arXiv subjects

P. Vasilopoulos

Publications and source records attributed to P. Vasilopoulos.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Tunability of acoustic spectral gaps and transmission in periodically stubbed waveguides

A theoretical investigation is made of acoustic wave propagation in a periodically stubbed waveguide. In general the waveguide segments and stubs are made of different materials. The acoustic wave in such a system has two independent polarizations: out-of-plane and in-plane modes. The band structure and transmission spectrum is studied for diverse geometries using a simple and efficient version of the transfer-matrix method. For the same material between the waveguide and symmetric stubs the width of some gaps can change, upon varying the stub length or width, by more than one order of magnitude. A further modulation can be achieved for different material between the stubs and the main waveguide or if the stubs are asymmetric. The gaps in the band structure of an infinitely long system correspond to those in the transmission spectrum of the same system but with finite number n of units. For n finite i) there exist pseudogaps that gradually turn into complete gaps with increasing n, and ii) the introduction of defects gives rise to states in the gaps and leads to transmission resonances.

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arXiv2001

Coulomb Drag Between Quasiballistic Quantum Wires: an Indication of Non-Fermi-Liquid Behavior

The Coulomb drag between two spatially separated, 2 μm long lithographically defined quantum wires has been studied experimentally in the absence of interwire tunneling. The drag resistance R_D shows peaks when the 1D subband bottoms of the wires are aligned and the Fermi wave vector k_F is small. R_D decreases exponentially with the interwire separation d. In the temperature range 0.2K to 1K the drag signal shows the {\it power-law dependence} R_D ~ T**x with x ranging from -0.61 to -0.77 depending on the magnitude of k_F. We interpret our experimental results in the framework of the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid theory.

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arXiv2000

Electron transport in Coulomb- and tunnel-coupled one-dimensional systems

We develop a linear theory of electron transport for a system of two identical quantum wires in a wide range of the wire length L, unifying both the ballistic and diffusive transport regimes. The microscopic model, involving the interaction of electrons with each other and with bulk acoustical phonons allows a reduction of the quantum kinetic equation to a set of coupled equations for the local chemical potentials for forward- and backward-moving electrons in the wires. As an application of the general solution of these equations, we consider different kinds of electrical contacts to the double-wire system and calculate the direct resistance, the transresistance, in the presence of tunneling and Coulomb drag, and the tunneling resistance. If L is smaller than the backscattering length l_P, both the tunneling and the drag lead to a negative transresistance, while in the diffusive regime (L >>l_P) the tunneling opposes the drag and leads to a positive transresistance. If L is smaller than the phase-breaking length, the tunneling leads to interference oscillations of the resistances that are damped exponentially with L.

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arXiv2000

Ballistic electron transport in stubbed quantum waveguides: experiment and theory

We present results of experimental and theoretical investigations of electron transport through stub-shaped waveguides or electron stub tuners (ESTs) in the ballistic regime. Measurements of the conductance G as a function of voltages, applied to different gates V_i (i=bottom, top, and side) of the device, show oscillations in the region of the first quantized plateau which we attribute to reflection resonances. The oscillations are rather regular and almost periodic when the height h of the EST cavity is small compared to its width. When h is increased, the oscillations become less regular and broad depressions in G appear. A theoretical analysis, which accounts for the electrostatic potential formed by the gates in the cavity region, and a numerical computation of the transmission probabilities successfully explains the experimental observations. An important finding for real devices, defined by surface Schottky gates, is that the resonance nima result from size quantization along the transport direction of the EST.

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arXiv1999

Coulomb Drag Between Parallel Ballistic Quantum Wires

The Coulomb drag between parallel, {\it ballistic} quantum wires is studied theoretically in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field B. The transresistance R_D shows peaks as a function of the Fermi level and splitting energy between the 1D subbands of the wires. The sharpest peaks appear when the Fermi level crosses the subband extrema so that the Fermi momenta are small. Two other kinds of peaks appear when either {\it intra}- or {\it inter}-subband transitions of electrons have maximum probability; the {\it intra}-subband transitions correspond to a small splitting energy. R_D depends on the field B in a nonmonotonic fashion: it decreases with B, as a result of the suppression of backscattering, and increases sharply when the Fermi level approaches the subband bottoms and the suppression is outbalanced by the increase of the Coulomb matrix elements and of the density of states.

