medium at equilibrium as well as their couplings to sound waves and generic fluid flows. While we place the emphasis on elementary excitations such as phonons and rotons, our formalism applies also to macroscopic objects such as vortex rings and rigid bodies interacting with long-wavelength fluid modes. Within our approach, we reproduce phonon decay and phonon-phonon scattering as predicted using a purely field-theoretic description of phonons. We also correct classic results by Landau and Khalatnikov on roton-phonon scattering. Finally, we discuss how phonons and rotons couple to gravity, and show that the former tend to float while the latter tend to sink but with rather peculiar trajectories. Our formalism can be easily extended to include (general) relativistic effects and couplings to additional matter fields. As such, it can be relevant in contexts as diverse as neutron star physics and light dark matter detection.

Multiphonon contribution to the polaron formation in cuprates with strong electron correlations and strong electron-phonon interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Ovchinnikov, Sergey G.; Makarov, Ilya A.; Kozlov, Peter A.

2017-03-01

In this work dependences of the electron band structure and spectral function in the HTSC cuprates on magnitude of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) and temperature are investigated. We use three-band p-d model with diagonal and offdiagonal EPI with breathing and buckling phonon mode in the frameworks of polaronic version of the generalized tight binding (GTB) method. The polaronic quasiparticle excitation in the system with EPI within this approach is formed by a hybridization of the local multiphonon Franck-Condon excitations with lower and upper Hubbard bands. Increasing EPI leads to transfer of spectral weight to high-energy multiphonon excitations and broadening of the spectral function. Temperature effects are taken into account by occupation numbers of local excited polaronic states and variations in the magnitude of spin-spin correlation functions. Increasing the temperature results in band structure reconstruction, spectral weight redistribution, broadening of the spectral function peak at the top of the valence band and the decreasing of the peak intensity. The effect of EPI with two phonon modes on the polaron spectral function is discussed.

Anisotropic phonon coupling in the relaxor ferroelectric (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 near its high-temperature phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Ling; Toulouse, Jean; Luo, Haosu; Tian, Wei

2014-08-01

The lead free relaxor Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 (NBT) undergoes a structural cubic-to-tetragonal transition near 800 K which is caused by the cooperative rotations of O6 octahedra. These rotations are also accompanied by the displacements of the cations and the formation of the polar nanodomains (PNDs) that are responsible for the characteristic dielectric dispersion of relaxor ferroelectrics. Because of their intrinsic properties, spontaneous polarization, and lack of inversion symmetry, these PNDs are also piezoelectric and can mediate an interaction between polarization and strain or couple the optic and acoustic phonons. Because PNDs introduce a local tetragonal symmetry, the phonon coupling they mediate is found to be anisotropic. In this paper we present inelastic neutron scattering results on coupled transverse acoustic (TA) and transverse optic (TO) phonons in the [110] and [001] directions and across the cubic-tetragonal phase transition at TC˜800 K. The phonon spectra are analyzed using a mode coupling model. In the [110] direction, as in other relaxors and some ferroelectric perovskites, a precipitous drop of the TO phonon into the TA branch or "waterfall" is observed at a certain qwf˜0.14 r.l.u. In the [001] direction, the highly overdamped line shape can be fitted with closely positioned bare mode energies which are largely overlapping along the dispersion curves. Two competing lattice coupling mechanism are proposed to explain these observations.

Thermal phonon scattering in silicon doped with Li, P and Li-O; influence of the electronic structure of the impurities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fortier, Dominique.

1976-07-01

Besides the three phonon scattering mechanisms generally considered in insulators, i.e. boundary effect, isotopic scattering and phonon-phonon interaction, the electron-phonon scattering mechanism was studied with special reference to the scattering of thermal phonons by donor impurities in silicon. In order to demonstrate clearly the effect of the electronic structure of the impurity on this scattering, three donor centres were investigated: Li, Li-O and P. On the basis of the calculated relaxation times it was possible from theoretical analysis to account for the main results and to explain why the Li centre scatters thermal phonons more efficiently than Li-O and P centres in the isolated impurity range [fr

Effects of Thermal Lattice Vibration on the Effective Potential of Weak-Coupling Bipolaron in a Quantum Dot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eerdunchaolu; Xiao Xin; Han Chao; Xin Wei; Wuyunqimuge

2012-01-01

Based on the Huybrechts' linear-combination operator, effects of thermal lattice vibration on the effective potential of weak-coupling bipolaron in semiconductor quantum dots are studied by using the LLP variational method and quantum statistical theory. The results show that the absolute value of the induced potential of the bipolaron increases with increasing the electron-phonon coupling strength, but decreases with increasing the temperature and the distance of electrons, respectively; the absolute value of the effective potential increases with increasing the radius of the quantum dot, electron-phonon coupling strength and the distance of electrons, respectively, but decreases with increasing the temperature; the temperature and electron-phonon interaction have the important influence on the formation and state properties of the bipolaron: the bipolarons in the bound state are closer and more stable when the electron-phonon coupling strength is larger or the temperature is lower; the confinement potential and coulomb repulsive potential between electrons are unfavorable to the formation of bipolarons in the bound state. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Detecting the phonon spin in magnon-phonon conversion experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Holanda, J.; Maior, D. S.; Azevedo, A.; Rezende, S. M.

2018-05-01

Recent advances in the emerging field of magnon spintronics have stimulated renewed interest in phenomena involving the interaction between spin waves, the collective excitations of spins in magnetic materials that quantize as magnons, and the elastic waves that arise from excitations in the crystal lattice, which quantize as phonons. In magnetic insulators, owing to the magnetostrictive properties of materials, spin waves can become strongly coupled to elastic waves, forming magnetoelastic waves—a hybridized magnon-phonon excitation. While several aspects of this interaction have been subject to recent scrutiny, it remains unclear whether or not phonons can carry spin. Here we report experiments on a film of the ferrimagnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet under a non-uniform magnetic field demonstrating the conversion of coherent magnons generated by a microwave field into phonons that have spin. While it is well established that photons in circularly polarized light carry a spin, the spin of phonons has had little attention in the literature. By means of wavevector-resolved Brillouin light-scattering measurements, we show that the magnon-phonon conversion occurs with constant energy and varying linear momentum, and that the light scattered by the phonons is circularly polarized, thus demonstrating that the phonons have spin.

Influence of lattice vibrations on the field driven electronic transport in chains with correlated disorder

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, L. D.; Sales, M. O.; Ranciaro Neto, A.; Lyra, M. L.; de Moura, F. A. B. F.

2016-12-01

We investigate electronic transport in a one-dimensional model with four different types of atoms and long-ranged correlated disorder. The latter was attained by choosing an adequate distribution of on-site energies. The wave-packet dynamics is followed by taking into account effects due to a static electric field and electron-phonon coupling. In the absence of electron-phonon coupling, the competition between correlated disorder and the static electric field promotes the occurrence of wave-packet oscillations in the regime of strong correlations. When the electron-lattice coupling is switched on, phonon scattering degrades the Bloch oscillations. For weak electron-phonon couplings, a coherent oscillatory-like dynamics of the wave-packet centroid persists for short periods of time. For strong couplings the wave-packet acquires a diffusive-like displacement and spreading. A slower sub-diffusive spreading takes place in the regime of weak correlations.

