THz-field-induced electronic transmission step-structure for a quantum wire

We study theoretically the low-temperature electronic transport property of a straight quantum wire under the irradiation of a finite-range transversely polarized external terahertz (THz) electromagnetic (EM) field. Using the freeelectron model and the scattering matrix approach, we show an unusual behaviour of the electronic transmission of this system. A sharp step-structure appears in the electronic transmission probability as the EM field strength increases to a threshold value when a coherent EM field is applied. We demonstrate that this effect physically comes from the inelastic scattering of electrons with lateral photons through intersubband transitions.     

Electronic conductance via atomic wires: a phase field matching theory approach

A model is presented for the quantum transport of electrons, across finite atomic wire nanojunctions between electric leads, at zero bias limit. In order to derive the appropriate transmission and reflection spectra, familiar in the Landauer-Büttiker formalism, we develop the algebraic phase field matching theory (PFMT). In particular, we apply our model calculations to determine the electronic conductance for freely suspended monatomic linear sodium wires (MLNaW) between leads of the same element, and for the diatomic copper-cobalt wires (DLCuCoW) between copper leads on a Cu(111) substrate. Calculations for the MLNaW system confirm the correctness and functionality of our PFMT approach. We present novel transmission spectra for this system, and show that its transport properties exhibit the conductance oscillations for the odd- and even-number wires in agreement with previously reported first-principle results. The numerical calculations for the DLCuCoW wire nanojunctions are motivated by the stability of these systems at low temperatures. Our results for the transmission spectra yield for this system, at its Fermi energy, a monotonic exponential decay of the conductance with increasing wire length of the Cu-Co pairs. This is a cumulative effect which is discussed in detail in the present work, and may prove useful for applications in nanocircuits. Furthermore, our PFMT formalism can be considered as a compact and efficient tool for the study of the electronic quantum transport for a wide range of nanomaterial wire systems. It provides a trade-off in computational efficiency and predictive capability as compared to slower first-principle based methods, and has the potential to treat the conductance properties of more complex molecular nanojunctions.     

Transport properties in a line defect superlattice of graphene

It was recently reported that a kind of graphene line defect can be fabricated in a controllable experimental way. In the present work we theoretically investigate the band structure and the electronic transport properties of a graphene superlattice formed by embedding periodically line defects in the graphene lattice. Based on the calculated results, we suggest that such a superlattice can be used as a quantum wire array which can carry much larger current than a single graphene nanoribbon. A remarkable advantage of this superlattice over other quantum wires is that the electronic transport in it is insensitive to scattering effects except that the scattering potential range is smaller than the graphene lattice constant. Moreover, we find that the anisotropy of the Dirac cone presented in this superlattice has a nontrivial influence on the universal minimal conductivity and the sub-Poissonian shot noise of graphene.     

Magnetic interference patterns and vortices in diffusive SNS junctions

We study theoretically the electronic and transport properties of a diffusive superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junction in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We show that the field dependence of the critical current crosses over from the well-known Fraunhofer pattern in wide junctions to a monotonic decay when the width of the normal wire is smaller than the magnetic length xi(H)=square root Phi(0)/H, where H is the magnetic field and Phi(0) the flux quantum. We demonstrate that this behavior is a direct consequence of the magnetic vortex structure appearing in the normal region and predict how this structure is manifested in the local density of states.     

Spin-orbit-induced spin-density wave in a quantum wire

We present analysis of the interacting quantum wire problem in the presence of magnetic field and spin-orbit interaction. We show that an interesting interplay of Zeeman and spin-orbit terms, facilitated by the electron-electron interaction, results in the spin-density wave state when the magnetic field and spin-orbit axes are orthogonal. This strongly affects charge transport through the wire: With the spin-density wave stabilized, single-particle backscattering off a nonmagnetic impurity becomes irrelevant. The sensitivity of the effect to the direction of the magnetic field can be used for experimental verification of this proposal.     

Spin filtering in a nonuniform quantum wire with Rashba spin-orbit interaction

We investigate theoretically the spin-polarized electron transport for a wide-narrow-wide (WNW) quantum wire under the modulation of Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI). The influence of both the structure of the quantum wire and the interference between different pairs of subbands on the spin-polarized electron transport is taken into account simultaneously via the spin-resolved lattice Green function method. It is found that a very large vertical spin-polarized current can be generated by the SOI-induced effective magnetic field at the structure-induced Fano resonance even in the presence of strong disorder. Furthermore, the magnitude of the spin polarization can be tuned by the Rashba SOI strength and structural parameters. Those results may provide an effective way to design a spin filter device without containing any magnetic materials or applying a magnetic field.     

