We report electrical conductance measurements of Bi nanocontacts created by repeated tip-surface indentation using a scanning tunneling microscope at temperatures of 4 K and 300 K. As a function of the elongation of the nanocontact we measure robust,
tens of nanometers long plateaus of conductance G0 = 2e^2/h at room temperature. This observation can be accounted for by the mechanical exfoliation of a Bi(111) bilayer, a predicted QSH insulator, in the retracing process following a tip-surface contact. The formation of the bilayer is further supported by the additional observation of conductance steps below G0 before break-up at both temperatures. Our finding provides the first experimental evidence of the possibility of mechanical exfoliation of Bi bilayers, of the existence of the QSH phase in a two-dimensional crystal, and, most importantly, of the observation of the QSH phase at room temperature.
By computing spin-polarized electronic transport across a finite zigzag graphene ribbon bridging two metallic graphene electrodes, we demonstrate, as a proof of principle, that devices featuring 100% magnetoresistance can be built entirely out of car
bon. In the ground state a short zig-zag ribbon is an antiferromagnetic insulator which, when connecting two metallic electrodes, acts as a tunnel barrier that suppresses the conductance. Application of a magnetic field turns the ribbon ferromagnetic and conducting, increasing dramatically the current between electrodes. We predict large magnetoresistance in this system at liquid nitrogen temperature and 10 Tesla or at liquid helium temperature and 300 Gauss.
The optical spectroscopy of a single InAs quantum dot doped with a single Mn atom is studied using a model Hamiltonian that includes the exchange interactions between the spins of the quantum dot electron-hole pair, the Mn atom and the acceptor hole.
Our model permits to link the photoluminescence spectra to the Mn spin states after photon emission. We focus on the relation between the charge state of the Mn, $A^0$ or $A^-$, and the different spectra which result through either band-to-band or band-to-acceptor transitions. We consider both neutral and negatively charged dots. Our model is able to account for recent experimental results on single Mn doped InAs PL spectra and can be used to account for future experiments in GaAs quantum dots. Similarities and differences with the case of single Mn doped CdTe quantum dots are discussed.
We present ab initio calculations of the evolution of anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in Ni nanocontacts from the ballistic to the tunnel regime. We find an extraordinary enhancement of AMR, compared to bulk, in two scenarios. In systems without
localized states, like chemically pure break junctions, large AMR only occurs if the orbital polarization of the current is large, regardless of the anisotropy of the density of states. In systems that display localized states close to the Fermi energy, like a single electron transistor with ferromagnetic electrodes, large AMR is related to the variation of the Fermi energy as a function of the magnetization direction.
We address the electronic structure and magnetic properties of vacancies and voids both in graphene and graphene ribbons. Using a mean field Hubbard model, we study the appearance of magnetic textures associated to removing a single atom (vacancy) an
d multiple adjacent atoms (voids) as well as the magnetic interactions between them. A simple set of rules, based upon Lieb theorem, link the atomic structure and the spatial arrangement of the defects to the emerging magnetic order. The total spin $S$ of a given defect depends on its sublattice imbalance, but some defects with S=0 can still have local magnetic moments. The sublattice imbalance also determines whether the defects interact ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically with one another and the range of these magnetic interactions is studied in some simple cases. We find that in semiconducting armchair ribbons and two-dimensional graphene without global sublattice imbalance there is maximum defect density above which local magnetization disappears. Interestingly, the electronic properties of semiconducting graphene ribbons with uncoupled local moments are very similar to those of diluted magnetic semiconductors, presenting giant Zeeman splitting.
We study the magnetic properties of nanometer-sized graphene structures with triangular and hexagonal shapes terminated by zig-zag edges. We discuss how the shape of the island, the imbalance in the number of atoms belonging to the two graphene subla
ttices, the existence of zero-energy states, and the total and local magnetic moment are intimately related. We consider electronic interactions both in a mean-field approximation of the one-orbital Hubbard model and with density functional calculations. Both descriptions yield values for the ground state total spin, $S$, consistent with Liebs theorem for bipartite lattices. Triangles have a finite $S$ for all sizes whereas hexagons have S=0 and develop local moments above a critical size of $approx 1.5$ nm.
The performance of field effect transistors based on an single graphene ribbon with a constriction and a single back gate are studied with the help of atomistic models. It is shown how this scheme, unlike that of traditional carbon-nanotube-based tra
nsistors, reduces the importance of the specifics of the chemical bonding to the metallic electrodes in favor of the carbon-based part of device. The ultimate performance limits are here studied for various constriction and metal-ribbon contact models. In particular we show that, even for poorly contacting metals, properly taylored constrictions can give promising values for both the on-conductance and the subthreshold swing.
Here we present experimental and computational evidences to support that rock-salt cubic VO is a strongly correlated metal with Non-Fermi-Liquid thermodynamics and an unusually strong spin-lattice coupling. An unexpected change of sign of metallic th
ermopower with composition is tentatively ascribed to the presence of a pseudogap in the density of states. These properties are discussed as signatures of the proximity to a magnetic quantum phase transition. The results are summarized in a new electronic phase diagram for the 3d monoxides, which resembles that of other strongly correlated systems. The structural and electronic simplicity of 3d monoxides make them ideal candidates to progress in the understanding of highly correlated electron systems.
