On the possibility of excitonic phases at the semiconductor–semimetal transition

Motivated by recent experimental evidences for pressure-induced exciton condensation in intermediate valent Tm[Se,Te] compounds, we re-examine, adopting a BEC–BCS crossover scenario, the formation and stability of exciton insulator versus electron–hole liquid phases.     

Physisorption kinetics of electrons at plasma boundaries

Plasma-boundaries floating in an ionized gas are usually negatively charged. They accumulate electrons more efficiently than ions leading to the formation of a quasi-stationary electron film at the boundaries. We propose to interpret the build-up of surface charges at inert plasma boundaries, where other surface modifications, for instance, implantation of particles and reconstruction or destruction of the surface due to impact of high energy particles can be neglected, as a physisorption process in front of the wall. The electron sticking coefficient s_e and the electron desorption time τ_e, which play an important role in determining the quasi-stationary surface charge, and about which little is empirically and theoretically known, can then be calculated from microscopic models for the electron-wall interaction. Irrespective of the sophistication of the models, the static part of the electron-wall interaction determines the binding energy of the electron, whereas inelastic processes at the wall determine s_e and τ_e. As an illustration, we calculate s_e and τ_e for a metal, using the simplest model in which the static part of the electron-metal interaction is approximated by the classical image potential. Assuming electrons from the plasma to loose (gain) energy at the surface by creating (annihilating) electron-hole pairs in the metal, which is treated as a jellium half-space with an infinitely high workfunction, we obtain s_e≈10^-4 and τ_e≈10^-2 s. The product s_eτ_e≈10^-6 s has the order of magnitude expected from our earlier results for the charge of dust particles in a plasma but individually s_e is unexpectedly small and τ_e is somewhat large. The former is a consequence of the small matrix elements occurring in the simple model while the latter is due to the large binding energy of the electron. More sophisticated theoretical investigations, but also experimental support, are clearly needed because if s_e is indeed as small as our exploratory calculation suggests, it would have severe consequences for the understanding of the formation of surface charges at plasma boundaries. To identify what we believe are key issues of the electronic microphysics at inert plasma boundaries and to inspire other groups to join us on our journey is the purpose of this colloquial presentation.     

Alkali metal intercalation into SnS2

The intercalation of sodium and potassium into the layered semiconductor SnS₂ has been investigated by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS). After deposition of the alkali metals onto (0001) cleavage planes of SnS₂ in ultra high vacuum (UHV), semiconducting intercalation phases were formed. They seem to be homogeneous and disordered under the given experimental conditions. The valence electrons of the alkali metals are transferred into electronic states of the host lattice, whose valence band density of states changes significantly during intercalation. The underlying changes of the binding properties of the host lattice are discussed. The course of intercalation can be separated into three phases. During an induction period the concentration of the alkali metal on the surface remains very small, the electronic states of the substrate are shifted by band bending. During an intercalation period the topotactic reaction proceeds. After reaching saturation compositions of the intercalation phase at the surface, the alkali metal diffuses into the bulk. Crystal or surface defects seem to have a significant influence on the kinetics of intercalation and on the stoichiometry of the intercalation compounds.     

Anderson localization in strongly coupled disordered electron–phonon systems

Based on the statistical dynamic mean-field theory, we investigate, in a generic model for a strongly coupled disordered electron–phonon system, the competition between polaron formation and Anderson localization. The statistical dynamic mean-field approximation maps the lattice problem to an ensemble of self-consistently embedded impurity problems. It is a probabilistic approach, focusing on the distribution instead of the average values for observables of interest. We solve the self-consistent equations of the theory with a Monte Carlo sampling technique, representing distributions for random variables by random samples, and discuss various ways to determine mobility edges from the random sample for the local Green function. Specifically, we give, as a function of the ‘polaron parameters’, such as adiabaticity and electron–phonon coupling constants, a detailed discussion of the localization properties of a single polaron, using a bare electron as a reference system.     

Surface states and the charge of a dust particle in a plasma

We investigate electron and ion surface states of a negatively charged dust particle in a gas discharge and identify the charge of the particle with the electron surface density bound in the polarization-induced short-range part of the particle potential. On that scale, ions do not affect the charge. They are trapped in the shallow states of the Coulomb tail of the potential and act only as screening charges. Using orbital-motion limited electron charging fluxes and the particle temperature as an adjustable parameter, we obtain excellent agreement with experimental data.