Dynamical electron transport through a nanoelectromechanical wire in a magnetic field

We investigate dynamical transport properties of interacting electrons moving in a vibrating nanoelectromechanical wire in a magnetic field. We have built an exactly solvable model in which the electron-electron interaction is considered nonperturbatively and the electric current and mechanical vibration are treated fully quantum mechanically on an equal footing. We demonstrate our theory by calculating the admittance of a finite-size wire, which is influenced by the magnetic field strength, the electron-electron interaction, and the complex interplay between the mechanical and the electrical energy scales. Nontrivial features including sharp resonance peaks appear in the admittance, which may be experimentally observable.     

Hydrogen control of ferromagnetism in a dilute magnetic semiconductor

We show that upon exposure to a remote dc hydrogen plasma, the magnetic and electronic properties of the dilute magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs change qualitatively. While the as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs thin films are ferromagnetic at temperatures T less, similar 70 K, the samples are found to be paramagnetic after the hydrogenation, with a Brillouin-type magnetization curve even at T=2 K. Comparing magnetization and electronic transport measurements, we conclude that the density of free holes p is significantly reduced by the plasma process, while the density of Mn magnetic moments does not change.     

Electronic Transport through a Waveguide in the Presence of a Magnetic Obstacle

By means of the transfer matrix technique, the electronic transport through a quantum waveguide in the presence of a magnetic obstacle is investigated theoretically. By comparing the calculated conductance spectra of the opposite spin electrons, we find that there exists a notable spin filtering window in the low energy region. Dependences of such a spin filtering window on the size, position and potential strength of the magnetic obstacle are studied in detail.     

Spin-controlled nanomechanics induced by single-electron tunneling

We consider dc-electronic transport through a nanowire suspended between normal- and spin-polarized metal leads in the presence of an external magnetic field. We show that magnetomotive coupling between the electrical current through the nanowire and vibrations of the wire may result in self-excitation of mechanical vibrations. The self-excitation mechanism is based on correlations between the occupancy of the quantized electronic energy levels inside the nanowire and the velocity of the nanowire. We derive conditions for the occurrence of the instability and find stable regimes of mechanical oscillations.     

Negative four-terminal resistance as a probe of crossed Andreev reflection

We report on the experimental investigation of electronic transport in superconductor-ferromagnet spin-valve structures. Our samples consist of two ferromagnetic iron leads forming planar tunnel contacts to a superconducting aluminum wire. Current is injected into one of the contacts while the voltage is monitored at the other, thus defining a four-probe resistance. At energies below the superconducting gap, we observe a negative four-probe resistance that can be explained by crossed Andreev reflection. PACS 74.45.+c; 85.75.-d; 03.67.Mn     

Electronic transport of graphene nanoribbons within recursive Green’s function

In this work, we introduce a recursive Green’s function method for investigating electronic transport in a graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) quantum wire with armchair (AGNR) and zigzag (ZGNR) edges which attached to two semi-infinite square lattice leads. This model reduces numerical calculations time and enables us to use Green’s function method to investigate transport in a supperlattice device. Therefore, we consider AGNR and ZGNR devices attached to metallic semi-infinite square lattice leads, taking into account the effects of longitudinal and wide of the wire. Our calculations are based on the tight-binding model, which the recursive Green’s function method is used to solve inhomogeneous differential equations. We concentrate on the electrical conductance and current for various length and wide size of the wire. Our numerical results show that the transport properties are strongly affected by the quantum interference effect and the lead interface geometry to the device. By controlling the type of contact and wire geometry, this kind of system can explain the antiresonance states at the Fermi energy. Our results can serve as a base for developments in designing nano-electronic devices.     

A simple electromagnetic method of cyclic loss measurement for superconducting wires in a combined alternating transverse magnetic field and transport current

We measured cyclic losses in a superconducting wire, carrying alternating transport current, simultaneously exposed to an alternating transverse magnetic field. Samples of Bi-2223 Ag-sheathed tapes have configuration of a double-layer non-inductive coil, which itself is a pickup coil to measure the AC losses. Potential taps were attached to both terminals of the sample coil. The external field was applied along the axis of the sample coil. In this procedure, we can estimate an averaged Poynting's vector on a cylindrical surface between the two layers by means of signals from a pair of the potential taps and from pickup coils for the external magnetic field and the transport current. We can also measure a magnetization and an extended transport-current components of AC losses in addition to a total cyclic loss for a combined alternating external field and transport current. Obtained results are compared with numerical predictions of the critical state model taking into account the magnetic field dependence of critical current density.     

