arXiv subjects

A. H. MacDonald

Publications and source records attributed to A. H. MacDonald.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Quantum Hall Superfluids in Topological Insulator Thin Films

Three-dimensional topological insulators have protected Dirac-cone surface states. In this paper we propose magnetic field induced topological insulator thin film ordered states in which coherence is established spontaneously between top and bottom surfaces. We find that the large dielectric constants of these materials increases the layer separation range over which coherence survives and decreases the superfluid sound velocity, but has little influence on superfluid density or charge gap. The coherent state at total Landau-level filling factor $ν_T=0$ is predicted to be free of edge modes, qualitatively altering its transport phenomenology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Universal Quenching of Superconductivity in Two-dimensional Nano-islands

We systematically address superconductivity of Pb nano-islands with different thicknesses and lateral sizes via a scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. Reduction of the superconducting gap is observed even when the island is larger than the bulk coherence length and becomes very fast below ~ 50 nm lateral size. The suppression of gap with size depends to a good approximation only on the volume of the island and is independent of its shape. Theoretical analysis indicates that the universal quenching behavior is primarily manifested by the mean number of electronic orbitals within the pairing energy window.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Single-layer and Bilayer Graphene

The quantum anomalous Hall effect can occur in single and few layer graphene systems that have both exchange fields and spin-orbit coupling. In this paper, we present a study of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in single-layer and gated bilayer graphene systems with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We compute Berry curvatures at each valley point and find that for single-layer graphene the Hall conductivity is quantized at $σ_{xy} = 2e^2/h$, with each valley contributing a unit conductance and a corresponding chiral edge state. In bilayer graphene, we find that the quantized anomalous Hall conductivity is twice that of the single-layer case when the gate voltage $U$ is smaller than the exchange field $M$, and zero otherwise. Although the Chern number vanishes when $U > M$, the system still exhibits a quantized valley Hall effect, with the edge states in opposite valleys propagating in opposite directions. The possibility of tuning between different topological states with an external gate voltage suggests possible graphene-based spintronics applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

A Quantum Theory of Cold Bosonic Atoms in Optical Lattices

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices undergo a quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator as the lattice potential depth is increased. We describe an approximate theory of interacting bosons in optical lattices which provides a qualitative description of both superfluid and insulator states. The theory is based on a change of variables in which the boson coherent state amplitude is replaced by an effective potential which promotes phase coherence between different number states on each lattice site. It is illustrated here by applying it to uniform and fully frustrated lattice cases, but is simple enough that it can easily be applied to spatially inhomogeneous lattice systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Landau Levels and Band Bending in Few-Layer Epitaxial Graphene

The carrier density distributions in few-layer-graphene systems grown on the carbon face of silicon carbide can be altered by the presence of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip used to probe top-layer electronic properties, and by a perpendicular magnetic field which induces well-defined Landau levels. Hartree approximation calculations in the perpendicular field case show that charge tends to rearrange between the layers so that the filling factors of most layers are pinned at integer values. We use our analysis to provide insight into the role of buried layers in recent few-layer-graphene STM studies and discuss the limitations of our model.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Transport in Coherent Quantum Hall Bilayers

We discuss two phenomenological descriptions of low-current transport in bilayer quantum Hall system with exciton condensates, one based on a Landauer-Buttiker description of Andreev scattering at contacts to coherent bilayers and one based on a simplified single-parameter {\em p-ology} description of the weak to strong interlayer coupling crossover. The Andreev scattering phenomenology in intended to apply when the condensate is well developed and is used to predict current-voltage relationships for a variety of two contact geometries. We also apply this formalism to circumstances in which the tunnel current exceeds its critical value and the condensate is time-dependent. The {\em p-ology} approach is used to establish the universal development of large longitudinal drags, even in homogenous coherent samples, as the condensate weakens and the Hall drag is reduced.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Electronic structure of multilayer graphene

