Faceting transitions in crystal growth and heteroepitaxial growth in the anisotropic phase-field crystal model

We modify the anisotropic phase-field crystal model(APFC),and present a semi-implicit spectral method to numerically solve the dynamic equation of the APFC model.The process results in the acceleration of computations by orders of magnitude relative to the conventional explicit finite-difference scheme,thereby,allowing us to work on a large system and for a long time.The faceting transitions introduced by the increasing anisotropy in crystal growth are then discussed.In particular,we investigate the morphological evolution in heteroepitaxial growth of our model.A new formation mechanism of misfit dislocations caused by vacancy trapping is found.The regular array of misfit dislocations produces a small-angle grain boundary under the right conditions,and it could significantly change the growth orientation of epitaxial layers.     

Faceting and commensurability in crystal structures of colloidal thin films

This Letter investigates the influence of finite size effects on the particle arrangement of thin film colloidal crystals. A rich variety of crystallographic faceting with large single domain microcrystallites is shown. Optical reflectance experiments together with scanning electron microscopy permit the identification of the crystal symmetry and the facet orientation, as well as the exact number of monolayers. When the cell thickness is not commensurable with a high symmetry layering, particles arrange themselves in a periodic distribution of (111)- and (100)-orientated face centered cubic (fcc) microcrystallites separated by planar defects. These structures can be described as a fcc ordering orientated along a vicinal surface, modified by a periodic distribution of fcc (111) stacking faults.     

Exchange frequencies in the 2D Wigner crystal

Using path integral Monte Carlo we have calculated exchange frequencies as electrons undergo ring exchanges in a "clean" 2D Wigner crystal as a function of density. The results show agreement with WKB calculations at very low density, but show a more rapid increase with density near melting. Remarkably, the exchange Hamiltonian closely resembles the measured exchanges in 2D (3)He. Using the resulting multispin exchange model we find the spin Hamiltonian for r(s) < or = 175 +/- 10 is a frustrated antiferromagnetic; its likely ground state is a spin liquid. For lower density the ground state will be ferromagnetic.     

Air waveguide in a hybrid 1D and 2D photonic crystal hetero-structure

An air waveguide in hybrid one-dimensional photonic crystal and two-dimensional photonic crystal slab hetero-structure is designed. Light propagating in air waveguide can be confined by two-dimensional photonic crystal slab in x-y plane and one-dimensional photonic crystal films in z direction. Theoretical calculations show that air waveguide in the hetero-structure can achieve some functions as 3D PhCs but could be made more easily than 3D PhCs.     

Recrystallization of a 2D plasma crystal

A monolayer plasma crystal consisting of micron-sized particles levitated in the sheath of a rf discharge was melted by applying a short electric pulse to two parallel wires located at the height of the particles. Structural properties and the particle temperature were examined during the stage of recrystallization. A liquidlike phase was followed by a transient state characterized by energy release and the restoring of long range translational order while the defect fraction was low. No long range orientational order was found, though highly ordered domains formed locally. Numerical simulations revealed the same regimes of recrystallization as those observed in the experiment.     

2D and 3D electrically switchable hexagonal photonic crystal in the ultraviolet range

Two holographic lithography systems are demonstrated for easy and large-area fabrication of 2D and 3D photonic crystal (PhC) microstructures in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) by applying a single top-cut hexagon prism. A six-beam system has been used to produce 2D hexagonal PhCs. By adding an additional mirror, a twelve-beam system is demonstrated to fabricate 3D PhCs with ultraviolet (UV) band-gap along the z direction. A good agreement is obtained for measured PhCs structure and theoretical results. Far-field diffraction patterns and electrical switching characteristics of the 2D and 3D PhC HPDLC films have been investigated. PACS 42.15.Eq; 42.40.Eq     

Single and paired point defects in a 2D Wigner crystal

Using the path-integral Monte Carlo method, we calculate the energy to form single and pair vacancies and interstitials in a two-dimensional Wigner crystal of electrons. We confirm that the lowest energy point defects of a 2D electron Wigner crystal are interstitials, with a creation energy roughly 2/3 that of a vacancy. The formation energy of the defects goes to zero at melting, suggesting that point defects may be the melting mechanism and that the melting could be a continuous transition. In addition, we find that the interaction between defects is strongly attractive, so that most defects will exist as bound pairs.     

Laser-induced defect insertion in DNA-linked 2D colloidal crystal array

Insertion of vacancies at predetermined sites within the lattice of colloidal crystals is a prerequisite in order to realize high-quality, opaline-based photonic devices. In this contribution, we demonstrate a novel methodology to afford controlled insertion of vacancies within two-dimensional (2D) opaline arrays. These 2D opaline arrays have been substrate-anchored with the help of DNA hybridization. This provides a heat-sensitive ‘adhesive’ between substrate and microspheres within a surrounding aqueous medium that enables tuning the hybridization strength of DNA linker as well as a mechanism to facilitate the removal of unbound microspheres. Focusing a laser beam onto the substrate/microsphere interface induces a localized heating event that detaches the irradiated microspheres, leaving behind vacancies. By repeating this process, line vacancies were successfully obtained. The effects of salt concentration, laser power, light-absorbing dyes, DNA length and refractive-index mismatch were investigated and found to correlate with heat-induced microsphere release. E. Geiss and S. Kim contributed equally.     