Ultrafast terahertz electrodynamics of photonic and electronic nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Liang [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2015-01-01

This thesis summarizes my work on using ultrafast laser pulses to study Terahertz (THz) electrodynamics of photonic and electronic nanostructures and microstructures. Ultrafast timeresolved (optical, NIR, MIR, THz) pump-probe spectroscopy setup has been successfully built, which enables me to perform a series of relevant experiments. Firstly, a novel high e ciency and compact THz wave emitter based on split-ring-resonators has been developed and characterized. The emitter can be pumped at any wavelength by tailoring the magnetic resonance and could generate gapless THz waves covering the entire THz band. Secondly, two kinds of new photonic structures for THz wave manipulation have been successfully designed and characterized. One is based on the 1D and 2D photo-imprinted di ractive elements. The other is based on the photoexcited double-split-ring-resonator metamaterials. Both structures are exible and can modulate THz waves with large tunability. Thirdly, the dark excitons in semiconducting singlewalled carbon nanotubes are studied by optical pump and THz probe spectroscopy, which provides the rst insights into the THz responses of nonequilibrium excitonic correlations and dynamics from the dark ground states in carbon nanotubes. Next, several on-going projects are brie y presented such as the study of ultrafast THz dynamics of Dirac fermions in topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ with Mid-infrared excitation. Finally, the thesis ends with a summary of the completed experiments and an outlook of the future plan.

Thermal conductivity of electron-doped CaMnO3 perovskites: Local lattice distortions and optical phonon thermal excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yang; Sui Yu; Wang Xianjie; Su Wenhui; Liu Xiaoyang; Fan, Hong Jin

2010-01-01

The thermal transport properties of a series of electron-doped CaMnO 3 perovskites have been investigated. Throughout the temperature range 5-300 K, phonon thermal conductivity is dominant, and both electron and spin wave contributions are negligible. The short phonon mean free paths in this system result in the relatively low thermal conductivities. The strong phonon scatterings stem from the A-site mismatch and bond-length fluctuations induced by local distortions of MnO 6 octahedra. The thermal conductivity in the magnetically ordered state is enhanced as a result of the decrease in spin-phonon scattering. The results also indicate that above the magnetic ordering temperature, observable thermal excitation of optical phonons occurs. The contribution of optical phonons to thermal conductivity becomes non-negligible and is proposed to play an important role in the glass-like thermal transport behavior (i.e. positive temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity) in the paramagnetic state. These features can be understood in terms of an expression of thermal conductivity that includes both acoustic and optical phonon terms.

Density of states and phase diagram of the antiferromagnetic spin chain with Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction and spin-phonon coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Qin; Chen Hong; Zheng Hang

2007-01-01

The effects of DM interaction on the density-of-states, the dimerization and the phase diagram in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain coupled with quantum phonons have been studied by a nonadiabatic analytical approach. The results show that the effect of the DM interaction is to increase the staggered antisymmetric spin exchange interaction order but to decrease the spin dimerization and their competitions result in the lattice dimerization ordering parameter to increase for large staggered DM interaction parameter β and decrease for small β. A crossover of β exists in which the dimerization ordering parameter changes non-monotonously. As the DM interaction parameter D increases, depending on the appropriate values of spin-phonon coupling, phonon frequency and β, the system undergoes phase transition from spin gapless state to gapped state or reversely and can even reenter between the two states. The relation between the phonon-staggered ordering parameter, the spin-dimer order parameter and the staggered DM interaction order parameter gives clearly their contributing weights to the lattice dimerization

Real-time observation of ultrafast electron injection at graphene–Zn porphyrin interfaces

KAUST Repository

Masih, Dilshad

2015-02-25

We report on the ultrafast interfacial electron transfer ( ET) between zinc( II) porphyrin ( ZnTMPyP) and negatively charged graphene carboxylate ( GC) using state- of- the- art femtosecond laser spectroscopy with broadband capabilities. The steady- state interaction between GC and ZnTMPyP results in a red- shifted absorption spectrum, providing a clear indication for the binding affinity between ZnTMPyP and GC via electrostatic and p- p stacking interactions. Ultrafast transient absorption ( TA) spectra in the absence and presence of three different GC concentrations reveal ( i) the ultrafast formation of singlet excited ZnTMPyP*, which partially relaxes into a long- lived triplet state, and ( ii) ET from the singlet excited ZnTMPyP* to GC, forming ZnTMPyP + and GC , as indicated by a spectral feature at 650- 750 nm, which is attributed to a ZnTMPyP radical cation resulting from the ET process.

Robust Stacking-Independent Ultrafast Charge Transfer in MoS2/WS2 Bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Ziheng; Hong, Hao; Zhang, Jin; Zhang, Qi; Huang, Wei; Cao, Ting; Qiao, Ruixi; Liu, Can; Liang, Jing; Jin, Chuanhong; Jiao, Liying; Shi, Kebin; Meng, Sheng; Liu, Kaihui

2017-12-26

Van der Waals-coupled two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures have attracted great attention recently due to their high potential in the next-generation photodetectors and solar cells. The understanding of charge-transfer process between adjacent atomic layers is the key to design optimal devices as it directly determines the fundamental response speed and photon-electron conversion efficiency. However, general belief and theoretical studies have shown that the charge transfer behavior depends sensitively on interlayer configurations, which is difficult to control accurately, bringing great uncertainties in device designing. Here we investigate the ultrafast dynamics of interlayer charge transfer in a prototype heterostructure, the MoS 2 /WS 2 bilayer with various stacking configurations, by optical two-color ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Surprisingly, we found that the charge transfer is robust against varying interlayer twist angles and interlayer coupling strength, in time scale of ∼90 fs. Our observation, together with atomic-resolved transmission electron characterization and time-dependent density functional theory simulations, reveals that the robust ultrafast charge transfer is attributed to the heterogeneous interlayer stretching/sliding, which provides additional channels for efficient charge transfer previously unknown. Our results elucidate the origin of transfer rate robustness against interlayer stacking configurations in optical devices based on 2D heterostructures, facilitating their applications in ultrafast and high-efficient optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices in the near future.

Bunch evolution study in optimization of MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Xianhai; Du Yingchao; Huang Wenhui; Tang Chuanxiang

2014-01-01

transverse ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) is a promising detection tool for ultrafast processes. The quality of diffraction image is determined by the transverse evolution of the probe bunch. In this paper, we study the contributing terms of the emittance and space charge effects to the bunch evolution in the MeV UED scheme, employing a mean-field model with an ellipsoidal distribution as well as particle tracking simulation. The small transverse dimension of the drive laser is found to be critical to improve the reciprocal resolution, exploiting both smaller emittance and larger transverse bunch size before the solenoid. The degradation of the reciprocal spatial resolution caused by the space charge effects should be carefully controlled. (authors)

Bunch evolution study in optimization of MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xian-Hai; Du, Ying-Chao; Huang, Wen-Hui; Tang, Chuan-Xiang

2014-12-01

Megaelectronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) is a promising detection tool for ultrafast processes. The quality of diffraction image is determined by the transverse evolution of the probe bunch. In this paper, we study the contributing terms of the emittance and space charge effects to the bunch evolution in the MeV UED scheme, employing a mean-field model with an ellipsoidal distribution as well as particle tracking simulation. The small transverse dimension of the drive laser is found to be critical to improve the reciprocal resolution, exploiting both smaller emittance and larger transverse bunch size before the solenoid. The degradation of the reciprocal spatial resolution caused by the space charge effects should be carefully controlled.

