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Daniel A. Bonilla

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel A. Bonilla.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Disorder-induced modulation of the nonlinear Hall effect in Weyl semimetals

We study the effects of impurity scattering on the nonlinear Hall response of Weyl semimetals within the semiclassical Boltzmann approach. We derive the rectified and second-harmonic conductivity tensors for a general momentum-dependent transport relaxation time and evaluate this quantity microscopically for short-range, Gaussian, screened Coulomb, and magnetic impurities. For scalar disorder, the relaxation time is isotropic and chirality independent. The nonlinear Hall response is then determined by the anomalous velocity associated with the Berry curvature, and a finite net response requires energetically inequivalent Weyl nodes to avoid cancellation between opposite chiralities. Polarized magnetic impurities lead to a qualitatively different behavior. We find that interference between the first- and second-order Born amplitudes generates a helicity-dependent anisotropic correction to the relaxation time. This anisotropy changes the tensor structure of the nonlinear Hall conductivity and gives rise to a finite second-harmonic current for suitable orientations of the electric field relative to the impurity polarization. For representative parameters, however, the anisotropic contribution is several orders of magnitude smaller than the dominant isotropic response. These results establish how the microscopic form of impurity scattering enters the nonlinear Hall response of Weyl semimetals through the transport relaxation time.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Spontaneous persistent currents and time-reversal symmetry breaking in thick-walled Weyl semimetal cylinders

We theoretically investigate the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a thick-walled Weyl semimetal (WSM) cylinder subject to an external axial magnetic field. By employing a low-energy effective Hamiltonian, we analytically solve the eigenvalue problem for both infinite and finite-length cylindrical geometries. We apply infinite-mass boundary conditions at the radial walls and MIT bag boundary conditions at the cylinder caps to properly account for intra-node confinement and inter-valley scattering, respectively. Our numerical results demonstrate that the spatial separation of the Weyl nodes acts as an internal chiral gauge field. This geometric field intrinsically breaks time-reversal (TR) symmetry, lifting the chiral degeneracy even at zero external flux. This symmetry breaking manifests as spontaneous persistent currents and the unfolding of conductance channels. Furthermore, longitudinal confinement induces propagation-direction-dependent energy splitting, altering the partial density of states and causing spatio-chiral current imbalances.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Non-Hermitian thermoelectric transport in graphene: Tunable anomalous transmission through complex barriers

We investigate thermoelectric transport in monolayer graphene across a finite complex barrier within a Landauer scattering framework. Solving the Dirac-Weyl problem exactly, we show that the imaginary part of the barrier renders the scattering matrix nonunitary and replaces the usual Hermitian flux conservation by a generalized flux-balance relation determined by the net gain or loss inside the barrier. In the Hermitian limit, the standard graphene $n$-$p$-$n$ barrier behavior is recovered, including perfect transmission at normal incidence and Fabry-Perot-type resonances. For a finite imaginary part, however, the same resonant channels are selectively attenuated or amplified, which significantly modifies both the angular response and the conductance profile. We further show that the lead-resolved conductances become dependent on the bias partition, providing a direct signature of the breakdown of gauge invariance in the effective two-terminal response. At finite temperature, the exact linear-response coefficients reveal a clear trade-off controlled by the imaginary part of the barrier: gain enhances both the electrical and thermal conductances, whereas loss suppresses the thermal conductance more efficiently and yields the largest thermoelectric figure of merit within the parameter range considered. These results demonstrate that complex barriers extend the range of transport behaviors accessible in graphene beyond the usual Hermitian $n$-$p$-$n$ junction. They also suggest a practical interpretation of the imaginary potential as an effective reduced description of unresolved source-sink channels or additional probes coupled to the device, particularly when a fully microscopic model of the environment is not available.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Exact classical emergence from high-energy quantum superpositions

We examine the correspondence principle for an equiprobable superposition of high-energy eigenstates of the infinite square well using a fully analytical Fourier-based approach. We derive a closed-form asymptotic expression for the interference terms $ρ_α^{\text{a}}(x)$ by expanding them into a geometric series of quantum Fourier coefficients. We show these terms act as functional envelopes that do not vanish individually but become asymptotically equivalent in the large-$n$ limit. Furthermore, we prove the total probability density for a superposition of $2Δ+1$ states converges exactly to the uniform classical distribution as $Δ\to \infty$. Dynamically, the expectation value of position reproduces the classical triangular trajectory asymptotically. Residual quantum deviations remain confined to boundary layers whose relative width vanishes under macroscopic resolution. These results establish a rigorous asymptotic realization of the classical limit for isolated bound systems in both static and dynamical contexts.