Monochromatic infrared wave propagation in 2D superconductor-dielectric photonic crystal

Anomalous infrared monochromatic transmission through superconducting cylinders embedded in a dielectric and dielectric cylinders embedded in a superconductor is found. The transmitted frequency corresponds to the localized photonic mode in the forbidden photonic band. This localized mode appears when the symmetry of the photonic crystal is broken by a defect. This defect can be formed when supercon-ducting cylinder is removed from the node of the ideal two-dimensional lattice of superconducting cylinders in dielectric medium or one dielectric cylinder placed out of the node of the lattice of the dielectric cylinders in superconducting medium. The corresponding frequency was calculated for the YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 − δ} supercon-ducting cylinders in vacuum.     

Adsorption and crystal growth

The common feature of the numerous and apparently very different phenomena that we propose to consider in this article can be found in the microscopic mobility of the adsorbent's surface during adsorption.     

Superconductivity and single crystal growth of Ni0.05TaS2

Superconductivity was discovered in a Ni_0.05TaS₂ single crystal. A Ni_0.05TaS₂ single crystal was successfully grown via the NaCl/KCl flux method. The obtained lattice constant $c$ of Ni_0.05TaS₂ is 1.1999 nm, which is significantly smaller than that of 2H–TaS₂ (1.208 nm). Electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements reveal that the superconductivity transition temperature of Ni_0.05TaS₂ is enhanced from 0.8 K (2H–TaS₂) to 3.9 K. The charge-density-wave transition of the matrix compound 2H–TaS₂ is suppressed in Ni_0.05TaS₂. The success of Ni_0.05TaS₂ single crystal growth via a NaCl/KCl flux demonstrates that NaCl/KCl flux method will be a feasible method for single crystal growth of the layered transition metal dichalcogenides.     

A 2D rods-in-air square-lattice photonic crystal optical switch

A 2D photonic crystal optical switch is proposed based on a rods-in-air square-lattice photonic crystal by removing two cross-lines of rods from a 2D square-lattice photonic crystal to form four optical channels. The simulation results show that, when inserting a single rod along the diagonal line of the intersection area of two removed cross-lines of rods, the position of the single inserted rod determines how much incident energy goes into different channels. In the case of transverse magnetic (TM) Gaussian point source, time domain simulation shows that up to 87.3% of the incident energy can be switched into a channel, which is vertical to the source channel. Because there are two diagonal lines in the intersection area of two removed cross-lines of rods, the optical switch feature is achieved by shifting the inserted rod between two diagonal lines. It is also found that the magnitude of the reflected wave in the source channel varies greatly with spatial position of the single inserted rod. The larger the magnitude of the reflected wave in the source channel, the less the energy that goes into the switched channel. The time delay between the incident wave and the reflected wave in the source channel is also related to the position of the single inserted rod. In addition, the large time delay between the incident wave and the reflected wave in the source channel shows that the reflected wave encounters many reflections with the walls of the source channel, instead of waves reflected back from the single inserted rod.     

二维等离子体填充金属光子晶体腔体特性

设计了等离子体填充的二维金属光子晶体特殊开放腔体结构,并采用粒子模拟技术(PIC)建立了基于等离子体填充腔体结构物理模型,分析了等离子体填充下二维腔体的各模式场分布特性,以及等离子体的引入对腔体内各模式工作频率、电场幅值的影响。结果表明:腔体内各模式的电场强度随等离子体密度的增加而减弱,模式频率随背景等离子体归一化频率的提高而增加,工作模式的产生与激励方式密切相关。     

A multiscale hp-FEM for 2D photonic crystal bands

A multiscale generalised hp-finite element method (MSFEM) for time harmonic wave propagation in bands of locally periodic media of large, but finite extent, e.g., photonic crystal (PhC) bands, is presented. The method distinguishes itself by its size robustness, i.e., to achieve a prescribed error its computational effort does not depend on the number of periods. The proposed method shows this property for general incident fields, including plane waves incident at a certain angle to the infinite crystal surface, and at frequencies in and outside of the bandgap of the PhC. The proposed MSFEM is based on a precomputed problem adapted multiscale basis. This basis incorporates a set of complex Bloch modes, the eigenfunctions of the infinite PhC, which are modulated by macroscopic piecewise polynomials on a macroscopic FE mesh. The multiscale basis is shown to be efficient for finite PhC bands of any size, provided that boundary effects are resolved with a simple macroscopic boundary layer mesh. The MSFEM, constructed by combing the multiscale basis inside the crystal with some exterior discretisation, is a special case of the generalised finite element method (g-FEM). For the rapid evaluation of the matrix entries we introduce a size robust algorithm for integrals of quasi-periodic micro functions and polynomial macro functions. Size robustness of the present MSFEM in both, the number of basis functions and the computation time, is verified in extensive numerical experiments.