Effect of magnon-phonon interaction on transverse acoustic phonon excitation at finite temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Taimin; Li Lin; Xianyu Ze

2007-01-01

A magnon-phonon interaction model is developed on the basis of two-dimensional square Heisenberg ferromagnetic system. By using Matsubara Green function theory transverse acoustic phonon excitation is studied and transverse acoustic phonon excitation dispersion curves is calculated on the main symmetric point and line in the first Brillouin zone. On line Σ it is found that there is hardening for transverse acoustic phonon on small wave vector zone (nearby point Γ), there is softening for transverse acoustic phonon on the softening zone and there is hardening for transverse acoustic phonon near point M. On line Δ it is found there is no softening and hardening for transverse acoustic phonon. On line Z it is found that there is softening for transverse acoustic phonon on small wave vector zone (nearby point X) and there is hardening for transverse acoustic phonon nearby point M. The influences of various parameters on transverse acoustic phonon excitation are also explored and it is found that the coupling of the magnon-phonon and the spin wave stiffness constant play an important role for the softening of transverse acoustic phonon

Optical phonon scattering on electronic mobility in Al2O3/AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, X. J.; Qu, Y.; Ban, S. L.; Wang, Z. P.

2017-12-01

Considering the built-in electric fields and the two-mode property of transverse optical phonons in AlGaN material, the electronic eigen-energies and wave functions are obtained by solving Schrödinger equation with the finite difference method. The dispersion relations and potentials of the optical phonons are given by the transfer matrix method. The mobility of the two dimensional electron gas influenced by the optical phonons in Al2O3/AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures is investigated based on the theory of Lei-Ting force balance equation. It is found that the scattering from the half-space phonons is the main factor affecting the electronic mobility, and the influence of the other phonons can be ignored. The results show that the mobility decreases with increasing the thicknesses of Al2O3 and AlN layers, but there is no definite relationship between the mobility and the thickness of AlGaN barrier. The mobility is obviously reduced by increasing Al component in AlGaN crystal to show that the effect of ternary mixed crystals is important. It is also found that the mobility increases first and then decreases as the increment of the fixed charges, but decreases always with increasing temperature. The heterostructures constructed here can be good candidates as metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility-transistors since they have higher electronic mobility due to the influence from interface phonons weakened by the AlN interlayer.

Theory of the Influence of Phonon-Phonon and Electron-Phonon Interactions on the Scattering of Neutrons by Crystals; Theorie de l'influence des interactions phonon-phonon et electron-phonon sur la diffusion des neutrons par des cristaux; Teoriya vliyaniya vzaimodejstvij fonon-fonon iehlvktron-fonon na rasseyanie nejtronov kristalla-; Teoria de la influencia de las interacciones fonon-fonon y electron-fonon en la dispersion de neutrones por cristales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kokkedee, J J.J. [Institute for Theoretical Physics of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands)

1963-01-15

As predicted by harmonic theory the coherent inelastic spectrums of neutrons, scattered by a single, non-conducting crystal, for a particular angle of scattering consists of a number of delta-function peaks superposed on a continuous background. The peaks correspond to one-phonon processes in which one phonon is absorbed or emitted by the neutron; the background arises from multi-phonon processes. When anharmonic forces (phonon-phonon interactions) are present, the delta-function peaks are broadened into finite peaks, while their central frequencies are shifted with respect to the harmonic values. In the case of a metal there is in addition to phonon-phonon interactions an interaction between phonons and conduction electrons, which also gives a contribution to the displacement and broadening oftheone-phononpeaks. Continuing earlier work of Van Hove (sho considered the relatively simple case of a non-conductin crystal in its ground state (T = 0{sup o}K) ), we have studied the shifts and widths of the scattering peaks as a 'result of the above-mentioned interactions by means of many particle perturbation theory, making extensive use of diagram techniques. Prerequisite to the entire discussion is the assumption that, independent of the strength of the interactions, the width of each peak is small compared to the value of the frequency at its centre; only then the peaks can be considered as being well defined with respect to the background to higher order in the interactions. This condition is expected to be fulfilled for temperatures which are not too high and values of the phonon wave vector which are not too large. Our procedure yields closed formulae for the partial scattering function describing the peaks, which can be evaluated to arbitrarily high accuracy. In particular an expansion for calculating the line shift and line width in powers of u/d and in terms of simple connected diagrams is obtained (u is an average atomic or ionic displacement, d is the smallest

Role of rare-earth ionic radii on the spin-phonon coupling in multiferroic ordered double perovskites

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Macedo Filho, R.B.; Barbosa, D.A.B.; Reichlová, Helena; Martí, Xavier; de Menezes, A.S.; Ayala, A.P.; Paschoal, C.W.A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 2 (2015), 075201 ISSN 2053-1591 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : double perovskites * spin-phonon coupling * multiferroics Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.968, year: 2015

Optical Nonlinearities and Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klimov, V.; McBranch, D.; Schwarz, C.

1998-08-10

Low-dimensional semiconductors have attracted great interest due to the potential for tailoring their linear and nonlinear optical properties over a wide-range. Semiconductor nanocrystals (NC's) represent a class of quasi-zero-dimensional objects or quantum dots. Due to quantum cordhement and a large surface-to-volume ratio, the linear and nonlinear optical properties, and the carrier dynamics in NC's are significantly different horn those in bulk materials. napping at surface states can lead to a fast depopulation of quantized states, accompanied by charge separation and generation of local fields which significantly modifies the nonlinear optical response in NC's. 3D carrier confinement also has a drastic effect on the energy relaxation dynamics. In strongly confined NC's, the energy-level spacing can greatly exceed typical phonon energies. This has been expected to significantly inhibit phonon-related mechanisms for energy losses, an effect referred to as a phonon bottleneck. It has been suggested recently that the phonon bottleneck in 3D-confined systems can be removed due to enhanced role of Auger-type interactions. In this paper we report femtosecond (fs) studies of ultrafast optical nonlinearities, and energy relaxation and trap ping dynamics in three types of quantum-dot systems: semiconductor NC/glass composites made by high temperature precipitation, ion-implanted NC's, and colloidal NC'S. Comparison of ultrafast data for different samples allows us to separate effects being intrinsic to quantum dots from those related to lattice imperfections and interface properties.

