Magnetic field effects on THz quantum cascade laser: A comparative analysis of three and four quantum well based active region design

We consider the influence of additional carrier confinement, achieved by application of strong perpendicular magnetic field, on inter Landau levels electron relaxation rates and the optical gain, of two different GaAs quantum cascade laser structures operating in the terahertz spectral range. Breaking of the in-plane energy dispersion and the formation of discrete energy levels is an efficient mechanism for eventual quenching of optical phonon emission and obtaining very long electronic lifetime in the relevant laser state. We employ our detailed model for calculating the electron relaxation rates (due to interface roughness and electron–longitudinal optical phonon scattering), and solve a full set of rate equations to evaluate the carrier distribution over Landau levels. The numerical simulations are performed for three- and four-well (per period) based structures that operate at 3.9 THz and 1.9 THz, respectively, both implemented in GaAs/Al_0.15Ga_0.85As. Numerical results are presented for magnetic field values from 1.5 T up to 20 T, while the band nonparabolicity is accounted for.     

Optical properties of ZnCr<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>4</Subscript>

We studied the optical properties of antiferromagnetic ZnCr₂Se₄ by infrared spectroscopy up to 28,000 cm^-1 and for temperatures from 5 to 295 K. At the magnetic phase transition at 21 K, one of the four phonon modes reveals a clear splitting of 3 cm^-1 as a result of spin-phonon coupling, the other three optical eigenmodes only show shifts of the eigenfrequencies. The antiferromagnetic ordering and the concomitant splitting of the phonon mode can be suppressed in a magnetic field of 7 T. At higher energies we observed a broad excitation band which is dominated by a two-peak-structure at about 18,000 cm^-1 and 22,000 cm^-1, respectively. These energies are in good agreement with the expected spin-allowed crystal-field transitions of the Cr³⁺ ions. The unexpected strength of these transitions with d-d character is attributed to a considerable hybridization of the selenium p with the chromium d orbitals.     

Stimulated Raman Scattering in a Weakly Polar Ⅲ-Ⅴ Semiconductor： Effect of dc Magnetic Field and Free Carrier Concentration

Using the hydrodynamic model of semiconductor plasmas, we perform an analytical investigation of stimulated Raman scattering （SITS） of an electromagnetic pump wave in a transversely magnetized weakly polar semicon- ductor arising from electron-density perturbations and molecular vibrations of the medium both produced at the longitudinal optical phonon frequency. Assuming that the origin of SItS lies in the third-order susceptibility of the medium, we investigate the growth rate of Stokes mode. The dependence of stimulated Raman gain on the external dc magnetic field strength and free carrier concentration is reported. The possibility of the occurrence of optical phase conjugation via SItS is also studied. The steady-state Raman gain is found to be greatly enhanced by the presence of the strong external dc magnetic field.     

Effects of non-equilibrium polar optic phonons and the band non-parabolicity on small signal high-frequency hot electrons ac mobility in narrow gap semiconductors in high magnetic fields

The small signal high-frequency ac mobility of hot electrons in n-HgCdTe in the extreme quantum limit at low and high temperatures have been calculated considering the non-equilibrium phonon distribution as well as the thermal phonon distribution .The energy loss rate has been calculated considering only optical phonon scattering while the momentum loss rate has been calculated considering acoustic phonon scattering and piezoelectric scattering together with polar optical phonon scattering and separately considering only the polar optical scattering. The results have been discussed and compared. It has been observed that at 20 K, the normalized mobility considering all the three scattering mechanisms differs appreciably from that considering only the polar optical phonon scattering. However, at 77 K, there is no difference in the normalized mobility. This establishes the fact that at higher temperature, the effect of acoustic phonon scattering and piezoelectric coupling is negligible, compared to the polar optical phonon scattering. So the ac mobility considering only polar optical phonon scattering has been studied at 77 and 20 K. The ac mobility is found to remain constant up to 100 GHz and thereafter it started decreasing at higher frequencies at 77 K whereas the ac mobility reduces at much lower frequencies at lower temperature at lower field. The non-parabolicity of the band structure enhances the normalized mobility.     

