arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P. Vasilopoulos.
Resonant electronic transmission through graphene-based double barriers (wells) is studied as a function of the incident wave vector, the widths and heights (depths) of the barriers (wells), and the separation between them. Resonant features in the transmission result from resonant electron states in the wells or hole states in the barriers and strongly influence the ballistic conductance of the structures.
The electronic states of a finite-width graphene sheet in the presence of an electrostatic confining potential and a perpendicular magnetic field are investigated. The confining potential shifts the Landau levels inside the well and creates current-carrying states at or close to the interface with the barriers in addition to the edge states caused by the finite width of the sheet. Detailed energy spectra are given as a function of the quantum wire parameters. The dependence of the density of states on the confinement potential is evaluated for finite and zero magnetic field.
The Schrödinger equation for an electron in a mesoscopic ring, in the presence of the Rashba and linear Dresselhaus terms of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and of a magnetic field $B$, is solved exactly. The effective electric fields of these terms as well as $B$ have perpendicular and radial components. The interplay between them and $B$ and their influence on the spectrum is studied. The transmission through such a ring, with two leads connected to it, is evaluated as a function of the SOI strengths and of the orientations of these fields. The Rashba and Dresselhaus terms affect the transmission in different ways. The transmission through a series of rings with different radii and with SOI in both arms of the rings or only in one of them is also evaluated. For weak magnetic fields $B\leq 1$ T the influence of the Zeeman term on the transmission, assessed by perturbation theory, is negligible.
Ballistic spin transport, through periodically stubbed waveguides, is studied in the presence of a weak spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and the resulting subband mixing. By an appropriate choice of the waveguide length and of the stub parameters injected spin-polarized electrons can be blocked completely and the transmission shows a periodic and nearly square-wave pattern with wide gaps when only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. Relative to the case when subband mixing is neglected, the transmission changes drastically as a function of the incident electron energy or of the stub height, as it exhibits new peaks or dips, but remains robust as a function of the stubs' degree of asymmetry. Varying the strength of the SOI parameter changes the relative contribution to the total transmission or conductance of the spin-up and spin-down states. The structure considered is a reasonable candidate for establishing a spin transistor.
Two-dimensional (2D) periodic electric modulations of a 2D electron gas split each Landau level into the well-known butterfly-type spectrum described by a Harper-type equation multiplied by an envelope function. This equation is slightly modified for 2D magnetic modulations but the spectrum remains qualitatively the same. The same holds if both types of modulations are present. The modulation strengths do not affect the structure of the butterfly-type spectrum, they only change its scale or its envelope. The latter is described by the ratio $α$ of the flux quantum $h/e$ to the flux per unit cell. Exact numerical and approximate analytical results are presented for the energy spectrum as a function of the magnetic field. For integer $α$ the internal structure collapses into a band for all cases. The bandwidth at the Fermi energy depends on the modulation strength, the electron density, and, when both modulations are present, on the phase difference between them. In the latter case if the modulations have a $π/2$ phase difference, the bandwidth at the Fermi energy is nearly independent of the magnetic field and the commensurability oscillations of the diffusive contribution to the resistivity disappear.
We report the existence of confined massless fermion states in a graphene quantum well (QW) by means of analytical and numerical calculations. These states show an unusual quasi-linear dependence on the momentum parallel to the QW: their number depends on the wavevector and is constrained by electron-hole conversion in the barrier regions. An essential difference with non-relativistic electron states is a mixing between free and confined states at the edges of the free-particle continua, demonstrated by the direction-dependent resonant transmission across a potential well.
The band structure and magnetotransport of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), in the presence of the Rashba (RSOI) and Dresselhaus (DSOI) terms of the spin-orbit interaction and of a perpendicular magnetic field, is investigated. Exact and approximate analytical expressions for the band structure are obtained and used to calculate the density of states (DOS) and the longitudinal magnetoresitivity assuming a Gaussian type of level broadening. The interplay between the Zeeman coupling and the two terms of the SOI is discussed. If the strengths $α$ and $ β$, of the RSOI and DSOI, respectively, are equal and the $g$ factor vanishes, the two spin states are degenerate and a shifted Landau-level structure appears. With the increase of the difference $α- β$, a novel beating pattern of the DOS and of the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations appears distinctly different from that occurring when one of these strengths vanishes.
Transport properties of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) are studied in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field $B$, of a {\it weak} one-dimensional (1D) periodic potential modulation, and of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) described only by the Rashba term. In the absence of the modulation the SOI mixes the spin-up and spin-down states of neighboring Landau levels into two new, unequally spaced energy branches. The levels of these branches broaden into bands in the presence of the modulation and their bandwidths oscillate with the field $B$. Evaluated at the Fermi energy, the $n$-th level bandwidth of each series has a minimum or vanishes at different values of the field $B$. In contrast with the 1D-modulated 2DEG without SOI, for which only one flat-band condition applies, here there are two flat-band conditions that can change considerably as a function of the SOI strength $α$ and accordingly influence the transport coefficients of the 2DEG. The phase and amplitude of the Weiss and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations depend on the strength $α$. For small values of $α$ both oscillations show beating patterns. Those of the former are due to the independently oscillating bandwidths whereas those of the latter are due to modifications of the density of states, exhibit an even-odd filling factor transition, and are nearly independent of the modulation strength. For strong values of $α$ the SdH oscillations are split in two.
We study ballistic electron transport through a finite chain of quantum circular rings in the presence of spin-orbit interaction of strength α. For a single ring the transmission and reflection coefficients are obtained analytically and from them the conductance for a chain of rings as a function of αand of the wave vector k of the incident electron. We show that due to destructive spin interferences the chain can be totaly opaque for certain ranges of k the width of which depends on the value of α. A periodic modulation of the strength αor of the ring radius widens up the gaps considerably and produces a nearly binary conductance output.