Time-resolved two-photon photoemission at the Si(001)-surface. Hot electron dynamics and two-dimensional Fano resonance; Zeitaufgeloeste Zweiphotonen-Photoemission an der Si(001)-Oberflaeche. Dynamik heisser Elektronen und zweidimensionaler Fano-Effekt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eickhoff, Christian

2010-10-27

By combining ultrafast laser excitation with energy-, angle- and time-resolved twophoton photoemission (2PPE), the electronic properties of bulk silicon and the Si(001) surface are investigated in this thesis. A custom-built laser- and UHV-systemequipped with a display type 2D-CCD-detector gives new insight into the relaxation dynamics of excited carriers on a femtosecond timescale. The bandgap between occupied valence bands and unoccupied conduction bands characteristically influences the dynamics of excited electrons in the bulk, as well as in surface states and resonances. For the electron-phonon interaction this leads to the formation of a bottleneck during the relaxation of hot electrons in the conduction band, which maintains the elevated electronic temperature for several picoseconds. During relaxation, excited electrons also scatter from the conduction band into the unoccupied dangling-bond surface state D{sub down}. Depending on the excitation density this surface recombination is dominated by electron-electron- or electron-phonon scattering. The relaxation of the carriers in the D{sub down}-band is again slowed down by the formation of a bottleneck in electron-phonon coupling. Furthermore, the new laser system has allowed detection of the Rydberg-like series of image-potential resonances on the Si(001)-surface. It is shown that the lifetime of these image-potential resonances in front of the semiconducting surface exhibits the same behavior as those in front of metallic surfaces. Moreover the electron-phonon coupling in the first image-potential resonance was investigated and compared to the D{sub down}-surface state. For the first time, Fano-type lineprofiles are demonstrated and analyzed in a 2PPEprocess on a surface. Tuning the photon energy of the pump-laser across the resonance between the occupied dangling-bond state D{sub up}, and the unoccupied image-potential resonance n=1, reveals a clear intensity variation that can be successfully described

Phonon scattering and thermal conductance properties in two coupled graphene nanoribbons modulated with bridge atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Shi-Hua; Tang, Li-Ming; Chen, Ke-Qiu

2014-01-01

The phonon scattering and thermal conductance properties have been studied in two coupled graphene nanoribbons connected by different bridge atoms by using density functional theory in combination with non-equilibrium Green's function approach. The results show that a wide range of thermal conductance tuning can be realized by changing the chemical bond strength and atom mass of the bridge atoms. It is found that the chemical bond strength (bridge atom mass) plays the main role in phonon scattering at low (high) temperature. A simple equation is presented to describe the relationship among the thermal conductance, bridge atom, and temperature.

Observation of magnon-phonon interaction at short wavelengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolling, G.; Cowley, R.A.

1966-01-01

Measurements have been made of the magnon and phonon dispersion relations in uranium dioxide at 9 o K. These measurements provide evidence of a strong interaction between the magnon and phonon excitations and enable a value to be deduced for the coupling constant. The interaction of long-wavelength magnons in ferromagnetic materials has been studied previously with ultrasonic techniques; however, inelastic scattering of slow neutrons enables both the magnon and phonon dispersion relations to be determined for short wavelengths. In those magnetic materials which have been studied by earlier workers, the magnons and phonons either interacted with one another very weakly or else their frequencies were very different. The results could then be understood without introducing any magnon-phonon interaction. In this note we report measurements of both the magnon and the phonon spectra of antiferromagnetic uranium dioxide, which lead to a magnon-phonon coupling constant of 9.6 ± 1.6 o K. Since the Neel temperature is 30.8 o K, this coupling constant is of a similar magnitude to the direct magnetic interactions. (author)

Ultrafast electron field emission from gold resonant antennas studied by two terahertz pulse experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iwaszczuk, Krzysztof; Zalkovskij, Maksim; Strikwerda, Andrew C.

2015-01-01

Summary form only given. Ultrafast electron field emission from gold resonant antennas induced by strong terahertz (THz) transient is investigated using two THz pulse experiments. It is shown that UV emission from nitrogen plasma generated by liberated electrons is a good indication of the local...

Non-adiabatic effects in the electron and phonon spectra of a Peierls insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzyub, I.P.; Zerov, Yu.E.

1989-08-01

The phonon and electron spectra of the discrete version of the Su, Schrieffer and Heeger model are calculated taking into account the polarization effects. It is shown that there exists a finite probability of electron states relaxation even at zero temperature. (author). 5 refs, 1 fig

Electron nonelastic scattering by confined and interface polar optical phonons in a modulation-doped AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well

CERN Document Server

Pozela, K

2001-01-01

The calculations of electron scattering rates by polar optical (PO) phonons in an AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) with a different width and doping level are performed. The electron-PO-phonon scattering mechanisms which are responsible for the alternate dependence of electron mobility on a QW width, as well as for the decrease of conductivity in the QW with increasing electron concentration are determined. It is shown that the degeneration of electron gas decreases the electron scattering rate by PO-phonon emission and increases the scattering rate by phonon absorption. The competition between the decrease of the intrasubband scattering and the increase of the intersubband scattering by PO-phonon absorption is responsible for the alternate changes of the mobility with a QW width

On mutual electron and phonon drag and low-temperature anomalies of thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects in HgSe:Fe crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuleev, I.G.; Arapova, I.Yu.

2000-01-01

Different approaches to solving the set of transport equations for a nonequilibrium electron-phonon system in the magnetic field are considered. The effect of mutual drag of electron and phonon on the magnetic field dependence of the Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficients is analyzed. A detailed analysis of the dependence of the iron content in HgSe:Fe crystals with regard to the mutual electron and phonon drag is carried out. Kinetic coefficients corresponding to these approaches to the solutions are calculated for conductors with the degenerate statistics of the current carriers [ru

Phonon-assisted hopping of an electron on a Wannier-Stark ladder in a strong electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emin, D.; Hart, C.F.

1987-01-01

With the application of a spatially constant electric field, the degeneracy of electronic energy levels of geometrically equivalent sites of a crystal is generally lifted. As a result, the electric field causes the electronic eigenstates of a one-dimensional periodic chain to become localized. In particular, they are Wannier-Stark states. With sufficiently large electric-field strengths these states become sufficiently well localized that it becomes appropriate to consider electronic transport to occur via a succession of phonon-assisted hops between the localized Wannier-Stark states. In this paper, we present calculations of the drift velocity arising from acoustic- and optical-phonon-assisted hopping motion between Wannier-Stark states. When the intersite electronic transfer energy is sufficiently small so that the Wannier-Stark states are essentially each confined to a single atomic site, the transport reduces to that of a small polaron. In this regime, while the drift velocity initially rises with increasing electric field strength, the drift velocity ultimately falls with increasing electric-field strength at extremely large electric fields. More generally, for common values of the electronic bandwidth and electric field strength, the Wannier-Stark states span many sites. At sufficiently large electric fields, the energy separation between Wannier-Stark states exceeds the energy uncertainty associated with the carrier's interaction with phonons. Then, it is appropriate to treat the electronic transport in terms of phonon-assisted hopping between Wannier-Stark states. The resulting high-field drift velocity falls with increasing field strength in a series of steps. Thus, we find a structured negative differential mobility at large electric fields

Design of materials configurations for enhanced phononic and electronic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Daraio, Chiara

