Orbital ac spin-Hall effect in the hopping regime

The Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions are both shown to yield the low temperature spin-Hall effect for strongly localized electrons coupled to phonons. A frequency-dependent electric field E(omega) generates a spin-polarization current, normal to E, due to interference of hopping paths. At zero temperature the corresponding spin-Hall conductivity is real and is proportional to omega2. At nonzero temperatures the coupling to the phonons yields an imaginary term proportional to omega. The interference also yields persistent spin currents at thermal equilibrium, at E=0. The contributions from the Dresselhaus and Rashba interactions to the interference oppose each other.     

Study of ac hopping conductivity on one—dimensional nanometre systems

In this paper, we establish a one-dimensional random nanocrystalline chain model, we derive a new formula of ac electron－phonon－field conductance for electron tunnelling transfer in one-dimensional nanometre systems. By calculating the ac conductivity, the relationship between the electric field, temperature and conductivity is analysed, and the effect of crystalline grain size and distortion of interfacial atoms on the ac conductance is discussed. A characteristic of negative differential dependence of resistance and temperature in the low-temperature region for a nanometre system is found. The ac conductivity increases linearly with rising frequency of the electric field, and it tends to increase as the crystalline grain size increases and to decrease as the distorted degree of interfacial atoms increases.     

Nonuniversal features of the ac conductivity in ion conducting glasses

Recently, Sidebottom [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3653 (1999)] proposed a new scaling approach for the conductivity spectra of ion conducting glasses. This approach is based on the condition that the shape of the spectra is universal. In this Letter, we show that this condition is generally not fulfilled, but that the shape depends on the glass composition. In single alkali glasses, the frequency dependence of the conductivity varies with the alkali oxide content. Furthermore, the mixing of dissimilar alkali ions leads to pronounced changes in the shape of the conductivity spectra.     

Onset of a nonoptimal hopping regime for ac conductivity in amorphous gallium antimonide

A possible explanation has been found for the typical discrepancy between the parameters of localized states as determined from the static and dynamic hopping conductivities in tetrahedral amorphous semiconductors. It is shown for the example of a-GaSb that the Mott hopping length R _opt, the correlation length for nonoptimal hops L _T , and the ac hopping length R _ω are related as R _opt <L _T <R _ω , as a result of which the Mott law holds for the dc conductivity and the Zvyagin regime of nonoptimal hops holds for the ac conductivity σ(ω). The observed value of σ(ω) is two orders of magnitude lower than the conductivity calculated by the Austin-Mott formula for the parameters of localized states found from dc measurements. A model that quantitatively describes the static and dynamic conductivity of a-GaSb with the aid of a single set of parameters characterizing the Miller-Abrahams resistor network is proposed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 4, 322–327 (25 February 1997)     

Random walks on bond percolation clusters: ac hopping conductivity below the threshold

The frequency dependence of the ac hopping conductivity in two and three dimensional lattices with random interruptions is calculated by Monte Carlo simulation of random walks on bond percolation clusters. At low frequencies the real and imaginary parts of the ac conductivity vanish linearly and quadratically with the frequency, respectively. The critical behaviour of the imaginary part of the ac conductivity below the percolation threshold is shown to depend on the long time limit of the mean square displacement of random walksR ² , while the real part depends on the time constant of the system as well.R ² is found to diverge with an exponentu=2- according to the conjecture of Stauffer.     

High resolution magneto-optical studies of p-InSb

High resolution photoconductivity and transmission spectra in p-InSb are obtained over a wide temperature range at magnetic fields from 9 to 100 kG using a CO₂ laser. The low temperature results are described in terms of hole transitions from the acceptor ground state to excited states associated with free light-hole Landau states.     

Optical phonon assisted cyclotron harmonic transitions in p-InSb

The observation of optical-phonon induced cyclotron resonance harmonics in the valence band of InSb is reported. A photoconductivity technique was applied, using a CO₂ laser and magnetic fields up to 15 T. The observed resonances are well described by a corrected Pidgeon-Brown model calculation which is also consistent with experimentally observed magneto-optical intra-conduction and interband transitions.     

