Surface oxidation in a van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3-xGeTe2

We investigate the surface oxidation in a van der Waals ferromagnet Fe_3-xGeTe₂, a material widely utilized for spintronic applications. While known for its relative air-insensitivity, exposure to air during the handling process (e.g. device or heterostructure fabrication) can lead to reduction or disappearance of its magnetic signal. Comparison of x-ray absorption and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra between pristine and air-exposed Fe_3-xGeTe₂ confirm a naturally oxidized surface layer on the material. The surface oxide layer has predominantly Fe³⁺ content. X-ray absorption spectroscopy done on micron-sized exfoliated Fe_3-xGeTe₂ flakes reveal that the change in the surface chemical properties can be quite significant for thin flakes. The surface modulation of Fe_3-xGeTe₂ can lead to inaccuracies in characterizing its interfacial magnetic and spin transport properties, and complicate device and heterostructure fabrication processes.     

Experimental 2CH excitation in acetylene-containing van der Waals complexes

Spectroscopic results are presented concerning the 2CH excitation around 1.5?µm in van der Waals complexes of acetylene (C₂H₂) with Ar, Kr, N₂, CO₂, N₂O and C₂H₂. Many are reviewed from the literature, with some updates. Previously unpublished results are also presented, concerning the mechanism of formation of C₂H₂–Ar in the supersonic jet, the assignment of new spectral structures in C₂H₂–N₂O, and the first observation of 2CH excitation in C₂H₂–Ne, C₂H₂–H₂O, C₂H₂–D₂O and (C₂H₂) _n . Lifetimes of these 2CH vibrationally excited dimers are discussed.     

二维材料的新奇物理及异质结的能带调控

以石墨烯为代表的层状材料具备显著区别于三维材料的新奇物理特性。更为重要的是,原子级平整的二维材料使得科学家们可以将不同的二维材料通过堆垛或者把相同的二维材料通过堆垛加扭转构成范德瓦耳斯异质结。通过层间耦合作用,可对异质结的能带结构和物理性质进行有效调控,从而衍生出单个二维材料所不具备的新奇物性。范德瓦耳斯异质结的能带调控极大地拓宽了二维材料的科学研究和应用前景。     

Six-body van der Waals interactions

We report on the six-body van der Waals interactions within Rydberg atoms. Specifically, we focus on the octahedron case. The results are compared with previous calculations for two to five bodies' interactions. This research is useful for crystal structure in condensed matter physics, such as p-type doping in Silicon or other types of semiconductors. This research is also useful for studying big molecules in chemistry, chemical engineering, and other fields.     

Spin freezing in the van der Waals material Mn2Ga2S5

Geometrical frustration in low-dimensional magnetic systems has been an intriguing research aspect, where the suppression of conventional magnetic order may lead to exotic ground states such as spin glass or spin liquid. In this work we report the synthesis and magnetism study of the monocrystalline Mn$_2$Ga$_2$S$_5$, featuring both the van der Waals structure and a bilayered triangular Mn lattice. Magnetic susceptibility reveals a significant antiferromagnetic interaction with a Curie-Weiss temperature $\theta_{\rm w}\sim-260$ K and a high spin $S=5/2$ Mn$^{2+}$ state. However, no long range magnetic order has been found down to 2 K, and a spin freezing transition is found to occur at around 12 K well below its $\theta_{\rm w}$. This yields a frustration index of $f = -\theta_{\rm w}/T_{\rm f} \approx 22$, an indication that the system is highly frustrated. The absence of a double-peak structure in magnetic specific heat compared with the $TM_2$S$_4$ compounds implies that the spin freezing behavior in Mn$_2$Ga$_2$S$_5$ is a result of the competition between exchange interactions and the 2D crystalline structure. Our results suggest that the layered Mn$_2$Ga$_2$S$_5$ would be an excellent candidate for investigating the physics of 2D magnetism and spin disordered state.     

Effect of defects on the electronic structure of a PbI2/MoS2 van der Waals heterostructure: A first-principles study

PbI2/MoS2,as a typical van der Waals(vdW)heterostructure,has attracted intensive attention owing to its remarkable electronic and optoelectronic properties.In this work,the effect of defects on the electronic structures of a PbI2/MoS2 heterointerface has been systematically investigated.The manner in which the defects modulate the band structure of PbI2/MoS2,including the band gap,band edge,band alignment,and defect energy-level density within the band gap is discussed herein.It is shown that sulfur defects tune the band gaps,iodine defects shift the positions of the band edge and Fermi level,and lead defects realize the conversions between the straddling-gap band alignment and valence-band-aligned gap,thus enhancing the light-absorption ability of the material.     