Electron transport through a one-dimensional ring connected with two external leads, in the presence of spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of strength αand a perpendicular magnetic field is studied. Applying Griffith's boundary conditions we derive analytic expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients of the corresponding one-electron scattering problem. We generalize earlier conductance results by Nitta et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 695 (1999)] and investigate the influence of α, temperature, and a weak magnetic field on the conductance. Varying αand temperature changes the position of the minima and maxima of the magnetic-field dependent conductance, and it may even convert a maximum into a minimum and vice versa.
Transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) are considered in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field $B$ and of a {\it weak} two-dimensional (2D) periodic potential modulation in the 2DEG plane. The symmetry of the latter is rectangular or hexagonal. The well-known solution of the corresponding tight-binding equation shows that each Landau level splits into several subbands when a rational number of flux quanta $h/e$ pierces the unit cell and that the corresponding gaps are exponentially small. Assuming the latter are closed due to disorder gives analytical wave functions and simplifies considerably the evaluation of the magnetoresistivity tensor $ρ_{μν}$. The relative phase of the oscillations in $ρ_{xx}$ and $ρ_{yy}$ depends on the modulation periods involved. For a 2D modulation with a {\bf short} period $\leq 100$ nm, in addition to the Weiss oscillations the collisional contribution to the conductivity and consequently the tensor $ρ_{μν}$ show {\it prominent peaks when one flux quantum $h/e$ passes through an integral number of unit cells} in good agreement with recent experiments. For periods $300- 400$ nm long used in early experiments, these peaks occur at fields 10-25 times smaller than those of the Weiss oscillations and are not resolved.
The electron transmission $T$ is evaluated through waveguides, in which the strength of the spin-orbit interaction(SOI) $α$ is varied periodically, using the transfer-matrix technique. It is shown that $T$ exhibits a {\it spin-transistor} action, as a function of $α$ or of the length of one of the two subunits of the unit cell, provided only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. A similar but not periodic behavior occurs as a function of the incident electron energy. A transparent formula for $T$ through one unit is obtained and helps explain its periodic behavior. The structure considered is a good candidate for the establishment of a realistic spin transistor.
We evaluate the transport coefficients of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field and of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) described only by the Rashba term. The SOI mixes the spin-up and spin-down states of neighboring Landau levels into two new, unequally spaced energy branches. The broadened density of states, as a function of the energy, and the longitudinal resistivity, as a function of the magnetic field, show beating patterns in agreement with observations. The positions of any two successive nodes in the beating pattern approximately determine the strength of the Rashba term. A strong SOI results in a splitting of the magnetoresistance peaks and a doubling of the number of the Hall plateaus. The peak value in derivative of the Hall resistivity reflects the strength of the SOI.
We study spin transport of holes through stubless or stubbed waveguides modulated periodically by diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) sections of width b1 . Injected holes of up (down) spin feel a periodically modulated barrier (well) potential in the DMS sections and have different transmission (T) coefficients. T oscillates with b1 for spin-down and decreases fast for spin-up holes while the relative polarization Pr depends nearly periodically on the stub height. Using asymmetric stubs leads to a nearly square-wave pattern in T and to wide plateaus in Pr . T oscillates with the length between the DMS sections. With two DMS sections per unit, T shows periodically wide gaps for spin-down holes when a DMS width is varied. The results can be used to create efficient spin filters.
Ballistic spin transport is studied through electronic tuners with double stubs attached to them. The spins precess due to the spin-orbit interaction. Injected polarized spins can exit the structure polarized in the opposite direction. A nearly square-wave spin transmission, with values 1 and 0, can be obtained using a periodic system of symmetric stubs and changing their length or width. The gaps in the transmission can be widened using asymmetric stubs. An additional modulation is obtained upon combining stub structures with different values of the spin-orbit strength.
Ballistic spin transport through waveguides, with symmetric or asymmetric double stubs attached to them periodically, is studied systematically in the presence of a weak spin-orbit coupling that makes the electrons precess. By an appropriate choice of the waveguide length and of the stub parameters injected spin-polarized electrons can be blocked completely and the transmission shows a periodic and nearly square-type behavior, with values 1 and 0, with wide gaps when only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. A similar behavior is possible for a certain range of the stub parameters even when two-modes can propagate in the waveguide and the conductance is doubled. Such a structure is a good candidate for establishing a realistic spin transistor. A further modulation of the spin current can be achieved by inserting defects in a finite-number stub superlattice. Finite-temperature effects on the spin conductance are also considered.
Electrical conduction is studied along parabolically confined quasi-one dimensional channels, in the framework of a revised linear-response theory, for elastic scattering. For zero magnetic field an explicit multichannel expression for the conductance is obtained that agrees with those of the literature. A similar but new multichannel expression is obtained in the presence of a magnetic field B||z perpendicular to the channel along the x axis. An explicit connection is made between the characteristic time for the tunnel-scattering process and the transmission and reflection coefficients that appear in either expression. As expected, for uncoupled channels the finite field expression gives the complete (Landauer-type) conductance of N parallel channels, a result that has not yet been reported in the literature. In addition, it accounts explicitly for the Hall field and the confining potential and is valid, with slight modifications, for tilted magnetic fields in the (x,z) plane.
We show how snake-orbit states which run along a magnetic edge can be confined electrically. We consider a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) confined into a quantum wire, subjected to a strong perpendicular and steplike magnetic field $B/-B$. Close to this magnetic step new, spatially confined bound states arise as a result of the lateral confinement and the magnetic field step. The number of states, with energy below the first Landau level, increases as $B$ becomes stronger or as the wire width becomes larger. These bound states can be understood as an interference between two counter-propagating one-dimensional snake-orbit states.