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arXiv1999

Weak-localization corrections to the conductivity of double quantum wells

The weak-localization contribution δσ(B) to the conductivity of a tunnel-coupled double-layer electron system is evaluated and its behavior in weak magnetic fields B perpendicular or parallel to the layers is examined. In a perpendicular field B, δσ(B) increases and remains dependent on tunneling as long as the magnetic field is smaller than \hbar/e D τ_t, where D is the in-plane diffusion coefficient and τ_t the interlayer tunneling time. If τ_t is smaller than the inelastic scattering time, a parallel magnetic field also leads to a considerable increase of the concuctivity starting with a B**2 law and saturating at fields higher than \hbar/e Z (D τ_t)**(1/2), where Z is the interlayer distance. In the limit of coherent tunneling, when τ_t is comparable to elastic scattering time, δσ(B) differs from that of a single-layer system due to ensuing modifications of the diffusion coefficient. A possibility to probe the weak-localization effect in double-layer systems by the dependence of the conductivity on the gate-controlled level splitting is discussed.

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arXiv1999

Edge magnetoplasmons in periodically modulated structures

We present a microscopic treatment of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP's) within the random-phase approximation for strong magnetic fields, low temperatures, and filling factor $ν=1(2)$, when a weak short-period superlattice potential is imposed along the Hall bar. The modulation potential modifies both the spatial structure and the dispersion relation of the fundamental EMP and leads to the appearance of a novel gapless mode of the fundamental EMP. For sufficiently weak modulation strengths the phase velocity of this novel mode is almost the same as the group velocity of the edge states but it should be quite smaller for stronger modulation. We discuss in detail the spatial structure of the charge density of the renormalized and the novel fundamental EMP's.

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arXiv1999

Effects of Coulomb interaction and tunneling on electron transport in coupled one-dimensional systems: from ballistic to diffusive regime

A linear theory of electron transport is developed for a system of two ideal quantum wires, of length L, coupled by tunneling and Coulomb interaction. The interaction of electrons with acoustical phonons is included and the results are valid in both the ballistic and diffusive regime. In the {\it ballistic} regime, both tunneling and Coulomb drag lead to a {\it negative} transresistance R_{TR}, while in the {\it diffusive} regime the tunneling opposes the drag and leads to a {\it positive} R_{TR}. If L is smaller than the phase-breaking length, the tunneling leads to interference oscillations of the resistance that are damped exponentially with L.

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arXiv1999

Energy spectrum, density of states and optical transitions in strongly biased narrow-gap quantum wells

We study theoretically the effect of an electric field on the electron states and far-infrared optical properties in narrow-gap lead salt quantum wells. The electron states are described by a two-band Hamiltonian. An application of a strong electric field across the well allows the control of the energy gap between the two-dimensional (2D) states in a wide range. A sufficiently strong electric field transforms the narrow-gap quantum well to a nearly gapless 2D system, whose electron energy spectrum is described by linear dispersion relations ε_σ (k) ~\pm (k-k_σ), where k_σ are the field-dependent 2D momenta corresponding to the minimum energy gaps for the states with spin numbers σ. Due to the field-induced shift of the 2D subband extrema away from k=0 the density of states has inverse-square-root divergencies at the edges. This property may result in a considerable increase of the magnitude of the optical absorption and in the efficiency of the electrooptical effect.