quant-ph

Charge and energy transport in graphene with smooth finite-range disorder

We investigate charge and energy transport in monolayer graphene with smooth finite-range disorder, modeled by soft impurity potentials. Using a continuum Dirac model, we go beyond the Born approximation by computing the exact scattering matrix for individual impurities. This captures the full nonperturbative physics of smooth disorder. From the exact scattering data, we evaluate transport coefficients by solving the Boltzmann equation with energy-resolved phase shifts. We analyze electrical and electronic thermal conductivities versus carrier density and temperature, including deviations from the Wiedemann-Franz law. Our results reveal that finite-range disorder nontrivially modifies charge and heat currents, especially at low energies where perturbative methods fail. These findings provide a more accurate transport characterization for disordered Dirac materials and clarify how smooth disorder governs energy flow in graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Electron-phonon interactions and instabilities in Weyl semimetals under magnetic fields and torsional strain

We study the presence of an external magnetic field, in combination with torsional strain, over the electron-phonon interactions in a type I Weyl semimetal. This particular superposition of field and strain, modeled in the continuum approximation by an effective gauge field, leads to an asymmetric pseudo-magnetic field at each Weyl node of opposite chirality. Therefore, we also studied the role of nodal asymmetry in the properties of the system by means of the Kadanoff-Wilson renormalization group and the corresponding flow equations. By solving those, we discuss the evolution of the coupling parameters of the theory, and analyze possible fixed points and lattice (Peierls) instabilities emerging from interactions between phonons with the chiral Landau level in the very strong pseudo-magnetic field regime.

cond-mat.str-el

Thermoelectric transport in graphene under strain fields modeled by Dirac oscillators

Graphene has emerged as a paradigmatic material in condensed matter physics due to its exceptional electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties. A deep understanding of its thermoelectric transport behavior is crucial for the development of novel nanoelectronic and energy-harvesting devices. In this work, we investigate the thermoelectric transport properties of monolayer graphene subjected to randomly distributed localized strain fields, which locally induce impurity-like perturbations. These strain-induced impurities are modeled via 2D Dirac oscillators, capturing the coupling between pseudorelativistic charge carriers and localized distortions in the lattice. Employing the semiclassical Boltzmann transport formalism, we compute the relaxation time using a scattering approach tailored to the Dirac oscillator potential. From this framework, we derive analytical expressions for the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. The temperature dependence of the scattering centers density is also investigated. Our results reveal how strain modulates transport coefficients, highlighting the interplay between mechanical deformations and thermoelectric performance in graphene. This study provides a theoretical foundation for strain engineering in thermoelectric graphene-based devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Electromagnetic coupling and transport in a topological insulator-graphene hetero-structure

The electromagnetic coupling between hetero-structures made of different materials is of great interest, both from the perspective of discovering new phenomena, as well as for its potential applications in novel devices. In this work, we study the electromagnetic coupling of a hetero-structure made of a topological insulator (TI) slab and a single graphene layer, where the later presents a diluted concentration of ionized impurities. We explore the topological effects of the magneto-electric polarizability (MEP) of the TI, as well as its relative dielectric permittivity on the electrical conductivity in graphene at low but finite temperatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Electronic transport in Weyl semimetals with a uniform concentration of torsional dislocations

In this article, we consider a theoretical model for a type I Weyl semimetal, under the presence of a diluted uniform concentration of torsional dislocations. By a mathematical analysis for partial wave scattering (phase-shift) for the T-matrix, we obtain the corresponding retarded and advanced Green's functions that include the effects of multiple scattering events with the ensemble of randomly distributed dislocations. Combining this analysis with the Kubo formalism, and including vertex corrections, we calculate the electronic conductivity as a function of temperature and concentration of dislocations. We further evaluate our analytical formulas to predict the electrical conductivity of several transition metal monopnictides, i.e. TaAs, TaP, NbAs and NbP.

cond-mat.mes-hall