We study the electronic structure of multilayer graphene using a $π$-orbital continuum model with nearest-neighbor intralayer and interlayer tunneling. Using degenerate state perturbation theory, we show that the low-energy electronic structure of arbitrarily stacked graphene multilayers consists of chiral pseudospin doublets with a conserved chirality sum.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Drude weight, plasmon dispersion, and a.c. conductivity in doped graphene sheets

We demonstrate that the plasmon frequency and Drude weight of the electron liquid in a doped graphene sheet are strongly renormalized by electron-electron interactions even in the long-wavelength limit. This effect is not captured by the Random Phase Approximation (RPA), commonly used to describe electron fluids and is due to coupling between the center of mass motion and the pseudospin degree of freedom of the graphene's massless Dirac fermions. Making use of diagrammatic perturbation theory to first order in the electron-electron interaction, we show that this coupling enhances both the plasmon frequency and the Drude weight relative to the RPA value. We also show that interactions are responsible for a significant enhancement of the optical conductivity at frequencies just above the absorption threshold. Our predictions can be checked by far-infrared spectroscopy or inelastic light scattering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Moire Butterflies

The Hofstadter butterfly spectral patterns of lattice electrons in an external magnetic field yield some of the most beguiling images in physics. Here we explore the magneto-electronic spectra of systems with moire spatial patterns, concentrating on the case of twisted bilayer graphene. Because long-period spatial patterns are accurately formed at small twist angles, fractal butterfly spectra and associated magneto-transport and magneto-mechanical anomalies emerge at accessible magnetic field strengths.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Theory of I-V Characteristics of Magnetic Josephson Junctions

We analyze the electrical characteristics of a circuit consisting of a free thin-film magnetic layer and source and drain electrodes that have opposite magnetization orientations along the free magnet's two hard directions. We find that when the circuit's current exceeds a critical value there is a sudden resistance increase which can be large in relative terms if the currents to source or drain are strongly spin polarized and the free magnet is thin. This behavior can be partly understood in terms of a close analogy between the magnetic circuit and a Josephson junction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

d0 Perovskite-Semiconductor Electronic Structure

We address the low-energy effective Hamiltonian of electron doped d0 perovskite semiconductors in cubic and tetragonal phases using the k*p method. The Hamiltonian depends on the spin-orbit interaction strength, on the temperature-dependent tetragonal distortion, and on a set of effective-mass parameters whose number is determined by the symmetry of the crystal. We explain how these parameters can be extracted from angle resolved photo-emission, Raman spectroscopy, and magneto-transport measurements and estimate their values in SrTiO3.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Finite Conductivity Minimum in Bilayer Graphene without Charge Inhomogeneities

Boltzmann transport theory fails near the linear band-crossing of single-layer graphene and near the quadratic band-crossing of bilayer graphene. We report on a numerical study which assesses the role of inter-band coherence in transport when the Fermi level lies near the band-crossing energy of bilayer graphene. We find that interband coherence enhances conduction, and that it plays an essential role in graphene's minimum conductivity phenomena. This behavior is qualitatively captured by an approximate theory which treats inter-band coherence in a relaxation-time approximation. On the basis of this short-range-disorder model study, we conclude that electron-hole puddle formation is not a necessary condition for finite conductivity in graphene at zero average carrier density.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Orbital and interlayer Skyrmions crystals in bilayer graphene

A graphene bilayer in a transverse magnetic field has a set of Landau levels with energies $E=\pm \sqrt{N(N+1)}\hslash ω_{c}^{\ast}$ where $ω_{c}^{\ast}$ is the effective cyclotron frequency and $% N=0,1,2,...$ All Landau levels but N=0 are four times degenerate counting spin and valley degrees of freedom. The Landau level N=0 has an extra degeneracy due to the fact that orbitals $n=0$ and $n=1$ both have zero kinetic energies. At integer filling factors, Coulomb interactions produce a set of broken-symmetry states with partial or full alignement in space of the valley and orbital pseudospins. These quantum Hall pseudo-ferromagnetic states support topological charged excitations in the form of orbital and valley Skyrmions. Away from integer fillings, these topological excitations can condense to form a rich variety of Skyrme crystals with interesting properties. We study in this paper different crystal phases that occur when an electric field is applied between the layers. We show that orbital Skyrmions, in analogy with spin Skyrmions, have a texture of electrical dipoles that can be controlled by an in-plane electric field. Moreover, the modulation of electronic density in the crystalline phases are experimentally accessible through a measurement of their local density of states