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arXiv1998

Edge helicons and repulsion of fundamental edge magnetoplasmons in the quantum Hall regime

A quasi-microscopic treatment of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP) is presented for very low temperatures and confining potentials smooth on the scale of the magnetic length $\ell_{0}$ but sufficiently steep at the edges such that Landau level (LL) flattening can be discarded. The profile of the unperturbed electron density is sharp and the dissipation taken into account comes only from electron intra-edge and intra-LL transitions due to scattering by acoustic phonons. For wide channels and filling factors $ν=1$ and 2, there exist independent EMP modes spatially symmetric and antisymmetric with respect to the edge. Some of these modes, named edge helicons, can propagate nearly undamped even when the dissipation is strong. Their density profile changes qualitatively during propagation and is given by a rotation of a complex vector function. For $ν>2,$ the Coulomb coupling between the LLs leads to a repulsion of the uncoupled fundamental LL modes: the new modes have very different group velocities and are nearly undamped. The theory accounts well for the experimentally observed plateau structure of the delay times as well as for the EMP's period and decay rates.

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arXiv1998

Repulsion of Single-well Fundamental Edge Magnetoplasmons in Double Quantum Wells

A {\it microscopic} treatment of fundamental edge magnetoplasmons (EMPs) along the edge of a double quantum well (DQW) is presented for strong magnetic fields, low temperatures, and total filling factor ν=2. It is valid for lateral confining potentials that Landau level (LL) flattening can be neglected. The cyclotron and Zeeman energies are assumed larger than the DQW energy splitting \sqrt{Δ^2 +4T^2}, where Δis the splitting of the isolated wells and T the tunneling matrix element. %hen calculated unperturbed density profile is sharp at the edge. Using a random-phase approximation (RPA), which includes local and nonlocal contributions to the current density, it is shown that for negligible tunnel coupling 2T << Δthe inter-well Coulomb coupling leads to two DQW fundamental EMPs which are strongly renormalized in comparison with the decoupled, single-well fundamental EMP. These DQW modes can be modified further upon varying the inter-well distance d, along the z axis, and/or the separation of the wells' edges Δy along the y axis. The charge profile of the {\it fast} and {\it slow} DQW mode varies, respectively, in an {\it acoustic} and {\it optical} manner along the y axis and is not smooth on the \ell_{0} scale. For strong tunneling Δ\alt 2T these DQW modes are essentially modified when Δis changed by applying a transverse electric field to the DQW.

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arXiv1998

Random-phase Approximation Treatment Of Edge Magnetoplasmons: Edge-state Screening And Nonlocality

A random-phase approximation (RPA) treatment of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP) is presented for strong magnetic fields, low temperatures, and integer filling factors ν. It is valid for negligible dissipation and lateral confining potentials smooth on the scale of the magnetic length \ell_{0} but sufficiently steep that the Landau-level (LL) flattening can be neglected. LL coupling, screening by edge states, and nonlocal contributions to the current density are taken into account. In addition to the fundamental mode with typical dispersion relation ω\sim q_x \ln(q_{x}), fundamental modes with {\it acoustic} dispersion relation ω\sim q_x are obtained for ν>2. For ν=1,2 a {\bf dipole} mode exists, with dispersion relation ω\sim q_x^3, that is directly related to nonlocal responses.

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arXiv1998

Collective Edge Excitations In The Quantum Hall Regime: Edge Helicons And Landau-level Structure

Based on a microscopic evaluation of the local current density, a treatment of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP) is presented for confining potentials that allow Landau level (LL) flattening to be neglected. Mode damping due to electron-phonon interaction is evaluated. For nu=1, 2 there exist independent modes spatially symmetric or antisymmetric with respect to the edge. Certain modes, changing shape during propagation, are nearly undamped even for very strong dissipation and are termed edge helicons. For nu > 2 inter-LL Coulomb coupling leads to a strong repulsion of the decoupled LL fundamental modes. The theory agrees well with recent experiments.

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arXiv1997

Negative Electron-electron Drag Between Narrow Quantum Hall Channels

Momentum transfer due to Coulomb interaction between two parallel, two-dimensional, narrow, and spatially separated layers, when a current I_{drive} is driven through one layer, is studied in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field B. The current induced in the drag layer, I_{drag}, is evaluated self-consistently with I_{drive} as a parameter. I_{drag} can be positive or negative depending on the value of the filling factor νof the highest occupied bulk Landau level (LL). For a fully occupied LL, I_{drag} is negative, i.e., it flows opposite to I_{drive}, whereas it is positive for a half-filled LL. When the circuit is opened in the drag layer, a voltage ΔV_{drag} develops in it; it is negative for a half-filled LL and positive for a fully occupied LL. This positive ΔV_{drag}, expressing a negative Coulomb drag, results from energetically favored near-edge inter-LL transitions that occur when the highest occupied bulk LL and the LL just above it become degenerate.