Comparison of four scattering mechanisms in cyclotron resonance in InSb

Summary  Four scattering mechanisms are compared in the quantum limit cyclotron resonance inn-InSb on the basis of a many body theory introduced recently. In the quite low temperature region (T<70 K ) for the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave of 84 μ m, the electrons are scattered mostly by the ionized impurities, although the deformation potential phonon and the piezoelectric scattering are non-negligible. In the high temperature region (T>70 K ) the polar optical phonon scattering is found to be most dominant. It is also shown that the impurities give place to the phonons for the scattering mechanism above 70 K. On the other hand, at 20 K the ionized impurity scattering is dominant in the magnetic field region 0.2 T<B<2 T. This work has been supported by the Basis Science Research Institute Program, Korea Ministry of Education (Project No. BSRI-96-2405).     

Physical property characterization of bulk MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript> superconductor

We report synthesis, structure/micro-structure, resistivity under magnetic field [ρ(T)H], Raman spectra, thermoelectric power S(T), thermal conductivity κ(T), and magnetization of ambient pressure argon annealed polycrystalline bulk samples of MgB₂, processed under identical conditions. The compound crystallizes in hexagonal structure with space group P6/mmm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals electron micrographs showing various types of defect features along with the presence of 3–4 nm thick amorphous layers forming the grain boundaries of otherwise crystalline MgB₂. Raman spectra of the compound at room temperature exhibited characteristic phonon peak at 600 cm^-1. Superconductivity is observed at 37.2 K by magnetic susceptibility χ(T), resistivity ρ(T), thermoelectric power S(T), and thermal conductivity κ(T) measurements. The power law fitting of ρ(T) give rise to Debye temperature (Θ_D) at 1400 K which is found consistent with the theoretical fitting of S(T), exhibiting Θ _D of 1410 K and carrier density of 3.81 × 10²⁸/m³. Thermal conductivity κ(T) shows a jump at 38 K, i.e., at T_c, which was missing in some earlier reports. Critical current density (J_c) of up to 10⁵ A/cm² in 1–2 T (Tesla) fields at temperatures (T) of up to 10 K is seen from magnetization measurements. The irreversibility field, defined as the field related to merging of M(H) loops is found to be 78, 68 and 42 kOe at 4, 10 and 20 K respectively. The superconducting performance parameters viz. irreversibility field (H_irr) and critical current density J_c(H) of the studied MgB₂ are improved profoundly with addition of nano-SiC and nano-diamond. The physical property parameters measured for polycrystalline MgB₂ are compared with earlier reports and a consolidated insight of various physical properties is presented.     

Electron-LO-phonon interaction in wurtzite GaN quantum wells under a magnetic field

We calculate the electron-LO-phonon relaxation rates in wurtzite GaN quantum wells in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the growth direction. Using the dielectric continuum model (DCM), we are able to include contributions from both the interface and the quasi-confined phonon modes. The relaxation rate expression takes the phonon dispersion into account, and is applicable to all phonon modes. We find that the relaxation rates show strong oscillations as a function of the applied magnetic field. In relatively wide (8 nm) quantum wells, the inclusion of interface phonon mode decreases this oscillation amplitude. But in thin wells (5 nm), the interface phonon mode is of the same importance as the quasi-confined mode, and it strongly modifies the oscillation behavior.     

Investigation of interband optical transitions by near-resonant magneto-photoluminescence in InAs/GaAs quantum dots

Resonant photoluminescence experiments performed on self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots under strong magnetic field up to 28 T give rise to an accurate determination of the interband magneto-optical transitions. As this technique minimizes the effect of the homogeneous broadening of the transitions due to the size and composition fluctuations of the dots, the experimental spectra display well-defined peaks. A good agreement is found between the experimental data and calculations using an effective mass model including the coupling between the mixed exciton-LO phonon states. Transitions involving excitonic polarons are clearly identified. Moreover, a light-hole to conduction transition is also evidenced in agreement with previous theoretical predictions.     

Nanocrystallization of CaCO3 at solid/liquid interfaces in magnetic field: A quantum approach

With the application of 1.2 T external magnetic field, 90% of CaCO₃ soluble molecules in water flow precipitate on stainless steel 316 solid/liquid interface in the form of aragonite/vaterite. The magnetic field increases locally the thermodynamic potentials at interface, favoring the formation of aragonite than calcite, despite the fact that the field-free ground electronic state of aragonite is situated higher than of calcite. A quantum mechanical model predicts that magnetic fluctuations inside the liquid can be amplified by exchanging energy with an external magnetic field through the angular momentum of the water molecular rotors and with the macroscopic angular momentum of the turbulent flow. The theoretical model predicts that the gain is higher when the magnetic field is in resonance with the rotational frequencies of the molecular rotors or/and the low frequencies of the turbulent flow and that aragonite concentration is increasing at 0.4 T in agreement with the experimental results. Contrary to calcite, aragonite binds weakly on flow surfaces; and hence the process has significant industrial, environmental and biological impact.     