Effect of the ac field on a single-molecule magnet bridged between conducting leads

We study quantum spin-rotation effects for a single-molecule magnet bridged between two conducting leads in the ac and dc magnetic fields. The Landau-Zener dynamics induced by the magnetic field generates mechanical torque, making the molecule to oscillate. This mechanical motion of the molecule exhibits unique features that can be detected by measuring the electronic tunneling current through the molecule.     

dc and ac characterizations of electrical conducting nanoporous carbon structures based on resorcinol-formaldehyde

Structural, electrical and morphological properties of electrical conducting nanoporous carbon structures, prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures by sol–gel method, were investigated. The effect of the measurement temperature on the electrical properties of the obtained sample pyrolysed at 675 °C was studied. The imaginary and real parts of the sample impedance versus frequency, in the range of 40 Hz–100 MHz, are investigated. The Nyquist diagrams were used to identify an equivalent circuit and the fundamental parameters of the circuit are determined at different temperatures with the aim to study the contributions of the grains and boundary grains to the conductivity.     

The determination of hopping rates and carrier concentrations in ionic conductors by a new analysis of ac conductivity

The a.c. conductivity σ(ω) of ionic materials takes the form, σ(ω) = σ(0) + Aωⁿ. The carrier hopping rate, ω_p, is obtained from the new expression σ(0) = A ω_pⁿ and the carrier concentration is estimated from σ(0). The contribution of creation and migration terms to the activation energy for conduction may be determined from the thermal activation of σ(0) and ω_p and the corresponding entropy terms quantified. Data have been analyzed for four widely different ionic materials: single crystal Na β-alumina, polycrystalline Li₄SiO₄, Ag₇l₄AsO₄ glass and Ca(NO₃)₂/KNO₃ glass and melt. For each, the carrier concentration and hopping rates have been obtained.     

A comparative study on the dielectric and ac conductivity of ionically conducting lithium silicate ceramics

Lithium silicate ceramics were prepared via solid-state reaction technique. Two ceramics with different molar ratios of Li₂CO₃/SiO₂ (designed as L₁S and L₂S) were prepared for dielectric studies. X-ray diffraction pattern showed that L₁S ceramic is obtained as single-phase composition, whereas L₂S ceramic exhibit multiphase with Li₄SiO₄ as a major phase. Dielectric studies of the compounds shows a strong frequency dispersion of permittivity in the low frequency region followed by a nearly frequency independent behavior in the high frequency region. Dielectric loss (tan δ) seems to be reduced at higher frequencies after reaching the instrumental saturation. The present study reveals that high dielectric compositions can be realized by Li₂O-rich system (i.e., L₂S ceramic). From the dielectric studies, we can prescribe L₁S ceramic as a good dielectric material since it possesses low dielectric loss. The values of activation energies suggest the presence of singly ionized oxygen vacancies in the conduction process.     

Observation of magnetic field dependent ultrasonic relaxation time in p-InSb

Ultrasonic attenuation and sound velocity measurements are presented for p-InSb (≈ 10¹⁴cm^?3) at low temperatures in high magnetic fields. A magnetic field dependent relaxation time is observed, which is interpreted as being due to a relaxation process via holes in the valence band.     

Magnetothermal emf of p-InSb Samples with High Temperature Gradient upon Uniaxial Strain

Russian Physics Journal -     

From classical mobility to hopping conductivity: charge hopping in an ultracold gas

Studies of charge mobilities in an ultracold gas are reported. Calculations for the Na + Na+ system have been carried out as a function of temperature T and densities, and the conductivity of the ultracold charged gas is obtained. The total charge mobility exhibits a sharp increase as T is lowered, indicating a transition from an almost insulating to a conducting system at few microK. It is shown that the nature of the charge mobility changes with temperature: at high T, the charges are transported by massive centers (i.e., the ions), and at low T, by electrons jumping from neighboring atoms onto the positive ions (the positive holes exhibit hopping conductivity). An experiment is proposed to detect this effect.