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arXiv1997

Novel edge magnetoplasmons with dissipation localized near the edges for very low temperatures and sharp density profiles

A treatment of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP), based on a microscopic evaluation of the local contributions to the current density, is presented. It is valid in the quantum Hall regime for filling factor ν=1 or 2 and low temperatures when the dissipation is localized near the edge. The confining potential, flat in the interior of the channel, is assumed smooth on the magnetic length scale but sufficiently steep at the edges that the density profile is sharp and the dissipation considered results only from electron intraedge-intralevel transitions due to scattering by piezoelectrical phonons. For wide channels there exist independent EMP modes spatially symmetric and antisymmetric with respect to the edge. Certain of these modes can propagate nearly undamped even when the dissipation is strong and are thus termed edge helicons. In contrast with well-known results for a spatially homogeneous dissipation within the channel, we obtain that the damping of the fundamental EMP is not quantized and varies as T**3 or $T**(-3), where T is the temperature, in the high- and low-frequency limits, respectively. The characteristic length of the resulting dispersion relation and of the charge density distortion is the magnetic length. The screening of the metallic gates, when present, is taken into account.

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arXiv1997

Bound states and transmission antiresonances in parabolically confined cross structures: influence of weak magnetic fields

The ballistic conductance through a device consisting of quantum wires, to which two stubs are attached laterally, is calculated assuming parabolic confining potentials of frequencies $ω_w$ for the wires and $ω_s$ for the stubs. As a function of the ratio $ω_w/ω_s$ the conductance shows nearly periodic minima associated with quasibound states forming in the stubbed region. Applying a magnetic field B normal to the plane of the device changes the symmetry of the wavefunctions with respect to the center of the wires and leads to new quasibound states in the stubs. The presence of the magnetic field can also lead to a second kind of state, trapped mainly in the wires by the corners of the confining potentials, that yields conductance minima as well. In either case, these bound states form for weak B and strong confining frequencies and thus are not edge states. Finally, we show experimental evidence for the presence of these quasi-bound states.

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arXiv1997

Correlations, inhomogeneous screening, and suppression of spin-splitting in quantum wires at strong magnetic fields

A self-consistent treatment of exchange and correlation interactions in a quantum wire (QW) subject to a strong perpendicular magnetic field is presented using a modified local-density approximation (MLDA). The influence of many-body interactions on the spin-splitting between the two lowest Landau levels (LLs) is calculated within the screened Hartree-Fock approximation (SHFA), for filling factor ν=1, and the strong spatial dependence of the screening properties of electrons is taken into account. In comparison with the Hartree-Fock result, the spatial behavior of the occupied LL in a QW is strongly modified when correlations are included. Correlations caused by screening at the edges strongly suppress the exchange splitting and smoothen the energy dispersion at the edges. The theory accounts well for the experimentally observed strong suppression of the spin-splitting pertinent to the ν=1 quantum Hall effect (QHE) state as well as the destruction of this state in long, quasi-ballistic GaAlAs/GaAs QWs.

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arXiv1995

Charge density oscillations in a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas for integer filling factors

The possibility of charge density oscillations in a {\it finite-thickness} two-dimensional system is investigated for strong magnetic fields and integer filling factors. Using an effective action formalism, it is shown that an {\it oscillatory charge density} (OCD) is generated in a self-consistent way and is favored energetically over homogeneous distributions. It is smooth on the scale of the sample thickness and of the magnetic length. The modulus of its wave vector is shown to be experimentally accessible. The Hall voltage and the current density are shown to {\it oscillate} with the same wave vector when a weak current is applied. The stability of the charge oscillations against impurity potentials is discussed.

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