范德华尔斯材料在转角光学中的研究进展

极化激元是光与不同极化子相互作用形成的半光半物质的准粒子,可用于亚波长尺度的光场调控,在光学成像、非线性效应增强及新型超构材料设计等领域扮演着举足重轻的角色.近年来,随着人们对转角范德华尔斯材料体系的制备工艺和物性研究的不断深入,其中许多新奇的极化激元现象也被揭示.本文综述了近年来转角范德华尔斯材料在光学领域的研究进展...     

Magnetic two-dimensional van der Waals materials forspintronic devices

Magnetic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdWs) materials and their heterostructures attract increasing attention in the spintronics community due to their various degrees of freedom such as spin, charge, and energy valley, which may stimulate potential applications in the field of low-power and high-speed spintronic devices in the future. This review begins with introducing the long-range magnetic order in 2D vdWs materials and the recent progress of tunning their properties by electrostatic doping and stress. Next, the proximity-effect, current-induced magnetization switching, and the related spintronic devices (such as magnetic tunnel junctions and spin valves) based on magnetic 2D vdWs materials are presented. Finally, the development trend of magnetic 2D vdWs materials is discussed. This review provides comprehensive understandings for the development of novel spintronic applications based on magnetic 2D vdWs materials.     

A search for colour van der Waals interaction

It is suggested that the strength of nuclear colour van der Waals interaction, if present, can be determined by measuring deviations from Rutherford scattering of charged hadrons from nuclei, at energies well below the Coulomb barrier. Experimental limit on the strength of such a potential is obtained asλ<50, when the colour van der Waals potential is given byV(r)=λ(hc/r ₀)(r ₀/r)⁷, withr ₀, the scaling length, taken as 1 fm. This limit is obtained from an analysis of existing experiments and by performing scattering experiments of 3–4.6 MeV protons from a²⁰⁸Pb target.     

Rotational Spectrum, Dynamics, and Bond Energy of the Oxirane···Krypton van der Waals Complex

From the free jet millimeter-wave spectra of four isotopomers of the weakly bonded oxirane···Kr complex, information on the equilibrium conformation, dynamics, and dissociation energy has been deduced. A C_s symmetry is found for the complex, with Kr lying in the σ_v plane of symmetry of oxirane. The equilibrium distance of Kr with respect to the center of mass of bare oxirane is 3.67 Å, with Kr tilted 13.6° from the perpendicular to the center of mass of the ring toward the oxygen atom. The dissociation energy is estimated, from the centrifugal distortion constant D_J, to be ca. 3.1 kJ/mol.     

Nonuniform van der Waals theory

The liquid-vapor interface of a confined fluid at the condensation phase transition is studied in a combined hydrostatic/mean-field limit of classical statistical mechanics. Rigorous and numerical results are presented. The limit accounts for strongly repulsive short-range forces in terms of local thermodynamics. Weak attractive longer-range ones, like gravitational or van der Waals forces, contribute a self-consistent mean potential. Although the limit is fluctuationfree, the interface is not a sharp Gibbs interface, but its structure is resolved over the range of the attractive potential. For a fluid of hard balls with –r ^–6 interactions the traditional condensation phase transition with critical point is exhibited in the grand ensemble: A vapor state coexists with a liquid state. Both states are quasiuniform well inside the container, but wall-induced inhomogeneities show up close to the boundary of the container. The condensation phase transition of the grand ensemble bridges a region of negative total compressibility in the canonical ensemble which contains canonically stable proper liquid-vapor interface solutions. Embedded in this region is a new, strictly canonical phase transition between a quasiuniform vapor state and a small droplet with extended vapor atmosphere. This canonical transition, in turn, bridges a region of negative total specific heat in the microanonical ensemble. That region contains subcooled vapor states as well as superheated very small droplets which are microcanonically stable.     

Observation of magnetoresistance in CrI3/graphene van der Waals heterostructures

Two-dimensional ferromagnetic van der Waals (2D vdW) heterostructures have opened new avenues for creating artificial materials with unprecedented electrical and optical functions beyond the reach of isolated 2D atomic layered materials, and for manipulating spin degree of freedom at the limit of few atomic layers, which empower next-generation spintronic and memory devices. However, to date, the electronic properties of 2D ferromagnetic heterostructures still remain elusive. Here, we report an unambiguous magnetoresistance behavior in CrI₃/graphene heterostructures, with a maximum magnetoresistance ratio of 2.8%. The magnetoresistance increases with increasing magnetic field, which leads to decreasing carrier densities through Lorentz force, and decreases with the increase of the bias voltage. This work highlights the feasibilities of applying two-dimensional ferromagnetic vdW heterostructures in spintronic and memory devices.     

Dynamical van der Waals Model of Glassy Behavior

A model fluid system whose intermolecular forces consist of the short range part characterizing usual stable fluid and the long range part of Kac-type is considered. When the ratio of the force ranges is large enough, the system can be described by regarding the system having only short range interactions as a reference fluid treated as a continuum, on which long range forces acting among tiny fluid elements are superimposed. We discuss the glassy behavior of this model relating it to the mode coupling theory and using real replica theory. These theories lead to the two equations for non-ergodicity parameter which are totally different from each other. We argue that our model can be a basis for examining nature of the drastic approximations entering derivations of the mode coupling equations. We further explore the possibility of developing the dynamical real replica approach for our model system with the hope of providing a framework to cope with different time scales characterizing complex glassy behavior.     