The discovery of novel nonlinear dynamic and electronic phenomena is presented for the specific cases of granular materials and carbon nanotubes. This research was conducted for designing and constructing optimized macro-, micro- and nano-scale structural configurations of materials, and for studying their phononic and electronic behavior. Variation of composite arrangements of granular elements with different elastic properties in a linear chain-of-sphere, Y-junction or 3-D configurations led to a variety of novel phononic phenomena and interesting physical properties, which can be potentially useful for security, communications, mechanical and biomedical engineering applications. Mechanical and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes with different atomic arrangements and microstructures were also investigated. Electronic properties of Y-junction configured carbon nanotubes exhibit an exciting transistor switch behavior which is not seen in linear configuration nanotubes. Strongly nonlinear materials were designed and fabricated using novel and innovative concepts. Due to their unique strongly nonlinear and anisotropic nature, novel wave phenomena have been discovered. Specifically, violations of Snell's law were detected and a new mechanism of wave interaction with interfaces between NTPCs (Nonlinear Tunable Phononic Crystals) was established. Polymer-based systems were tested for the first time, and the tunability of the solitary waves speed was demonstrated. New materials with transformed signal propagation speed in the manageable range of 10-100 m/s and signal amplitude typical for audible speech have been developed. The enhancing of the mitigation of solitary and shock waves in 1-D chains were demonstrated and a new protective medium was designed for practical applications. 1-D, 2-D and 3-D strongly nonlinear system have been investigated providing a broad impact on the whole area of strongly nonlinear wave dynamics and creating experimental basis for new

Electrical resistivity due to electron-phonon scattering in thin gadolinium films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urbaniak-Kucharczyk, A.

1988-01-01

The contribution to the electrical resistivity due to the electron-phonon scattering for the special case of h.c.p. structure is derived. The numerical results obtained for the case of polycrystalline gadolinum films show the resistivity dependence on the film thickness and the surface properties. (author)

Weak coupling theory of the ripplon limited mobility of a 2-D electron lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahm, A.J.; Mehrotra, R.

1981-01-01

The one ripplon-n phonon scattering contribution to the mobility of a 2D electron lattice supported by a liquid helium substrate is calculated in first order perturbation theory to all orders of n in the weak coupling limit. The Debye Waller factor is shown to limit the momentum transfer at large ripplon wave-vectors and high temperatures causing a minimum in the mobility as a function of temperature. (orig.)

Reducing dephasing in coupled quantum dot-cavity systems by engineering the carrier wavefunctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nysteen, Anders; Nielsen, Per Kær; Mørk, Jesper

2012-01-01

We demonstrate theoretically how photon-assisted dephasing by the electron-phonon interaction in a coupled cavity-quantum dot system can be significantly reduced for specific QD-cavity detunings. Our starting point is a recently published theory,1 which considers longitudinal acoustic phonons......, described by a non-Markovian model, interacting with a coupled quantum dot-cavity system. The reduction of phonon-induced dephasing is obtained by placing the cavity-quantum dot system inside an infinite slab, assuming spherical electronic wavefunctions. Based on our calculations, we expect this to have...

Polarization-dependent force driving the Eg mode in bismuth under optical excitation: comparison of first-principles theory with ultra-fast x-ray experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Fahy, Stephen; Murray, Eamonn

2015-03-01

Using first principles electronic structure methods, we calculate the induced force on the Eg (zone centre transverse optical) phonon mode in bismuth immediately after absorption of a ultrafast pulse of polarized light. To compare the results with recent ultra-fast, time-resolved x-ray diffraction experiments, we include the decay of the force due to carrier scattering, as measured in optical Raman scattering experiments, and simulate the optical absorption process, depth-dependent atomic driving forces, and x-ray diffraction in the experimental geometry. We find excellent agreement between the theoretical predictions and the observed oscillations of the x-ray diffraction signal, indicating that first-principles theory of optical absorption is well suited to the calculation of initial atomic driving forces in photo-excited materials following ultrafast excitation. This work is supported by Science Foundation Ireland (Grant No. 12/IA/1601) and EU Commission under the Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowships (Grant No. PIIF-GA-2012-329695).

Influence of electron-phonon interaction on soliton mediated spin-charge conversion effects in two-component polymer model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sergeenkov, S.; Moraes, F.; Furtado, C.; Araujo-Moreira, F.M.

2010-01-01

By mapping a Hubbard-like model describing a two-component polymer in the presence of strong enough electron-phonon interactions (κ) onto the system of two coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations with U(2) symmetry group, some nontrivial correlations between topological solitons mediated charge Q and spin S degrees of freedom are obtained. Namely, in addition to a charge fractionalization and reentrant like behavior of both Q(κ) and S(κ), the model also predicts a decrease of soliton velocity with κ as well as spin-charge conversion effects which manifest themselves through an explicit S(Q,Ω) dependence (with Ω being a mixing angle between spin-up and spin-down electron amplitudes). A possibility to observe the predicted effects in low-dimensional systems with charge and spin soliton carriers is discussed.

Phonon-based scalable platform for chip-scale quantum computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles M. Reinke

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We present a scalable phonon-based quantum computer on a phononic crystal platform. Practical schemes involve selective placement of a single acceptor atom in the peak of the strain field in a high-Q phononic crystal cavity that enables coupling of the phonon modes to the energy levels of the atom. We show theoretical optimization of the cavity design and coupling waveguide, along with estimated performance figures of the coupled system. A qubit can be created by entangling a phonon at the resonance frequency of the cavity with the atom states. Qubits based on this half-sound, half-matter quasi-particle, called a phoniton, may outcompete other quantum architectures in terms of combined emission rate, coherence lifetime, and fabrication demands.

Detecting phonon blockade with photons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didier, Nicolas; Pugnetti, Stefano; Fazio, Rosario; Blanter, Yaroslav M.

2011-01-01

Measuring the quantum dynamics of a mechanical system, when few phonons are involved, remains a challenge. We show that a superconducting microwave resonator linearly coupled to the mechanical mode constitutes a very powerful probe for this scope. This new coupling can be much stronger than the usual radiation pressure interaction by adjusting a gate voltage. We focus on the detection of phonon blockade, showing that it can be observed by measuring the statistics of the light in the cavity. The underlying reason is the formation of an entangled state between the two resonators. Our scheme realizes a phonotonic Josephson junction, giving rise to coherent oscillations between phonons and photons as well as a self-trapping regime for a coupling smaller than a critical value. The transition from the self-trapping to the oscillating regime is also induced dynamically by dissipation.

Strong Energy-momentum Dispersion of Phonon Dressed Carriers in the Lightly Doped Band Insulator SrTiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meevasana, Warawat

2010-01-01

Much progress has been made recently in the study of the effects of electron-phonon (el-ph) coupling in doped insulators using angle resolved photoemission (ARPES), yielding evidence for the dominant role of el-ph interactions in underdoped cuprates. As these studies have been limited to doped Mott insulators, the important question arises how this compares with doped band insulators where similar el-ph couplings should be at work. The archetypical case is the perovskite SrTiO 3 (STO), well known for its giant dielectric constant of 10000 at low temperature, exceeding that of La 2 CuO 4 by a factor of 500. Based on this fact, it has been suggested that doped STO should be the archetypical bipolaron superconductor. Here we report an ARPES study from high-quality surfaces of lightly doped SrTiO 3 . Comparing to lightly doped Mott insulators, we find the signatures of only moderate electron-phonon coupling: a dispersion anomaly associated with the low frequency optical phonon with a λ(prime) ∼ 0.3 and an overall bandwidth renormalization suggesting an overall λ(prime) ∼ 0.7 coming from the higher frequency phonons. Further, we find no clear signatures of the large pseudogap or small polaron phenomena. These findings demonstrate that a large dielectric constant itself is not a good indicator of el-ph coupling and highlight the unusually strong effects of the el-ph coupling in doped Mott insulators.

