We present a self-consistent mean-field model based on a two-component Pauli-like equation that incorporates quantum and relativistic effects (up to second-order in 1/c) for both external and internal electromagnetic fields. By taking the semi-relati
vistic limit of the Dirac-Maxwell equations in the presence of an external electromagnetic field we obtain an analytical expression of a coherent light-induced mean-field Hamiltonian. The latter exhibits several mechanisms that involve the internal mean fields created by all the electrons and the external electromagnetic field (laser). The role played by the light-induced current density and the light-induced second-order charge density acting as sources in Maxwells equations are clarified. In particular, we identify clearly four different mechanisms involving the spins that may play an important role in coherent ultrafast spin dynamics.
Forty articles have been recently published in EPJD as contributions to the topical issue Theory and applications of the Vlasov equation. The aim of this topical issue was to provide a forum for the presentation of a broad variety of scientific resul
ts involving the Vlasov equation. In this editorial, after some introductory notes, a brief account is given of the main points addressed in these papers and of the perspectives they open.
We demonstrate the existence of a novel breather mode in the self-consistent electron dynamics of a semiconductor quantum well. A non-perturbative variational method based on quantum hydrodynamics is used to determine the salient features of the elec
tron breather mode. Numerical simulations of the time-dependent Wigner-Poisson or Hartree equations are shown to be in excellent agreement with our analytical results. For asymmetric quantum wells, a signature of the breather mode is observed in the dipole response, which can be detected by standard optical means.
Computational and experimental results on the thermally-induced magnetization reversal in single-domain magnetic nanoparticles are reported. The simulations are based on the direct integration of the Fokker-Planck equation that governs the dynamics o
f the magnetic moment associated with the nanoparticles. A mean field approximation is used to account for the influence of the dipolar interaction between nanoparticles. It is shown that the interactions can either speed up or slow down the reversal process, depending on the angle between the external magnetic field and the axis of easy magnetization. The numerical results are in good agreement with experimental measurements on cobalt-platinum nanoparticles.
We present a dynamical model that successfully explains the observed time evolution of the magnetization in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum wells after weak laser excitation. Based on the pseudo-fermion formalism and a second order many-partic
le expansion of the exact p-d exchange interaction, our approach goes beyond the usual mean-field approximation. It includes both the sub-picosecond demagnetization dynamics and the slower relaxation processes which restore the initial ferromagnetic order in a nanosecond time scale. In agreement with experimental results, our numerical simulations show that, depending on the value of the initial lattice temperature, a subsequent enhancement of the total magnetization may be observed within a time scale of few hundreds of picoseconds.
Understanding the electron dynamics and transport in metallic and semiconductor nanostructures -- such as metallic nanoparticles, thin films, quantum wells and quantum dots -- represents a considerable challenge for todays condensed matter physics, b
oth fundamental and applied. In this review article, we will describe the collective electron dynamics in metallic and semiconductor nanostructures using different, but complementary, approaches. For small excitations (linear regime), the spectral properties can be investigated via quantum mean-field models of the TDLDA type (time-dependent local density approximation), generalized to account for a finite electron temperature. In order to explore the nonlinear regime (strong excitations), we will adopt a phase-space approach that relies on the resolution of kinetic equations in the classical phase space (Vlasov and Wigner equations). The phase-space approach provides a useful link between the classical and quantum dynamics and is well suited to model effects beyond the mean field approximation (electron-electron and electron-phonon collisions). We will also develop a quantum hydrodynamic model, based on velocity moments of the corresponding Wigner distribution function: this approach should lead to considerable gains in computing time in comparison with simulations based on conventional methods, such as density functional theory (DFT). Finally, the magnetization (spin) dynamics will also be addressed.
For quantum effects to be significant in plasmas it is often assumed that the temperature over density ratio must be small. In this paper we challenge this assumption by considering the contribution to the dynamics from the electron spin properties.
As a starting point we consider a multicomponent plasma model, where electrons with spin up and spin down are regarded as different fluids. By studying the propagation of Alfv{e}n wave solitons we demonstrate that quantum effects can survive in a relatively high-temperature plasma. The consequences of our results are discussed.
The quantum coherence of a Bose-Einstein condensate is studied using the concept of quantum fidelity (Loschmidt echo). The condensate is confined in an elongated anharmonic trap and subjected to a small random potential such as that created by a lase
r speckle. Numerical experiments show that the quantum fidelity stays constant until a critical time, after which it drops abruptly over a single trap oscillation period. The critical time depends logarithmically on the number of condensed atoms and on the perturbation amplitude. This behavior may be observable by measuring the interference fringes of two condensates evolving in slightly different potentials.
The optical response of nonparabolic quantum wells is dominated by a strong peak at the plasmon frequency. When the electrons reach the anharmonic regions, resonant absorption becomes inefficient. This limitation is overcome by using a chirped laser
pulse in the autoresonant regime. By direct simulations using the Wigner phase-space approach, the authors prove that, with a sequence of just a few pulses, electrons can be efficiently detrapped from a nonparabolic well. For an array of multiple quantum wells, they can create and control an electronic current by suitably applying an autoresonant laser pulse and a slowly varying dc electric field.