Band alignment in SiC-based one-dimensional van der Waals homojunctions

The density functional theory method is utilized to verify the electronic structures of SiC nanotubes (SiCNTs) and SiC nanoribbons (SiCNRs) one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals homojunctions (vdWh) under an applied axial strain and an external electric field. According to the calculated results, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-II band alignment and robust electronic structures with different diameters or widths. Furthermore, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-I band alignment, respectively, in a range of[-0.3, -0.1] V/Å and[0.1, 0.3] V/Å and change into metal when the electric field intensity is equal to or higher than 0.4 V/Å. Interestingly, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs have robust electronic structures under axial strain. These findings demonstrate theoretically that the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs can be employed in nanoelectronics devices.     

Ultrafast interlayer photocarrier transfer in graphene–MoSe_2 van der Waals heterostructure

We report the fabrication and photocarrier dynamics in graphene–MoSe_2 heterostructures. The samples were fabricated by mechanical exfoliation and manual stacking techniques. Ultrafast laser measurements were performed on the heterostructure and MoSe_2 monolayer samples. By comparing the results, we conclude that photocarriers injected in MoSe_2 of the heterostructure transfer to graphene on an ultrafast time scale. The carriers in graphene alter the optical absorption coefficient of MoSe_2. These results illustrate the potential applications of this material in optoelectronic devices.     

Broadband laser excitation of van der Waals polymers from a cold atomic gas

In this article, we study the molecular states or polymer states excited from a broadband laser, in which case the dipole blockade will be suppressed. As expected, it is shown that more molecular states are observed through broadband laser excitations compared with narrow-band laser excitations. In addition, it is discovered that a larger energy difference, larger detuning, is required to form deeper potential wells.     

Letter: Brane Cosmology with a van der Waals Equation of State

The evolution of a Universe confined onto a 3-brane embedded in a five-dimensional space-time is investigated where the cosmological fluid on the brane is modeled by the van der Waals equation of state. It is shown that the Universe on the brane evolves in such a manner that three distinct periods concerning its acceleration field are attained: (a) an initial accelerated epoch where the van der Waals fluid behaves like a scalar field with a negative pressure; (b) a past decelerated period which has two contributions, one of them is related to the van der Waals fluid which behaves like a matter field with a positive pressure, whereas the other contribution comes from a term of the Friedmann equation on the brane which is inversely proportional to the scale factor to the fourth power and can be interpreted as a radiation field, and (c) a present accelerated phase due to a cosmological constant on the brane.     

应力调控BlueP/XTe2(X=Mo,W)范德瓦耳斯异质结电子结构及光学性质理论研究

通过第一性原理计算探讨了蓝磷烯与过渡金属硫化物MoTe₂/WTe₂形成范德瓦耳斯异质结的电子结构和光学性质,以及施加双轴应力对相关性质的影响.计算结果表明,形成BlueP/XTe₂(X=Mo,W)异质结,二者能带排列为间接带隙type-Ⅱ并有较强的红外光吸收,同时屏蔽特性增强.随压缩应力增加,BlueP/XTe₂转变为直接带隙type-Ⅱ能带排列最后转变为金属性;随拉伸应力增加,异质结转变为间接带隙type-Ⅰ能带排列.外加应力也能有效调控异质结的光吸收性质,随压缩应力增加吸收边红移,光吸收响应拓展至中红外光谱区且吸收系数增大;BlueP/MoTe₂较BlueP/WTe₂在中红外至红外光区间表现出更强的光吸收响应;静态介电常数ε1(0)大幅增加.结果表明,压缩应力对BlueP/MoTe₂和BlueP/WTe₂能带排列、光吸收特性均有显著的调控作用,其中BlueP/MoTe₂对调控更敏感,这些特性也使BlueP/XTe₂异质结在窄禁带中红外半导体材料及光电器件具有令人期待的应用价值.     

麦克斯韦等面积法则在范氏气体中的应用

对与范德瓦耳斯气体状态方程有关的几个问题作了进一步分析,给出了一种证明麦克斯韦等面积法则的方法,并指出了有关文献的不妥之处.     

The Classical–Quantum Passage: A van der Waals Description

We undertake a van der Waals inquiry at very low temperatures so as to find signs of a classical–quantum frontier. We investigate the relation of such signs with the celebrated van der Waals gas–liquid transition. We specialize the discussion with respect to the noble gases. For such purpose, we use rather novel thermal statistical quantifiers such as the disequilibrium, the statistical complexity, and the thermal efficiency. Fruitful insights are thereby gained.