Spin-filtering and charge- and spin-switching effects in a quantum wire with periodically attached stubs

Spin-dependent electron transport in a periodically stubbed quantum wire in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is studied via the nonequilibrium Green’s function (GF) method combined with the Landauer-Büttiker formalism. By comparing with a straight Rashba quantum wire, the magnitude of spin conductance can be enhanced obviously. In addition, the charge and spin switching can also be found in the considered system. The mechanism of these transport properties is revealed by analyzing the total charge density and spin-polarized density distributions in the stubbed quantum wire. Furthermore, periodic spin-density islands with high polarization are also found inside the stubs, owing to the interaction between the charge density islands and the Rashba SOI-induced effective magnetic field. These interesting findings may be useful in further understanding of the transport properties of low-dimensional systems and in devising an all-electrical multifunctional spintronic device based on the proposed structure.     

Nature of electron states and magneto-transport in a graphene geometry with a fractal distribution of holes

We investigate theoretically the spin-dependent electron transport in a Rashba quantum wire with rough edges. The charge and spin conductances are calculated as function of the electron energy and wire length by adopting the spin-resolved lattice Green function method. For a single disordered Rashba wire, it is found that the charge conductance quantization is destroyed by the edge disorder. However, a nonzero spin conductance can be generated and its amplitude can be manipulated by varying the wire length, which is attributed to the broken structure symmetries and the spin-dependent quantum interference induced by the rough boundaries. For a large ensemble of disordered Rashba wires, the average charge conductance decreases monotonically, however, the average spin conductance increases to a maximum value and then decreases, with increasing wire length. Further study shows that the influence of the rough edges on the charge and spin conductances can be eliminated by applying a perpendicular magnetic field to the wire. In addition, a very large magnitude of the spin conductance can be achieved when the electron energy lies between the two thresholds of each pair of subbands. These findings may not only benefit to further apprehend the transport properties of the Rashba low-dimensional systems but also provide some theoretical instructions to the application of spintronics devices.     

Electron scattering by a ring-shaped barrier in magnetic fields

We investigate the transport phenomena through a region containing a ring-shaped barrier in a quasi-one-dimensional quantum wire in magnetic fields. The calculated magnetoconductance curve shows a periodic dip structure, which is superimposed upon by another quasi-periodic dip structure. The current distributions for resonant states and the magnetoconductance features are well explained on the basis of the magnetic field dependence of the eigenvalue in the two-dimensional system.     

Few-electron molecular states and their transitions in a single InAs quantum dot molecule

We study electronic configurations in a single pair of vertically coupled self-assembled InAs quantum dots, holding just a few electrons. By comparing the experimental data of nonlinear single-electron transport spectra in a magnetic field with many-body calculations, we identify the spin and orbital configurations to confirm the formation of molecular states by filling both the quantum mechanically coupled symmetric and antisymmetric states. Filling of the antisymmetric states is less favored with increasing magnetic field, and this leads to various magnetic field induced transitions in the molecular states.     

Spin texturing in quantum wires with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interactions and in-plane magnetic field

In this work, we investigate the effects of interplay of spin–orbit interaction and in-plane magnetic fields on the electronic structure and spin texturing of parabolically confined quantum wire. Numerical results reveal that the competing effects between Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interactions and the external magnetic field lead to a complicated energy spectrum. We find that the spin texturing owing to the coupling between subbands can be modified by the strength of spin–orbit couplings as well as the magnitude and the orientation angle of the external magnetic field.     

Transport through a double barrier for interacting quasi one-dimensional electrons in a quantum wire in the presence of a transverse magnetic field

We discuss the Luttinger liquid behaviour of a semiconducting quantum wire. We show that the measured value of the bulk critical exponent, α_bulk, for the tunneling density of states can be easily calculated. Then, the problem of the transport through a quantum dot formed by two quantum point contacts along the quantum wire, weakly coupled to spinless Tomonaga-Luttinger liquids is studied, including the action of a strong transverse magnetic field B. The known magnetic dependent peaks of the conductance, G(B), in the ballistic regime at a very low temperature, T, have to be reflected also in the transport at higher T and in different regimes. The temperature dependence of the maximum G_max of the conductance peak, according to the Correlated Sequential Tunneling theory, yields the power law G_max∝T^{2α end-1}, with the critical exponent, α_end, strongly reduced by B. This behaviour suggests the use of a similar device as a magnetic field modulated transistor.     

Multifloquet to single electronic channel transition in the transport properties of a resistive 1D driven disordered ring

We investigate the dc response of a 1D disordered ring coupled to a reservoir and driven by a magnetic flux with a linear dependence on time. We identify two regimes: (i) A localized or large length L regime, characterized by a dc conductance, g(dc), whose probability distribution P(g(dc)) is identical to the one exhibited by a 1D wire of the same length L and disorder strength placed in a two terminal Landauer setup and (ii) a multifloquet regime for small L and weak coupling to the reservoir, which exhibits large currents and conductances that can be g(dc)>1, in spite of the fact that the ring contains spinless electrons and a single electronic transmission channel. The crossover length between the multifloquet to the single-channel transport regime Lc is controlled by the coupling to the reservoir.