Room Temperature Deposition Processes Mediated By Ultrafast Photo-Excited Hot Electrons

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-30

mechanical through resonant energy transfer. The average electron temperature (Tel) during τ2 evolves as energy is lost through optical and acoustic ...through ballistic collisions and acoustic phonons. The large difference in heat capacities between electrons and the substrate leads to negligible...temperature pyrometer indicated only a ~30oC temperature gradient between the thermocouple location and the topside of the sample which faced the

Electron-phonon interaction and its manifestation in high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maksimov, E.G.

1995-01-01

Different types of band structure approaches for a description of electrons in systems with strong correlations are discussed. It is shown that all methods considered give different electron energy dispersions and Fermi surfaces. The good agreement between measured Fermi surfaces and those calculated by LDA shows that the spatial dispersion of the correlation interaction is not so important in HTSC systems. The same conclusion can be obtained from the optical and photoemission spectra. It is shown that the most important contribution beyond a band structure approach is given by an energy dependence of the electron self-energy. The most likely interaction responsible for this energy dependence is the electron-phonon one. Evidences about this fact are given

Copper plasmonics and catalysis: role of electron-phonon interactions in dephasing localized surface plasmons

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Qi-C.; Ding, Yuchen; Goodman, Samuel M.; H. Funke, Hans; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-10-01

Copper metal can provide an important alternative for the development of efficient, low-cost and low-loss plasmonic nanoparticles, and selective nanocatalysts. However, poor chemical stability and lack of insight into photophysics and plasmon decay mechanisms has impeded study. Here, we use smooth conformal ALD coating on copper nanoparticles to prevent surface oxidation, and study dephasing time for localized surface plasmons on different sized copper nanoparticles. Using dephasing time as a figure of merit, we elucidate the role of electron-electron, electron-phonon, impurity, surface and grain boundary scattering on the decay of localized surface plasmon waves. Using our quantitative analysis and different temperature dependent measurements, we show that electron-phonon interactions dominate over other scattering mechanisms in dephasing plasmon waves. While interband transitions in copper metal contributes substantially to plasmon losses, tuning surface plasmon modes to infrared frequencies leads to a five-fold enhancement in the quality factor. These findings demonstrate that conformal ALD coatings can improve the chemical stability for copper nanoparticles, even at high temperatures (>300 °C) in ambient atmosphere, and nanoscaled copper is a good alternative material for many potential applications in nanophotonics, plasmonics, catalysis and nanoscale electronics.Copper metal can provide an important alternative for the development of efficient, low-cost and low-loss plasmonic nanoparticles, and selective nanocatalysts. However, poor chemical stability and lack of insight into photophysics and plasmon decay mechanisms has impeded study. Here, we use smooth conformal ALD coating on copper nanoparticles to prevent surface oxidation, and study dephasing time for localized surface plasmons on different sized copper nanoparticles. Using dephasing time as a figure of merit, we elucidate the role of electron-electron, electron-phonon, impurity, surface and grain

Electronic, phononic, and thermoelectric properties of graphyne sheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sevinçli, Hâldun; Sevik, Cem

2014-01-01

Electron, phonon, and thermoelectric transport properties of α-, β-, γ-, and 6,6,12-graphyne sheets are compared and contrasted with those of graphene. α-, β-, and 6,6,12-graphynes, with direction dependent Dirac dispersions, have higher electronic transmittance than graphene. γ-graphyne also attains better electrical conduction than graphene except at its band gap. Vibrationally, graphene conducts heat much more efficiently than graphynes, a behavior beyond an atomic density differences explanation. Seebeck coefficients of the considered Dirac materials are similar but thermoelectric power factors decrease with increasing effective speeds of light. γ-graphyne yields the highest thermoelectric efficiency with a thermoelectric figure of merit as high as ZT = 0.45, almost an order of magnitude higher than that of graphene

One- and two-phonon mixed-symmetry states in 94Mo in high-resolution electron and proton scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, H.; Botha, N.T.; Burda, O.; Carter, J.; Fearick, R.W.; Foertsch, S.V.; Fransen, C.; Kuhar, M.; Lenhardt, A.; Neumann-Cosel, P. von; Neveling, R.; Pietralla, N.; Ponomarev, V.Yu.; Richter, A.; Scholten, O.; Sideras-Haddad, E.; Smit, F.D.; Wambach, J.

2007-01-01

High-resolution inelastic electron scattering experiments at the S-DALINAC and proton scattering experiments at iThemba LABS permit a thorough test of the nature of proposed one- and two-phonon symmetric and mixed-symmetric 2 + states of the nucleus 94 Mo. The combined analysis reveals the one-phonon content of the mixed-symmetry state and its isovector character suggested by microscopic calculations. The purity of two-phonon 2 + states is extracted

Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Bimolecular Donor-Acceptor Systems

KAUST Repository

Alsulami, Qana A.

2016-11-30

The efficiency of photoconversion systems, such as organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells, is largely controlled by a series of fundamental photophysical processes occurring at the interface before carrier collection. A profound understanding of ultrafast interfacial charge transfer (CT), charge separation (CS), and charge recombination (CR) is the key determinant to improving the overall performances of photovoltaic devices. The discussion in this dissertation primarily focuses on the relevant parameters that are involved in photon absorption, exciton separation, carrier transport, carrier recombination and carrier collection in organic photovoltaic devices. A combination of steady-state and femtosecond broadband transient spectroscopies was used to investigate the photoinduced charge carrier dynamics in various donor-acceptor systems. Furthermore, this study was extended to investigate some important factors that influence charge transfer in donor-acceptor systems, such as the morphology, energy band alignment, electronic properties and chemical structure. Interestingly, clear correlations among the steady-state measurements, time-resolved spectroscopy results, grain alignment of the electron transporting layer (ETL), carrier mobility, and device performance are found. In this thesis, we explored the significant impacts of ultrafast charge separation and charge recombination at donor/acceptor (D/A) interfaces on the performance of a conjugated polymer PTB7-Th device with three fullerene acceptors: PC71BM, PC61BM and IC60BA. Time-resolved laser spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy can illustrate the basis for fabricating solar cell devices with improved performances. In addition, we studied the effects of the incorporation of heavy metals into π-conjugated chromophores on electron transfer by monitoring the triplet state lifetime of the oligomer using transient absorption spectroscopy, as understanding the mechanisms controlling intersystem crossing and

Active tuning of surface phonon polariton resonances via carrier photoinjection

Science.gov (United States)

Dunkelberger, Adam D.; Ellis, Chase T.; Ratchford, Daniel C.; Giles, Alexander J.; Kim, Mijin; Kim, Chul Soo; Spann, Bryan T.; Vurgaftman, Igor; Tischler, Joseph G.; Long, James P.; Glembocki, Orest J.; Owrutsky, Jeffrey C.; Caldwell, Joshua D.

