磁性外尔半金属材料研究现状与展望

外尔半金属是拓扑半金属家族中的一员。理想的外尔半金属费米面附近有且仅有非简并价带和导带形成的孤立能带交叉点,其低能激发准粒子可以用描述手性外尔费米子的外尔方程来刻画。在三维固体中形成外尔半金属态需要破缺时间反演、中心反演以及它们的组合对称操作。外尔点(即能带交叉点)具有拓扑稳定性和确定的手性或磁荷,且左右手性外尔点需成对出现。非磁性外尔半金属TaAs家族材料的发现,使得研究具有手征性的电子态,及其导致的新物性、新现象成为可能。与非磁性外尔半金属相比,磁性外尔半金属可以仅仅具有一对外尔点,是最简单的外尔半金属,有利于物理机理的分析。磁性外尔半金属可用于实现具有本征磁性的量子反常霍尔效应,提供了通过外磁场来调控外尔点及其相关效应的新手段。文章介绍了磁性外尔半金属的理论模型、拓扑数计算等基本原理,简要回顾了一些典型材料的理论计算和实验研究进展,并介绍了磁性拓扑量子化学理论和磁性拓扑材料的高通量计算,最后讨论了磁性外尔半金属的发展前景和未来的研究方向。     

Coherent electronic properties of coupled two-dimensional quantum dot arrays

In this paper we review our recent study of coherent electronic properties of coupled two-dimensional quantum dot arrays using numerical exact-diagonalization methods on a Mott–Hubbard type correlated tight-binding model. We predict the existence of a novel kind of persistent current in a two-dimensionalisolatedarray of quantum dots in a transverse magnetic field. We calculate the conductance spectrum for resonant tunneling transport through a coherent two-dimensional array of quantum dots in the Coulomb Blockade regime. We also calculate the effective two-terminal capacitance of an array coupled to bias leads.     

Electronic properties of a Weyl semimetal in crossed magnetic and electric fields

The study of Weyl semimetals is one of the most challenging problems of condensed matter physics. These materials exhibit interesting properties in a magnetic field. In this work, we investigate the Landau bands and the density of states (DOS) oscillations in a Weyl semimetal in crossed magnetic and electric fields. An expression is obtained for the energy spectrum of the system using the following three different methods: an algebraic approach, a Lorentz shift-based approach, and a quasi-classical approach. It is interesting that the energy spectrum calculated in terms of the quasi-classical approach coincides with the spectrum obtained using the microscopic approaches. An electric field is shown to change the Landau bands radically. In addition, the classical motion of a three-dimensional Dirac fermion in crossed fields is studied. In the case of a Dirac spectrum, the longitudinal (with respect to magnetic field) component of momentum (p _z ∥ H) is shown to be an oscillating function of the magnetic field. When the electric field is v⊥H/c, the Landau levels collapse and the motion becomes fully linear in an unusual manner. In this case, the wavefunction of bulk states vanishes and only states with p _z = 0 are retained. An electric field affects the character of DOS oscillations. An analytical expression is obtained for the quantum capacitance in crossed fields in the cases of strong and weak electric fields. Thus, an electric field is an additional parameter for adjusting the diamagnetic properties of Weyl semimetals.     

Weyl semimetal in a topological insulator multilayer

We propose a simple realization of the three-dimensional (3D) Weyl semimetal phase, utilizing a multilayer structure, composed of identical thin films of a magnetically doped 3D topological insulator, separated by ordinary-insulator spacer layers. We show that the phase diagram of this system contains a Weyl semimetal phase of the simplest possible kind, with only two Dirac nodes of opposite chirality, separated in momentum space, in its band structure. This Weyl semimetal has a finite anomalous Hall conductivity and chiral edge states and occurs as an intermediate phase between an ordinary insulator and a 3D quantum anomalous Hall insulator. We find that the Weyl semimetal has a nonzero dc conductivity at zero temperature, but Drude weight vanishing as T(2), and is thus an unusual metallic phase, characterized by a finite anomalous Hall conductivity and topologically protected edge states.     