Free carrier absorption in quantizing magnetic fields: Nonpolar optical phonon scattering

A quantum theory of free carrier absorption in nondegenerate semiconductors and in strong magnetic fields which was previously developed to treat the case when acoustic phonon scattering dominates the free carrier absorption process [1] is extended to treat the case when nonpolar optical scattering is important. When the electromagnetic radiation field is polarized parallel to the direction of the applied magnetic field, results are obtained which are similar to those when acoustic phonon scattering is dominant. The free carrier absorption is an oscillatory function of the magnetic field which on the average increases in magnitude with the magnetic field. However, more structure in the free carrier absorption occurs when nonpolar optical phonon scattering dominates. This is due to the fact that there are two periods in the oscillatory magnetic field dependence associated with the emission or the absorption of optical phonons during the intraband transitions. When the cyclotron frequency exceeds the sum of the photon and optical phonon frequencies, i.e. ω_c > θ + ω_o, the free carrier absorption is predicted to increase linearly with magnetic field when ?ω_c? k_BT. The magnetic field dependence of the free carrier absorption can be explained in terms of phonon-assisted transitions between the various Landau levels in a band involving the emission and absorption of optical phonons.     

Effect of magnetic annealing on phonon behaviors of nanocrystalline BiFeO3

Influence of magnetic annealing at 823 K up to 10 T (T) on the phonon behaviors of nanocrystalline BiFeO₃ was investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The frequencies of fundamental Raman modes increase obviously with increasing annealing magnetic field, and the intensity of the 1260 cm⁻¹ two-phonon mode decreases. The pronounced anomalies of Raman phonon modes under magnetic annealing are attributed to the change of the spin-phonon coupling due to the modulation of spiral spin order. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of Raman peak positions, for the two prominent modes (147 and 176 cm⁻¹), show no notable anomaly around T_N except the sample annealed under 10 T magnetic field; meanwhile, in this sample, another obvious phonon anomaly occurs at ∼150 K (another magnetic phase transition point), which indicate that stronger magnetic annealing with 10 T intensely enhances the spin-phonon coupling, and possibly increases magnetoelectric coupling of nanocrystalline BiFeO₃ due to severely modulation of spiral spin order.     

Photoluminescence due to exciton–exciton scattering in a GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well

We have investigated photoluminescence (PL) properties of a GaAs (20 nm)/AlAs (20 nm) multiple quantum well at 10 K under intense excitation conditions. It has been found that a PL band due to exciton–exciton scattering, the so-called P emission, is observed in addition to the biexciton PL under an excitation energy higher than the fundamental heavy-hole exciton by the energy of the longitudinal optical phonon. On the other hand, the P band could never be observed at an excitation energy much higher than the exciton energy, where a band-filling phenomenon appears in the PL spectrum. Furthermore, we confirmed the existence of optical gain leading to stimulated emission in the energy region of the P band using a variable-stripe-length method.     

Electron states in diluted magnetic semiconductors

One of the remarkable properties of the II–VI diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) quantum dot (QD) is the giant Zeeman splitting of the carrier states under application of a magnetic field. This splitting reveals strong exchange interaction between the magnetic ion moment and electronic spins in the QD. A theoretical study of the electron spectrum and of its relaxation to the ground state via the emission of a longitudinal optical (LO) phonon, in a CdSe/ZnMnSe self-assembled quantum dot, is proposed in this work. Numerical calculations showed that the strength of this interaction increases as a function of the magnetic field to become more than 30 meV and allows some level crossings. We have also shown that the electron is more localized in this DMS QD and its relaxation to the ground state via the emission of one LO phonon is allowed.     

Impurity band in SnBi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Se<Subscript>7</Subscript>: thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity measurements

Thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity measurements on polycrystalline samples of Bi₂Se₃ and stoichiometric ternary compound in the quasi-binary system SnSe–Bi₂Se₃ in the temperature range of 90–420 K are presented and explained assuming the existence of an impurity band. The variation of the electron concentration with temperature above 300 K is explained in terms of the thermal activation of a shallow donor, by using a single conduction band model. The density of states effective mass m ^*=0.15m ₀ of the electrons, the activation energy of the donors, their concentration, and the compensation ratio are estimated. The temperature dependence of the electron mobility in conduction band is analyzed by taking into account the scattering of the charge carriers by acoustic phonon, optical phonon, and polar optical phonon as well as by alloy and ionized impurity modes. On the other hand, by considering the two-band model with electrons in both the conduction and impurity bands, the change in the electrical resistivity with temperature between 420 and 90 K is explained.     

