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Ou Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Ou Chen.

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Continuously tunable dipolar exciton geometry for controlling bosonic quantum phase transitions

The geometry and binding energy of excitons, set by electron-hole wavefunction distributions, are fundamental factors that underpin their many-body interactions and determine optoelectronic properties of semiconductors. However, in typical solid-state systems, these quantities are fixed by material composition and structure. Here we introduce a polarizable interlayer exciton hosted in a two-dimensional tetralayer heterostructure whose dipole length, in-plane radius, and binding energy can be continuously programmed in situ over a wide range, enabling direct control over the nature of excitonic many-body phase transitions. An out-of-plane electric field redistributes layer-hybridized electron-hole wavefunctions, realizing in situ control of exciton geometry through a strong quadratic Stark response. This tunability further regulates the nature of interaction-driven Mott transition, transforming it from gradual to abrupt. Our results establish exciton geometry as a continuously tunable materials parameter, opening routes to exciton-based quantum phase-transition simulators and guiding the design of emergent optoelectronic functionalities from programmable excitonic materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Direct observation of 3D atomic packing in monatomic amorphous materials

Liquids and solids are two fundamental states of matter. However, due to the lack of direct experimental determination, our understanding of the 3D atomic structure of liquids and amorphous solids remained speculative. Here we advance atomic electron tomography to determine for the first time the 3D atomic positions in monatomic amorphous materials, including a Ta thin film and two Pd nanoparticles. We observe that pentagonal bipyramids are the most abundant atomic motifs in these amorphous materials. Instead of forming icosahedra, the majority of pentagonal bipyramids arrange into networks that extend to medium-range scale. Molecular dynamic simulations further reveal that pentagonal bipyramid networks are prevalent in monatomic amorphous liquids, which rapidly grow in size and form icosahedra during the quench from the liquid state to glass state. The experimental method and results are expected to advance the study of the amorphous-crystalline phase transition and glass transition at the single-atom level.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci