Density of states in the bilayer graphene with the excitonic pairing interaction

In the present paper, we consider the excitonic effects on the single particle normal density of states (DOS) in the bilayer graphene (BLG). The local interlayer Coulomb interaction is considered between the particles on the non-equivalent sublattice sites in different layers of the BLG. We show the presence of the excitonic shift of the neutrality point, even for the noninteracting layers. Furthermore, for the interacting layers, a very large asymmetry in the DOS structure is shown between the particle and hole channels. At the large values of the interlayer hopping amplitude, a large number of DOS at the Dirac’s point indicates the existence of the strong excitonic coherence effects between the layers in the BLG and the enhancement of the excitonic condensation. We have found different competing orders in the interacting BLG. Particularly, a phase transition from the hybridized excitonic insulator phase to the coherent condensate state is shown at the small values of the local interlayer Coulomb interaction.     

Electronic states with nontrivial topology in Dirac materials

The theoretical studies of phase states with a linear dispersion of the spectrum of low-energy electron excitations have been reviewed. Some main properties and methods of experimental study of these states in socalled Dirac materials have been discussed in detail. The results of modern studies of symmetry-protected electronic states with nontrivial topology have been reported. Combination of approaches based on geometry with homotopic topology methods and results of condensed matter physics makes it possible to clarify new features of topological insulators, as well as Dirac and Weyl semimetals.     

Real-time analysis of nonlinear transient response of weakly confined excitons

By means of the nonlocal transient-response theory, we elucidate the characteristics of the femtosecond transient response of thin films with a thickness beyond the long wavelength approximation (LWA) regime. In this regime, the contribution of higher excitonic states with a nondipole-type spatial structure becomes dominant and the interplay between the spatial structures of excitonic wavefunction and the radiation field plays an important role, causing an anomalous enhancement of nonlinear signal at specific size-energy resonant conditions. In addition, in the femtosecond pulse excitation, the interference of the signals from the multiple excitonic states, which are excited simultaneously by the incident pulse with a wide spectral width, can generate a greater diversity of optical response than expected by the steady-state analysis. This suggests the possibility that we can control the optical function of the nano-materials by the selective excitation of the aimed excitonic states using the laser pulse. This study serves as a theoretical basis for the nonlinear transient response by ultrashort pulse excitation of excitons confined in nano-structures.     

Collective excitations of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of a 1D optical lattice

We study low-lying collective modes of an elongated 87Rb condensate produced in a 3D magnetic harmonic trap with the addition of a 1D periodic potential which is provided by a laser standing wave along the axial direction. While the transverse breathing mode remains unperturbed, quadrupole and dipole oscillations along the optical lattice are strongly modified. Precise measurements of the collective mode frequencies at different heights of the optical barriers provide a stringent test of the theoretical model recently introduced [M. Kr?mer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 180404 (2002)]].     

Experimental realization of a three-dimensional topological insulator phase in ternary chalcogenide TlBiSe₂

We report the first observation of a topological surface state on the (111) surface of the ternary chalcogenide TlBiSe? by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. By tuning the synchrotron radiation energy we reveal that it features an almost ideal Dirac cone with the Dirac point well isolated from bulk continuum states. This suggests that TlBiSe? is a promising material for realizing quantum topological transport.     

磁单极子进展概述

自磁单极子概念被狄拉克提出以来,不管是理论还是实验物理学家都一直在努力寻找,但迄今仍然没能找到它们存在的确凿证据.最近,一些凝聚态物理学家声称在动量空间以及自旋冰材料中找到了磁单极子存在的有力证据,并通过磁单极子的集体激发行为解释了一些新颖的物理现象.这使得磁单极子艰难的探索之路出现了一丝新的曙光.作为电动力学教学内容的补充,本文拟把磁单极子的最新进展做一个概述,让大学生对此有一个全面的认识,从而激发他们学习和科研的兴趣.     

Electronic structure,Dirac points and Fermi arc surface states in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Na_3Bi from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The three-dimensional(3D) Dirac semimetals have linearly dispersive 3D Dirac nodes where the conduction band and valence band are connected. They have isolated 3D Dirac nodes in the whole Brillouin zone and can be viewed as a 3D counterpart of graphene. Recent theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that the 3D Dirac semimetal state can be realized in a simple stoichiometric compound A_3Bi(A = Na, K, Rb). Here we report comprehensive high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission(ARPES) measurements on the two cleaved surfaces,(001) and(100), of Na_3Bi. On the(001) surface, by comparison with theoretical calculations, we provide a proper assignment of the observed bands, and in particular, pinpoint the band that is responsible for the formation of the three-dimensional Dirac cones. We observe clear evidence of 3D Dirac cones in the three-dimensional momentum space by directly measuring on the k_x–k_y plane and by varying the photon energy to get access to different out-of-plane k_zs. In addition, we reveal new features around the Brillouin zone corners that may be related with surface reconstruction. On the(100) surface, our ARPES measurements over a large momentum space raise an issue on the selection of the basic Brillouin zone in the(100) plane. We directly observe two isolated 3D Dirac nodes on the(100) surface. We observe the signature of the Fermi-arc surface states connecting the two 3D Dirac nodes that extend to a binding energy of ~150 me V before merging into the bulk band. Our observations constitute strong evidence on the existence of the Dirac semimetal state in Na_3Bi that are consistent with previous theoretical and experimental work. In addition, our results provide new information to clarify on the nature of the band that forms the3 D Dirac cones, on the possible formation of surface reconstruction of the(001) surface, and on the issue of basic Brillouin zone selection for the(100) surface.     

Quantum and string shape fluctuations in the dual monopole Nambu–Jona–Lasinio model with dual Dirac strings

The magnetic monopole condensate is calculated in the dual Monopole Nambu–Jona–Lasinio model with dual Dirac strings suggested in [1,2] as a functional of the dual Dirac string shape. The calculation is carried out in the tree approximation in the scalar monopole–antimonopole collective excitation field. The integration over quantum fluctuations of the dual–vector monopole–antimonopole collective excitation field around the Abrikosov flux line and string shape fluctuations are performed explicitly. We claim that there are important contributions of quantum and string shape fluctuations to the magnetic monopole condensate. Received: 3 June 1998 / Revised version: 1 September 1998 / Published online: 19 November 1998     

Effect of light assisted collisions on matter wave coherence in superradiant Bose-Einstein condensates

We investigate experimentally the effects of light assisted collisions on the coherence between momentum states in Bose-Einstein condensates. The onset of superradiant Rayleigh scattering serves as a sensitive monitor for matter-wave coherence. A subtle interplay of binary and collective effects leads to a profound asymmetry between the two sides of the atomic resonance and provides far bigger coherence loss rates for a condensate bathed in blue detuned light than previously estimated. We present a simplified quantitative model containing the essential physics to explain our experimental data and point at a new experimental route to study strongly coupled light matter systems.     

The excitonic insulator route through a dynamical phase transition induced by an optical pulse

We consider a dynamical phase transition induced by a short optical pulse in a system prone to thermodynamical instability. We address the case of pumping to excitons whose density contributes directly to the order parameter. To describe both thermodynamic and dynamic effects on equal footing, we adopt a view of the excitonic insulator for the phase transition and suggest a formation of the Bose condensate for the pumped excitons. The work is motivated by experiments in donor–acceptor organic compounds with a neutral- ionic phase transition coupled to the spontaneous lattice dimerization and to charge transfer excitons. The double nature of the ensemble of excitons leads to an intricate time evolution, in particular, to macroscopic quantum oscillations from the interference between the Bose condensate of excitons and the ground state of the excitonic insulator. The coupling of excitons and the order parameter also leads to self-trapping of their wave function, akin to self-focusing in optics. The locally enhanced density of excitons can surpass a critical value to trigger the phase transformation, even if the mean density is below the required threshold. The system is stratified in domains that evolve through dynamical phase transitions and sequences of merging. The new circumstances in experiments and theory bring to life, once again, some remarkable inventions made by L.V. Keldysh.     

Electronic properties of SnTe-class topological crystalline insulator materials

The rise of topological insulators in recent years has broken new ground both in the conceptual cognition of condensed matter physics and the promising revolution of the electronic devices.It also stimulates the explorations of more topological states of matter.Topological crystalline insulator is a new topological phase,which combines the electronic topology and crystal symmetry together.In this article,we review the recent progress in the studies of SnTe-class topological crystalline insulator materials.Starting from the topological identifications in the aspects of the bulk topology,surface states calculations,and experimental observations,we present the electronic properties of topological crystalline insulators under various perturbations,including native defect,chemical doping,strain,and thickness-dependent confinement effects,and then discuss their unique quantum transport properties,such as valley-selective filtering and helicity-resolved functionalities for Dirac fermions.The rich properties and high tunability make SnTe-class materials promising candidates for novel quantum devices.     

Superconducting and excitonic quantum phase transitions in doped Dirac electronic systems

We investigate the effect of superconducting and excitonic interactions, as well as their competition, on Dirac electrons on a bipartite planar lattice. It is shown that, at half-filling, Cooper pairs and excitons coexist if the superconducting and excitonic coupling parameters are equal and above a threshold corresponding to a quantum critical point. In the case where only the excitonic interaction is present, we obtain a critical chemical potential, as a function of the interaction strength. Conversely, if only the superconducting interaction is considered, we show that the superconducting gap displays a characteristic dome as charge carriers are doped into the system. We also show that, as the chemical potential increases, superconductivity tends to suppress the excitonic order parameter.     

