We investigate energy and momentum non-contact exchanges between two arbitrary flat media separated by a gap. This problem is revisited as a transmission problem of individual system eigenmodes weighted by a transmission probability obtained either from fluctuational electrodynamics or quantum field theory. An upper limit for energy and momentum flux is derived using a general variational approach. The corresponding optimal reflectivity coefficients are given both for identical and different media in interaction.
Understanding the interfacial electrical properties between metallic electrodes and low dimensional semiconductors is essential for both fundamental science and practical applications. Here we report the observation of thickness reduction induced crossover of electrical contact at Au/MoS2 interfaces. For MoS2 thicker than 5 layers, the contact resistivity slightly decreases with reducing MoS2 thickness. By contrast, the contact resistivity sharply increases with reducing MoS2 thickness below 5 layers, mainly governed by the quantum confinement effect. It is found that the interfacial potential barrier can be finely tailored from 0.3 to 0.6 eV by merely varying MoS2 thickness. A full evolution diagram of energy level alignment is also drawn to elucidate the thickness scaling effect. The finding of tailoring interfacial properties with channel thickness represents a useful approach controlling the metal/semiconductor interfaces which may result in conceptually innovative functionalities.
Layered materials have uncommonly anisotropic thermal properties due to their strong in-plane covalent bonds and weak out-of-plane van der Waals interactions. Here we examine heat flow in graphene (graphite), h-BN, MoS2, and WS2 monolayers and bulk films, from diffusive to ballistic limits. We determine the ballistic thermal conductance limit (Gball) both in-plane and out-of-plane, based on full phonon dispersions from first-principles calculations. An overall phonon mean free path ({lambda}) is expressed in terms of Gball and the diffusive thermal conductivity, consistent with kinetic theory if proper averaging of phonon group velocity is used. We obtain a size-dependent thermal conductivity k(L) in agreement with available experiments, and find that k(L) only converges to >90% of the diffusive thermal conductivity for sample sizes L > 16{lambda}, which ranges from ~140 nm for MoS2 cross-plane to ~10 um for suspended graphene in-plane. These results provide a deeper understanding of microscopic thermal transport, revealing that device scales below which thermal size effects should be taken into account are generally larger than previously thought.
Geometric configuration and energy of a hydrogen molecule centered between two point-shaped tips of equal charge are calculated with the variational quantum Monte-Carlo (QMC) method without the restriction of the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. Ground state nuclear distribution, stability, and low vibrational excitation are investigated. Ground state results predict significant deviations from the BO treatment that is based on a potential energy surface (PES) obtained with the same QMC accuracy. The quantum mechanical distribution of molecular axis direction and bond length at a sub-nanometer level is fundamental for understanding nanomechanical dynamics with embedded hydrogen. Because of the tips arrangement, cylindrical symmetry yields a uniform azimuthal distribution of the molecular axis vector relative to the tip-tip axis. With approaching tips towards each other, the QMC sampling shows an increasing loss of spherical symmetry with the molecular axis still uniformly distributed over the azimuthal angle but peaked at the tip-tip direction for negative tip charge while peaked at the equatorial plane for positive charge. This directional behavior can be switched between both stable configurations by changing the sign of the tip charge and by controlling the tip-tip distance. This suggests an application in the field of molecular machines.
Interference of a single photon generated from a single quantum dot is observed between two photon polarization modes. Each emitted single photon has two orthogonal polarization modes associated with the solid-state single photon source, in which two non-degenerate neutral exciton states are involved. The interference between the two modes takes place only under the condition that the emitted photon is free from which-mode information.
We consider the Johnson noise of a two-dimensional, two-terminal electrical conductor for which the electron system obeys the Wiedemann-Franz law. We derive two simple and generic relations between the Johnson Noise temperature and the heat flux into the electron system. First, we consider the case where the electron system is heated by Joule heating from a DC current, and we show that there is a universal proportionality coefficient between the Joule power and the increase in Johnson noise temperature. Second, we consider the case where heat flows into the sample from an external source, and we derive a simple relation between the Johnson noise temperature and the heat flux across the boundary of the sample.