Acoustic spin-1 Weyl semimetal

The study of topological semimetals hosting spin-1 Weyl points(WPs) beyond Dirac points and WPs has attracted a great deal of attention. However, a spin-1 Weyl semimetal that exclusively possesses spin-1 WPs in a clean frequency window without being shadowed by any other nodal points is yet to be discovered. This study reports a spin-1 Weyl semimetal in a phononic crystal. Its spin-1 WPs are touched by two linear dispersions and an additional flat band and carry monopole charges(-2,0,2) or(2,0,-2) for the three bands from the bottom to the top. They result in double Fermi arcs, which occur between the first and second bands, as well as between the second and third bands. Further robust propagation is observed against the multiple joints and topological negative refraction of the acoustic surface arc wave. The results of this study create the basis for the exploration of the unusual properties of spin-1 Weyl physics on a macroscopic scale.     

Detecting three-dimensional Weyl semimetal with a laser pulse

Three-dimensional Weyl semimetals have attracted many interests nowadays as they own novel topological properties. Here we propose to detect the Weyl semimetal by the scattered electrons (SEs) in the presence of a magnetic field. A laser pulse may cause the transition of electrons between different Landau levels (LLs) and therefore the SEs are induced. We make a detailed analysis of the SEs and find that the SEs and accompanying selection rules are different when the laser pulse acts perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. We also investigate the influence of temperature on the SEs. In addition, a comparison with graphene was also made, where the SEs exhibit δ-peaks. The implications of our results in experiment are discussed.     

Generalization of the theory of three-dimensional quantum Hall effect of Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetal

The quantum Hall effect (QHE), which is usually observed in two-dimensional systems, was predicted theoretically and observed experimentally in three-dimensional (3D) topological semimetal. However, there are some inconsistencies between the theory and the experiments showing the theory is imperfect. Here, we generalize the theory of the 3D QHE of Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetal. Through calculating the sheet Hall conductivity of a Weyl semimetal slab, we show that the 3D QHE of Fermi arcs can occur in a large energy range and the thickness dependences of the QHE in different Fermi energies are distinct. When the Fermi energy is near the Weyl nodes, the Fermi arcs give rise to the QHE which is independent of the thickness of the slab. When the Fermi energy is not near the Weyl nodes, the two Fermi arcs form a complete Fermi loop with the assistance of bulk states giving rise to the QHE which is dependent on the sample thickness. We also demonstrate how the band anisotropic terms influence the QHE of Fermi arcs. Our theory complements the imperfections of the present theory of 3D QHE of Fermi arcs.     

Photon-assisted electronic structure and transport for a quantum dot

This paper investigates theoretically the electronic structure and transport of a two-level quantum dot irradiated under a strong laser field at low temperatures. Using the method of Keldysh equation of motion for nonequilibrium Green functions, it examines the time-averaged density of states and conductance for the system with photon polarization parallel with and perpendicular to the tunnelling current direction respectively. It is demonstrated that, by analysing some numerical examples, more photon sidebands resonance states and multi- and single-photon transitions are found when diagonal matrix elements dominate the interaction, while the electronic transitions due to multiphoton absorption are more or less suppressed when off-diagonal interaction dominates.     

Impurity-induced states on the surface of a three-dimensional Weyl semimetal

We study theoretically the features of impurity-induced states on the surface of a three-dimensional Weyl semimetal in this work. For calculating the impurity-induced local density of states based on T-matrix formulation, we found that for different Weyl semimetal phases the behaviors of a local impurity exhibit distinguishable prominent features for the surface Fermi arc states. Due to two opposite-directional and -chirality surface currents for a surface, a bound state appears at the unitary limit of scattering intensity near the impurity site. Then the resonance condition for different Weyl semimetal phases and scattering intensity is investigated. Our results can be used to identify distinctive topological phases of Weyl semimetal. Furthermore, the relevance of topological nodal-point and -line systems is discussed. Some relation between our theoretical results and current experimental scheme are also discussed.     

Coherent manipulation of electronic States in a double quantum dot

We investigate coherent time evolution of charge states (pseudospin qubit) in a semiconductor double quantum dot. This fully tunable qubit is manipulated with a high-speed voltage pulse that controls the energy and decoherence of the system. Coherent oscillations of the qubit are observed for several combinations of many-body ground and excited states of the quantum dots. Possible decoherence mechanisms in the present device are also discussed.     

