Some open problems in the physics of disordered systems

Some problems in the physics of disordered systems are pointed out; most of these arise from experiments.     

The limitimg behaviour of the well width of a quantum two-dimensional metal–insulator transition

Metal–Insulator transition using an exact two-dimensional (2D) dielectric function is investigated for a shallow donor in an isolated well of a GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_sAs superlattice system within the effective mass approximation. Vanishing of the donor ionization energy as a function of well width and the donor concentration suggests that a phase transition is not possible even below a well width of 10 Å, supporting the scaling theory of localization. The effects of Anderson localization, exchange and correlation in the Hubbard model are included in a simple way. The relationship between the present model and the Mott criterion in terms of Hubbard model is also brought out. The critical concentration appears to be enhanced when a random distribution of impurities is considered. The limiting behaviour of the well width for a quantum 2D well is brought out. A simple expression is derived for a Mott constant in 2D, a*N_c^1/2 exp (9.86 exp (−L/a*))=0.123, where N_c is the critical concentration per area. Results are compared with the existing data available and discussed in the light of existing literature.     

Itinerant to relocalized transition of f electrons in the Kondo insulator CeRu4Sn6

The three-dimensional electronic structure and the nature of Ce 4f electrons of the Kondo insulator CeRu₄Sn₆ are investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, utilizing tunable photon energies. Our results reveal (i) the three-dimensional k-space nature of the Fermi surface, (ii) the localized-to-itinerant transition of f electrons occurs at a much high temperature than the hybridization gap opening temperature, and (iii) the “relocalization” of itinerant f-electrons below 25 K, which could be the precursor to the establishment of magnetic order.     

First-principles investigation of A-B intersite charge transfer and correlated electrical and magnetic properties in BiCu3Fe4O12

First-principles calculations using the augmented plane wave plus local orbitals method, as implemented in the WIEN2K code, have been carried out to study the A-B intersite charge transfer and the correlated electrical and magnetic properties of the perovskite BiCu(3)Fe(4)O(12), especially as regards the charge transfer. The results indicate that the charge transfer between A-site Cu and B-site Fe is by way of O 2p orbitals, and during this process orbital hybridization plays an important role. More importantly, the charge transfer is of 3d(9) + 4d(5)L(0.75) →3d(9)L + 4d(5) type (here L denotes an oxygen hole or a ligand hole). During this process, the magnetic interaction experiences a transition from Cu-Fe ferrimagnetic coupling to G-type antiferromagnetic coupling within B-site Fe with paramagnetic Cu(3+). As to electrical property, it undergoes a metal to insulator transition. All our calculated results are consistent with the available experimental results.     

Preparation and characterization of NiO nanoparticles from thermal decomposition of the [Ni(en)3](NO3)2 complex: A facile and low-temperature route

NiO nanoparticles with an average size of 15 nm were easily prepared via the thermal decomposition of the tris(ethylenediamine)Ni(II) nitrate complex [Ni(en)₃](NO₃)₂ as a new precursor at low temperature, and the nanoparticles were characterized by thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, BET specific surface area measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetic measurements. The magnetic measurements confirm that the product shows a ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature, which may be ascribed to a size confinement effect. The NiO nanoparticles prepared by this method could be an appropriate photocatalytic material due to a strong absorption band at 325 nm. This method is simple, fast, safe, low-cost and also suitable for industrial production of high purity NiO nanoparticles for applied purposes.     

Magnetic property of a triply bridged linear trinuclear nickel complex

A new linear trinuclear nickel(II) complex, [Ni₃L₂(OCn)₄] (HL = 2-[(3-dimethylamino-propylimino)-methyl]-phenol, OCn = cinnamate), with phenoxo bridge and a novel tridentate bridging mode (in a 2.21 fashion according to Harris notation), of the cinnamate ligand has been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and static magnetic measurements. The molecular structure shows that each nickel ion occupies octahedral coordinating geometry. Apart from the phenoxo bridges, the carboxylic group of cinnamic anion shows two types of bridging modes viz. 2.11 and 2.21. The magnetic data indicate that a moderate intramolecular ferromagnetic and a weak intermolecular antiferromagnetic interaction are present in the complex under study. Broken symmetry density functional theory has been used to estimate the sign and magnitude of the coupling constants to understand the magnetic exchange mechanisms of the present system. The relative abilities of different bridging groups to mediate magnetic exchange interactions between paramagnetic nickel centers have been investigated by DFT calculation with variable angles. The results show that a small change in phenoxo-bridging angle has a very strong impact on the magnetic properties.     

Non-local order in Mott insulators,duality and Wilson loops

It is shown that the Mott insulating and superfluid phases of bosons in an optical lattice may be distinguished by a non-local ‘parity order parameter’ which is directly accessible via single site resolution imaging. In one dimension, the lattice Bose model is dual to a classical interface roughening problem. We use known exact results from the latter to prove that the parity order parameter exhibits long range order in the Mott insulating phase, consistent with recent experiments by Endres et al. [M. Endres, M. Cheneau, T. Fukuhara, C. Weitenberg, P. Schauß, C. Gross, L. Mazza, M.C. Bañuls, L. Pollet, I. Bloch, et al., Science 334 (2011) 200]. In two spatial dimensions, the parity order parameter can be expressed in terms of an equal time Wilson loop of a non-trivial U(1)$U\left(1\right)$ gauge theory in 2+1$2+1$ dimensions which exhibits a transition between a Coulomb and a confining phase. The negative logarithm of the parity order parameter obeys a perimeter law in the Mott insulator and is enhanced by a logarithmic factor in the superfluid.     

一种在真空中测量脉冲高电压的电阻分压器

为测量快脉冲直线变压器驱动源（LTD）二极管负载的脉冲高电压,设计了在真空环境中使用的电阻分压器。分压器使用绝缘堆结构,采用静电场模拟分析了分压器的电场分布。建立了包含分布参数的等效电路,并进行了频率响应仿真,可得分压器的频响上限为200 MHz。使用标准高压探头对分压器进行在线标定,分压比标定结果为5 400∶1,与设计值相符合。在LTD调试实验中,模块充电85 kV时二极管电压为1.08 MV,与理论估算结果一致。     

拓扑绝缘体薄膜和有限尺寸效应

拓扑绝缘体是近年来发现的一类新的量子材料,已成为凝聚态物理的研究热点领域.厚度仅几纳米的拓扑绝缘体薄膜不但具有奇特的物理性质,而且还是拓扑绝缘体应用于平面器件的基础.文章以Bi2Se3为例,介绍了Bi2Se3家族拓扑绝缘体薄膜的分子束外延生长以及其能带、自旋结构和拓扑性质随层厚的演化.这些结果为人工调控拓扑绝缘体的电子结构和物理性质提供了指导.