2018-01-01

Surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) are attractive alternatives to infrared plasmonics for subdiffractional confinement of infrared light. Localized SPhP resonances in semiconductor nanoresonators are narrow, but that linewidth and the limited extent of the Reststrahlen band limit spectral coverage. To address this limitation, we report active tuning of SPhP resonances in InP and 4H-SiC by photoinjecting free carriers into nanoresonators, taking advantage of the coupling between the carrier plasma and optic phonons to blueshift SPhP resonances. We demonstrate state-of-the-art tuning figures of merit upon continuous-wave excitation (in InP) or pulsed excitation (in 4H-SiC). Lifetime effects cause the tuning to saturate in InP, and carrier redistribution leads to rapid (electronic and phononic excitations.

Development of a high brightness ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscope based on a laser-driven cold field emission source.

Science.gov (United States)

Houdellier, F; Caruso, G M; Weber, S; Kociak, M; Arbouet, A

2018-03-01

We report on the development of an ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscope based on a cold field emission source which can operate in either DC or ultrafast mode. Electron emission from a tungsten nanotip is triggered by femtosecond laser pulses which are tightly focused by optical components integrated inside a cold field emission source close to the cathode. The properties of the electron probe (brightness, angular current density, stability) are quantitatively determined. The measured brightness is the largest reported so far for UTEMs. Examples of imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy using ultrashort electron pulses are given. Finally, the potential of this instrument is illustrated by performing electron holography in the off-axis configuration using ultrashort electron pulses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrafast Gap Dynamics and Electronic Interactions in a Photoexcited Cuprate Superconductor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Parham

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We perform time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES on optimally doped Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+δ} (BSCCO-2212 using sufficient energy resolution (9 meV to resolve the k-dependent near-nodal gap structure on time scales where the concept of an electronic pseudotemperature is a useful quantity, i.e., after electronic thermalization has occurred. We study the ultrafast evolution of this gap structure, uncovering a very rich landscape of decay rates as a function of angle, temperature, and energy. We explicitly focus on the quasiparticle states at the gap edge as well as on the spectral weight inside the gap that “fills” the gap—understood as an interaction, or self-energy effect—and we also make high resolution measurements of the nodal states, enabling a direct and accurate measurement of the electronic temperature (or pseudotemperature of the electrons in the system. Rather than the standard method of interpreting these results using individual quasiparticle scattering rates that vary significantly as a function of angle, temperature, and energy, we show that the entire landscape of relaxations can be understood by modeling the system as following a nonequilibrium, electronic pseudotemperature that controls all electrons in the zone. Furthermore, this model has zero free parameters, as we obtain the crucial information of the SC gap Δ and the gap-filling strength Γ_{TDoS} by connecting to static ARPES measurements. The quantitative and qualitative agreement between data and model suggests that the critical parameters and interactions of the system, including the pairing interactions, follow parametrically from the electronic pseudotemperature. We expect that this concept will be relevant for understanding the ultrafast response of a great variety of electronic materials, even though the electronic pseudotemperature may not be directly measurable.

Electron energy transfer effect in Au NS/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx heterostructures via localized surface plasmon resonance coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Chunfeng; Zhai, Jizhi; Bi, Gang; Wu, Huizhen

2016-09-15

Localized surface plasmon resonance coupling effects (LSPR) have attracted much attention due to their interesting properties. This Letter demonstrates significant photoluminescence (PL) enhancement in the Au NS/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx heterostructures via the LSPR coupling. The observed PL emission enhancement is mainly attributed to the hot electron energy transfer effect related to the LSPR coupling. For the energy transfer effect, photo-generated electrons will be directly extracted into Au SPs, rather than relaxed into exciton states. This energy transfer process is much faster than the diffusion and relaxation time of free electrons, and may provide new ideas on the design of high-efficiency solar cells and ultrafast response photodetectors.

Electron diffraction using ultrafast electron bunches from a laser-wakefield accelerator at kHz repetition rate

Science.gov (United States)

He, Z.-H.; Thomas, A. G. R.; Beaurepaire, B.; Nees, J. A.; Hou, B.; Malka, V.; Krushelnick, K.; Faure, J.

2013-02-01

We show that electron bunches in the 50-100 keV range can be produced from a laser wakefield accelerator using 10 mJ, 35 fs laser pulses operating at 0.5 kHz. It is shown that using a solenoid magnetic lens, the electron bunch distribution can be shaped. The resulting transverse and longitudinal coherence is suitable for producing diffraction images from a polycrystalline 10 nm aluminum foil. The high repetition rate, the stability of the electron source, and the fact that its uncorrelated bunch duration is below 100 fs make this approach promising for the development of sub-100 fs ultrafast electron diffraction experiments.

Electron diffraction using ultrafast electron bunches from a laser-wakefield accelerator at kHz repetition rate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Z.-H.; Thomas, A. G. R.; Nees, J. A.; Hou, B.; Krushelnick, K. [Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-2099 (United States); Beaurepaire, B.; Malka, V.; Faure, J. [Laboratoire d' Optique Appliquee, ENSTA-CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, UMR 7639, 91761 Palaiseau (France)

2013-02-11

We show that electron bunches in the 50-100 keV range can be produced from a laser wakefield accelerator using 10 mJ, 35 fs laser pulses operating at 0.5 kHz. It is shown that using a solenoid magnetic lens, the electron bunch distribution can be shaped. The resulting transverse and longitudinal coherence is suitable for producing diffraction images from a polycrystalline 10 nm aluminum foil. The high repetition rate, the stability of the electron source, and the fact that its uncorrelated bunch duration is below 100 fs make this approach promising for the development of sub-100 fs ultrafast electron diffraction experiments.

Ultrafast dynamics during the photoinduced phase transition in VO2

Science.gov (United States)

Wegkamp, Daniel; Stähler, Julia

2015-12-01

The phase transition of VO2 from a monoclinic insulator to a rutile metal, which occurs thermally at TC = 340 K, can also be driven by strong photoexcitation. The ultrafast dynamics during this photoinduced phase transition (PIPT) have attracted great scientific attention for decades, as this approach promises to answer the question of whether the insulator-to-metal (IMT) transition is caused by electronic or crystallographic processes through disentanglement of the different contributions in the time domain. We review our recent results achieved by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron, optical, and coherent phonon spectroscopy and discuss them within the framework of a selection of latest, complementary studies of the ultrafast PIPT in VO2. We show that the population change of electrons and holes caused by photoexcitation launches a highly non-equilibrium plasma phase characterized by enhanced screening due to quasi-free carriers and followed by two branches of non-equilibrium dynamics: (i) an instantaneous (within the time resolution) collapse of the insulating gap that precedes charge carrier relaxation and significant ionic motion and (ii) an instantaneous lattice potential symmetry change that represents the onset of the crystallographic phase transition through ionic motion on longer timescales. We discuss the interconnection between these two non-thermal pathways with particular focus on the meaning of the critical fluence of the PIPT in different types of experiments. Based on this, we conclude that the PIPT threshold identified in optical experiments is most probably determined by the excitation density required to drive the lattice potential change rather than the IMT. These considerations suggest that the IMT can be driven by weaker excitation, predicting a transiently metallic, monoclinic state of VO2 that is not stabilized by the non-thermal structural transition and, thus, decays on ultrafast timescales.