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Magneto-optical and Magneto-electric Effects of Topological Insulators in Quantizing Magnetic Fields

We develop a theory of the magneto-optical and magneto-electric properties of a topological insulator thin film in the presence of a quantizing external magnetic field. We find that low-frequency magneto-optical properties depend only on the sum of top and bottom surface Dirac-cone filling factors $ν_{\mathrm{T}}$ and $ν_{\mathrm{B}}$, whereas the low-frequency magneto-electric response depends only on the difference. The Faraday rotation is quantized in integer multiples of the fine structure constant and the Kerr effect exhibits a $π/2$ rotation. Strongly enhanced cyclotron-resonance features appear at higher frequencies that are sensitive to the filling factors of both surfaces. When the product of the bulk conductivity and the film thickness in $e^2/h$ units is small compared to $α$, magneto-optical properties are only weakly dependent on accidental doping in the interior of the film.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Moire bands in twisted double-layer graphene

A moire pattern is formed when two copies of a periodic pattern are overlaid with a relative twist. We address the electronic structure of a twisted two-layer graphene system, showing that in its continuum Dirac model the moire pattern periodicity leads to moire Bloch bands. The two layers become more strongly coupled and the Dirac velocity crosses zero several times as the twist angle is reduced. For a discrete set of magic angles the velocity vanishes, the lowest moire band flattens, and the Dirac-point density-of-states and the counterflow conductivity are strongly enhanced.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Chern number spins of Mn acceptor magnets in GaAs

We determine the effective total spin $J$ of local moments formed from acceptor states bound to Mn ions in GaAs by evaluating their magnetic Chern numbers. We find that when individual Mn atoms are close to the sample surface, the total spin changes from $J = 1$ to $J = 2$, due to quenching of the acceptor orbital moment. For Mn pairs in bulk, the total $J$ depends on the pair orientation in the GaAs lattice and on the separation between the Mn atoms. We point out that Berry curvature variation as a function of local moment orientation can profoundly influence the quantum spin dynamics of these magnetic entities.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Giant Magneto-optical Kerr Effect and Universal Faraday Effect in Thin-film Topological Insulators

Topological insulators can exhibit strong magnetoelectric effects when their time-reversal symmetry is broken. In this Letter we consider the magneto-optical Kerr and Faraday effects of a topological insulator thin film weakly exchange-coupled to a ferromagnet. We find that its Faraday rotation has a universal value at low-frequencies, $θ_{\mathrm{F}} = \mathrm{tan}^{-1}\,α$ where $α$ is the vacuum fine structure constant, and that it has a giant Kerr rotation $θ_{\mathrm{K}} = π/2$. These properties follow from a delicate interplay between thin-film cavity confinement and the surface Hall conductivity of a topological insulator's helical quasiparticles.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Haldane Sashes in Quantum Hall Spectra

We show that the low-temperature sash features in the lowest Landau-level (LLL) tunneling density-of-states (TDOS) recently discovered by Dial and Ashoori are intimately related to the discrete Haldane-pseudopotential interaction energy scales that govern fractional quantum Hall physics. Our analysis is based on expressions for the tunneling density-of-states which become exact at filling factors close to $ν=0$ and $ν=1$, where the sash structure is most prominent. We comment on other aspects of LLL correlation physics that can be revealed by accurate temperature-dependent tunneling data.

cond-mat.str-el↗