Effect of nonequilibrium phonons on the tunnel current in superlattices

We present the first measurements of the effect of nonequilibrium phonons on the tunnel current in a weakly coupled GaAs/AlAs superlattice. The phonon-induced current has a maximum at a bias voltage which varies linearly with phonon source temperature at both zero and applied magnetic fields (B = 6 T). We attribute these results to assisted tunnelling by stimulated phonon emission and show that this system can be used as a phonon spectrometer.     

An accurate determination of the excess low temperature heat capacity of a superconducting metallic glass

The specific heat of an amorphous superconductor Zr₃Rh (T_{c = 4.3 K}) has been measured in the temperature range from 0.35 K to 10 K and with an applied magnetic field of 75 kG. The high field suppresses superconductivity and allows accurate determination of the phonon (βT³) term for the lowest temperatures studied. A careful subtraction of the normal electronic specific heat (γT) and phonon terms reveals a well defined excess linear heat capacity γ'T at low temperature. This excess term is attributed to localized lattice excitations using the two-level tunneling defect model of Phillips.     

Effect of optical phonon‐magnon interaction on the magnon softening at finite temperature

A magnon‐phonon interaction model is set up in a two‐dimensional ferromagnetic compound square‐lattice system. Using the Matsubara Green function theory we calculated the magnon dispersion curves on the main symmetric line in Brillouin zone, compared the influences of the magnetic ion optical phonon with non‐magnetic ion optical phonon on the magnetic excitation of the system and discussed the influences of various parameters on the magnon softening. The lower Debye temperature of ferromagnetic materials is, the more likely the magnon softening occurs. It turned out that the optical phonon‐magnon coupling plays an important role on the magnon softening, the longitudinal optical phonon contributes the most to the magnon softening and magnon damping. It is also found that the contribution of the non‐magnetic ion to the magnon softening and magnon damping is more significant than that of magnetic ion when the mass of the magnetic ion is less than that of the non‐magnetic ion, or the mass of magnetic ion and the non‐magnetic ion are equal.     

氢化锆(ZrH1.7)和钯氢(PdH0.7)光学声子的温度效应

在本院重水堆旁的铍过滤探测器中子非弹性散射谱仪上,对氢化锆(ZrH_1.7)(含碳0.2％)和钯氢(PdH_0.7)两种金属氢化物在室温和低温(97K)两种温度下,分别测定了光学声子能谱。结果表明:氢化锆的光学声子能级是等间距的,能级宽度基本上不随温度变化,即光学声子的非谐性是微弱的,较好地遵从爱因斯坦的谐振模型;而钯氢的第二个光学声子能级间距大于第一个能级间距约8meV,并且光学声子能级的宽度从室温下的38meV变化到低温(97K)下的20meV,这表明对钯氢的超导性起决定作用的光学声子,存在较明显的非谐性。 关键词：     

Magnetophonon oscillations in tellurium under hot carrier conditions

The magnetoresistance of undoped tellurium crystals was measured at lattice temperatures below 4.2 K and magnetic fields up to 15 T. Under hot carrier conditions two series of magnetophonon oscillations in the longitudinal magnetoresistance with the c-axis perpendicular to the magnetic field direction were observed. On the basis of the known band parameters and an impurity binding energy of 1.4 meV, the results are explained with the capture of warm carriers at impurity sites under optical phonon emission.     

Stimulated Brillouin scattering in magnetized diffusive semiconductor plasmas

Using the hydrodynamical model and following the coupled mode approach, detailed analytical investigation of stimulated Brillouin scattering is performed in an electrostrictive semiconductor. The total induced current density including diffusion current density and the effective Brillouin susceptibility are obtained under off-resonant laser irradiation. The analysis deals with the qualitative behaviour of the Brillouin gain and transmitted intensity with respect to excess doping concentration and magnetic field. Efforts are directed towards optimizing the doping level and magnetic field to achieve maximum Brillouin gain at pump intensities far below the optical damage threshold level. It is found that by immersing a moderately doped semiconductor in a sufficiently strong magnetic field in transverse direction, one can achieve resonant enhancement of Brillouin gain provided the generated acoustic mode lies in the dispersionless regime.