Ab initio optimization of phonon drag effect for lower-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jiawei; Liao, Bolin; Qiu, Bo; Huberman, Samuel; Esfarjani, Keivan; Dresselhaus, Mildred S.; Chen, Gang

2015-01-01

Although the thermoelectric figure of merit zT above 300 K has seen significant improvement recently, the progress at lower temperatures has been slow, mainly limited by the relatively low Seebeck coefficient and high thermal conductivity. Here we report, for the first time to our knowledge, success in first-principles computation of the phonon drag effect—a coupling phenomenon between electrons and nonequilibrium phonons—in heavily doped region and its optimization to enhance the Seebeck coefficient while reducing the phonon thermal conductivity by nanostructuring. Our simulation quantitatively identifies the major phonons contributing to the phonon drag, which are spectrally distinct from those carrying heat, and further reveals that although the phonon drag is reduced in heavily doped samples, a significant contribution to Seebeck coefficient still exists. An ideal phonon filter is proposed to enhance zT of silicon at room temperature by a factor of 20 to ∼0.25, and the enhancement can reach 70 times at 100 K. This work opens up a new venue toward better thermoelectrics by harnessing nonequilibrium phonons. PMID:26627231

``New'' energy states lead to phonon-less optoelectronic properties in nanostructured silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vivek; Yu, Yixuan; Korgel, Brian; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-03-01

Silicon is arguably one of the most important technological material for electronic applications. However, indirect bandgap of silicon semiconductor has prevented optoelectronic applications due to phonon assistance required for photon light absorption/emission. Here we show, that previously unexplored surface states in nanostructured silicon can couple with quantum-confined energy levels, leading to phonon-less exciton-recombination and photoluminescence. We demonstrate size dependence (2.4 - 8.3 nm) of this coupling observed in small uniform silicon nanocrystallites, or quantum-dots, by direct measurements of their electronic density of states and low temperature measurements. To enhance the optical absorption of the these silicon quantum-dots, we utilize generation of resonant surface plasmon polariton waves, which leads to several fold increase in observed spectrally-resolved photocurrent near the quantum-confined bandedge states. Therefore, these enhanced light emission and absorption enhancement can have important implications for applications of nanostructured silicon for optoelectronic applications in photovoltaics and LEDs.

Ultrafast electronic relaxation of excited state vitamin B12 in the gas phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafizadeh, Niloufar; Poisson, Lionel; Soep, Benoit

2008-01-01

The time evolution of electronically excited vitamin B 12 (cyanocobalamin) has been observed for the first time in the gas phase. It reveals an ultrafast decay to a state corresponding to metal excitation. This decay is interpreted as resulting from a ring to metal electron transfer. This opens the observation of the excited state of other complex biomimetic systems in the gas phase, the key to the characterisation of their complex evolution through excited electronic states

Accelerator-based single-shot ultrafast transmission electron microscope with picosecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, D.; Fu, F.; Zhang, J.; Huang, X.; Wang, L.; Wang, X.; Wan, W.

2014-09-01

We present feasibility study of an accelerator-based ultrafast transmission electron microscope (u-TEM) capable of producing a full field image in a single-shot with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution. We study key physics related to performance of u-TEMs and discuss major challenges as well as possible solutions for practical realization of u-TEMs. The feasibility of u-TEMs is confirmed through simulations using realistic electron beam parameters. We anticipate that u-TEMs with a product of temporal and spatial resolution beyond 10-19 ms will open up new opportunities in probing matter at ultrafast temporal and ultrasmall spatial scales.

Diffraction contrast as a sensitive indicator of femtosecond sub-nanoscale motion in ultrafast transmission electron microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cremons, Daniel R.; Schliep, Karl B.; Flannigan, David J.

2013-09-01

With ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM), access can be gained to the spatiotemporal scales required to directly visualize rapid, non-equilibrium structural dynamics of materials. This is achieved by operating a transmission electron microscope (TEM) in a stroboscopic pump-probe fashion by photoelectrically generating coherent, well-timed electron packets in the gun region of the TEM. These probe photoelectrons are accelerated down the TEM column where they travel through the specimen before reaching a standard, commercially-available CCD detector. A second laser pulse is used to excite (pump) the specimen in situ. Structural changes are visualized by varying the arrival time of the pump laser pulse relative to the probe electron packet at the specimen. Here, we discuss how ultrafast nanoscale motions of crystalline materials can be visualized and precisely quantified using diffraction contrast in UTEM. Because diffraction contrast sensitively depends upon both crystal lattice orientation as well as incoming electron wavevector, minor spatial/directional variations in either will produce dynamic and often complex patterns in real-space images. This is because sections of the crystalline material that satisfy the Laue conditions may be heterogeneously distributed such that electron scattering vectors vary over nanoscale regions. Thus, minor changes in either crystal grain orientation, as occurs during specimen tilting, warping, or anisotropic expansion, or in the electron wavevector result in dramatic changes in the observed diffraction contrast. In this way, dynamic contrast patterns observed in UTEM images can be used as sensitive indicators of ultrafast specimen motion. Further, these motions can be spatiotemporally mapped such that direction and amplitude can be determined.

Microwave-Induced Magneto-Oscillations and Signatures of Zero-Resistance States in Phonon-Drag Voltage in Two-Dimensional Electron Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, A D; Momtaz, Z S; Gusev, G M; Raichev, O E; Bakarov, A K

2015-11-13

We observe the phonon-drag voltage oscillations correlating with the resistance oscillations under microwave irradiation in a two-dimensional electron gas in perpendicular magnetic field. This phenomenon is explained by the influence of dissipative resistivity modified by microwaves on the phonon-drag voltage perpendicular to the phonon flux. When the lowest-order resistance minima evolve into zero-resistance states, the phonon-drag voltage demonstrates sharp features suggesting that current domains associated with these states can exist in the absence of external dc driving.

Phonon lineshapes in atom-surface scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MartInez-Casado, R [Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Sanz, A S; Miret-Artes, S [Instituto de Fisica Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientIficas, Serrano 123, E-28006 Madrid (Spain)

2010-08-04

Phonon lineshapes in atom-surface scattering are obtained from a simple stochastic model based on the so-called Caldeira-Leggett Hamiltonian. In this single-bath model, the excited phonon resulting from a creation or annihilation event is coupled to a thermal bath consisting of an infinite number of harmonic oscillators, namely the bath phonons. The diagonalization of the corresponding Hamiltonian leads to a renormalization of the phonon frequencies in terms of the phonon friction or damping coefficient. Moreover, when there are adsorbates on the surface, this single-bath model can be extended to a two-bath model accounting for the effect induced by the adsorbates on the phonon lineshapes as well as their corresponding lineshapes.

Quasiparticles, phonons and beyond. Enlargement the basis of quasiparticle-phonon model