Low-energy properties of aperiodic quantum spin chains

We investigate the low-energy properties of antiferromagnetic quantum XXZ spin chains with couplings following two-letter aperiodic sequences, by an adaptation of the Ma-Dasgupta-Hu renormalization-group method. For a given aperiodic sequence, we argue that, in the easy-plane anisotropy regime, intermediate between the XX and Heisenberg limits, the general scaling form of the thermodynamic properties is essentially given by the exactly known XX behavior, providing a classification of the effects of aperiodicity on XXZ chains. As representative illustrations, we present analytical and numerical results for the low-temperature thermodynamics and the ground-state correlations for couplings following the Fibonacci quasiperiodic structure and a binary Rudin-Shapiro sequence, whose geometrical fluctuations are similar to those induced by randomness.     

On the Onsager-Casimir reciprocal relations in a tilted Weyl semimetal

The Onsager-Casimir reciprocal relations are a fundamental symmetry of nonequilibrium statistical systems. Here we study an unusual chirality-dependent Hall effect in a tilted Weyl semimetal Co₃Sn₂S₂ with broken time-reversal symmetry. It is confirmed that the reciprocal relations are satisfied. Since two Berry curvature effects, an anomalous velocity and a chiral chemical potential, contribute to the observed Hall effect, the reciprocal relations suggest their intriguing connection.     

A detailed investigation of the electronic properties of a multi-layer spherical quantum dot with a parabolic confinement

In this work, we aim a detailed investigation of the electronic properties of a spherical multi-layer quantum dot with and without a hydrogenic impurity. The structure is introduced in the form of core/shell/well/shell layers. The core and well layers are defined by the parabolic electronic potentials. We carry out the effect of the core radius and layer thickness on the energy levels, their wave functions, binding energies of the impurity and the probability distributions. In order to determine the sublevel eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, the Schrödinger equation is solved full numerically by shooting method in the frame of the effective mass approximation. The results are analyzed in detail as a function of the layer thicknesses and their probable physical reasons are tried to be explained. It is found that the electronic properties and impurity binding energies are strongly depending on the layer thicknesses.     

Optical properties of a magneto-donor in a quantum dot

The temperature-dependent magnetoresistance effect is investigated in a magnetically modulated two-dimensional (2D) electron gas (2DEG) which can be realized by depositing two parallel ferromagnets on top of a 2DEG electron gas. In the resonant tunnelling regime the transmission for the parallel and antiparallel magnetization configurations shows a quite distinct dependence on the longitudinal wave vector of the incident electrons. This leads to a very large magneto resistance ratio with a strong temperature dependence.     

Josephson current in an irradiated Weyl semimetal junction

The influence of the off-resonant circularly polarized light on the Josephson current in the time-reversal broken superconducting Weyl semimetal junctions is investigated by using the Bogoliubov–de Gennes equation and the transfer matrix approach. Both the zero momentum BCS pairing states and the finite momentum Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov(FFLO) pairing states are considered for the Weyl superconductors. When a circularly polarized light is applied, it is shown that the current phase relation remains unchanged for the BCS pairing with the increasing of incident radiation intensity A_0. For FFLO pairing, the Josephson current exhibits the 0–π transition and periodic oscillation as a function of A_0. The dependence of free energy and critical current on A_0 are also investigated.     

Nonlinear optical properties of a three-dimensional anisotropic quantum dot

The linear and nonlinear optical properties in a three-dimensional anisotropic quantum dot subjected to a uniform magnetic field directed with respect to the $z$-axis have been investigated within the compact-density matrix formalism and the iterative method. The dependence of the linear and nonlinear optical properties on the characteristic frequency of the parabolic potential, on the magnetic field, and on the incident optical intensity is studied in detail. Moreover, taking into account the position-dependent effective mass, the dependence of the linear and nonlinear optical properties on the dot radius is investigated. The results show that the optical absorption coefficients (ACs) and refractive index (RI) changes of the anisotropic quantum dot (QD) are strongly affected by these factors, and the position effect also plays an important role in the optical ACs and RI changes of the anisotropic QD.     

Study of optical properties in a cubic quantum dot

In this paper, the effect of hydrostatic pressure on both the intersubband optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes is studied for typical GaAs/Al _x  Ga_1?x As cubic quantum dot. We use analytical expressions for the linear and third-order nonlinear intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes obtained by the compact-density matrix formalism. The linear, third-order nonlinear, and total intersubband absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are calculated at different pressures as a function of the photon energy with known values of box length (L), the incident optical intensity (I), and Al concentration (x). According to the results obtained from the present work, we have found that the pressure plays an important role in the intersubband optical absorption coefficient and refractive index changes in a cubic quantum dot.