The symmetry of the relative motion of excitons in semiconductor heterostructures

A theoretical model of excitonic states in semiconductor heterostructures is presented. The approach employs the envelope function approximation, and involves a two parameter variational calculation in which the symmetry of the component of the wave function representing the relative motion is allowed to vary between the two- and three-dimensional limits. Detailed calculations are described for a variety of single quantum wells and superlattices. The results show that the excitons are neither 2D nor 3D like, but are intermediate in character. Furthermore, in the main, they assume the symmetry of a prolate spheroid. An exception to this occurs in the special case of an asymmetric double quantum well close to resonance, where two stable exciton states are found for the same one-particle states. One of these ‘twin’ exciton states is an oblate spheroid. The results illustrate the need for accurate determination of excitonic properties if the dynamical evaluation of exciton states, in for example, quantum well lasers, is to be readily determined.     

Experimental study on the possibility of formation of a condensate of excited states in a substance (Rydberg matter)

The results of experimental study of a condensate of cesium excited states (Rydberg matter) are presented. The possibility of condensate formation was predicted theoretically first by Prof. É.A. Manykin and coauthors from the Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute and experimentally observed by L. Holmlid and coauthors from the Chalmers University, Sweden. In a thermionic energy converter with interelectrode medium, where, according to the data of Swedish researchers, Rydberg matter is formed, we observed similarities and distinctions between our and Swedish data on the formation of a condensate of cesium excited states.     

Macroscopic oscillations between two weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We demonstrate, both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view, the possibility of realizing a weak coupling between two Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in different Zeeman states. The weak coupling drives macroscopic quantum oscillations between the condensate populations and the observed current-phase dynamics is described by generalized Josephson equations. In order to highlight the superfluid nature of the oscillations, we investigate the response of a ⁸⁷Rb non-condensate (thermal) gas in the same conditions, showing that the thermal oscillations damp more quickly than those of the condensate. Received 2 May 2002 / Received in final form 19 November 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: smerzi@sissa.it     

Exploring 2D materials at surfaces through synchrotron-based core-level photoelectron spectroscopy

The interest in understanding and controlling the properties of two-dimensional materials (2DMs) has fostered in the last years a significant and multidisciplinary research effort involving condensed matter physics and materials science. Although 2DMs have been investigated with a wide set of different experimental and theoretical methodologies, experiments carried out with surface-science based techniques were essential to elucidate many aspects of the properties of this family of materials. In particular, synchrotron-based X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been playing a central role in casting light on the properties of 2DMs, providing an in-depth and precise characterization of these materials and helping to elucidate many elusive and intricate aspects related to them. XPS was crucial, for example, in understanding the mechanism of growth of several 2DMs at surfaces and in identifying the parameters governing it. Moreover, the chemical sensitivity of this technique is crucial in obtaining knowledge about functionalized 2DMs and in testing their behavior in several model chemical reactions. The achievements accomplished so far in this field have reached a maturity point for which a recap of the milestones is desirable. In this review, we will showcase relevant examples of studies on 2DMs for which synchrotron-based XPS, in combination with other techniques and state-of-the-art theoretical modeling of the electronic structure and of the growth mechanisms, was essential to unravel many aspects connected to the synthesis and properties of 2DMs at surfaces. The results highlighted herein and the methodologies followed to achieve them will serve as a guidance to researchers in testing and comparing their research outcomes and in stimulating further investigations to expand the knowledge of the broad and versatile 2DMs family.     

Excitonic condensation under spin-orbit coupling and BEC-BCS crossover

The condensation of electron-hole pairs is studied at zero temperature and in the presence of a weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in coupled quantum wells. Under realistic conditions, a perturbative SOC can have observable effects in the order parameter of the condensate. First, the fermion exchange symmetry is absent. As a result, the condensate spin has no definite parity. Additionally, the excitonic SOC breaks the rotational symmetry yielding a complex order parameter in an unconventional way; i.e., the phase pattern of the order parameter is a function of the condensate density. This is manifested through finite off-diagonal components of the static spin susceptibility, suggesting a new experimental method to confirm an excitonic condensate.     

Topological nodal line semimetals predicted from first-principles calculations

Topological semimetals are newly discovered states of quantum matter, which have extended the concept of topological states from insulators to metals and attracted great research interest in recent years. In general, there are three kinds of topological semimetals, namely Dirac semimetals, Weyl semimetals, and nodal line semimetals. Nodal line semimetals can be considered as precursor states for other topological states. For example, starting from such nodal line states, the nodal line structure might evolve into Weyl points, convert into Dirac points, or become a topological insulator by introducing the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) or mass term. In this review paper, we introduce theoretical materials that show the nodal line semimetal state, including the all-carbon Mackay–Terrones crystal (MTC), anti-perovskite Cu₃PdN, pressed black phosphorus, and the CaP₃ family of materials, and we present the design principles for obtaining such novel states of matter.     

Collective enhancement and suppression in Bose–Einstein condensates

The coherent and collective nature of a Bose–Einstein condensate can enhance or suppress physical processes. Bosonic stimulation enhances scattering in already occupied states which leads to matter wave amplification, and the suppression of dissipation leads to superfluidity. In this article we present several experiments where enhancement and suppression have been observed and discuss the common roots of and differences between these phenomena.