arXiv subjects

R. Winkler

Publications and source records attributed to R. Winkler.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Magneto-electric equivalence and emergent electrodynamics in bilayer graphene

It is a fundamental paradigm that the physical effects induced by electric fields are qualitatively different from those induced by magnetic fields. Here we show that electrons at a Dirac point in bilayer graphene experience an unusual type of electromagnetism where magnetic and electric fields are virtually equivalent: every coupling of an electron's degrees of freedom to a magnetic field is matched by an analogous coupling of the same degrees of freedom to an electric field. This counter-intuitive duality of matter-field interactions enables novel ways to create and manipulate spin and pseudo-spin polarizations in bilayer graphene via external fields and leads to the emergence of a valley-contrasting axion electrodynamics, where the traditional association of charges at rest with electric fields and charge currents with magnetic fields is reversed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Observation of mutually enhanced collectivity in self-conjugate $^{76}_{38}$Sr$_{38}$

The lifetimes of the first 2$^{+}$ states in the neutron-deficient $^{76,78}$Sr isotopes were measured using a unique combination of the $γ$-ray line-shape method and two-step nucleon exchange reactions at intermediate energies. The transition rates for the 2$^{+}$ states were determined to be $B$(E2;2$^{+}$$\to 0^{+}$) = 2220(270) e$^{2}$fm$^{4}$ for $^{76}$Sr and 1800(250) e$^{2}$fm$^{4}$ for $^{78}$Sr, corresponding to large deformation of $β_2$ = 0.45(3) for $^{76}$Sr and 0.40(3) for $^{78}$Sr. The present data provide experimental evidence for mutually enhanced collectivity that occurs at $N$ = $Z$ = 38. The systematic behavior of the excitation energies and $B$(E2) values indicates a signature of shape coexistence in $^{76}$Sr, characterizing $^{76}$Sr as one of most deformed nuclei with an unusually reduced $E$(4$^{+}$)/$E$(2$^{+}$) ratio.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Quadrupole collectivity beyond N=28: Intermediate-energy Coulomb excitation of 47,48Ar

We report on the first experimental study of quadrupole collectivity in the very neutron-rich nuclei \nuc{47,48}{Ar} using intermediate-energy Coulomb excitation. These nuclei are located along the path from doubly-magic Ca to collective S and Si isotopes, a critical region of shell evolution and structural change. The deduced $B(E2)$ transition strengths are confronted with large-scale shell-model calculations in the $sdpf$ shell using the state-of-the-art SDPF-U and EPQQM effective interactions. The comparison between experiment and theory indicates that a shell-model description of Ar isotopes around N=28 remains a challenge.

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arXiv2012

Effective Mass and Spin Susceptibility of Dilute Two-Dimensional Holes in GaAs

We report effective hole mass ($m^{*}$) measurements through analyzing the temperature dependence of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in dilute (density $p \sim 7 \times 10^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$, $r_{s} \sim 6$) two-dimensional (2D) hole systems confined to a 20 nm-wide, (311)A GaAs quantum well. The holes in this system occupy two nearly-degenerate spin subbands whose $m^{*}$ we measure to be $\sim $ 0.2 (in units of the free electron mass). Despite the relatively large $r_{s}$ in our 2D system, the measured $m^{*}$ is in good agreement with the results of our energy band calculations which do not take interactions into account. We hen apply a sufficiently strong parallel magnetic field to fully depopulate one of the spin subbands, and measure $m^{*}$ for the populated subband. We find that this latter $m^{*}$ is surprisingly close to the $m^{*}$ we measure in the absence of the parallel field. We also deduce the spin susceptibility of the 2D hole system from the depopulation field, and conclude that the susceptibility is enhanced by about 50% relative to the value expected from the band calculations.

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arXiv2011

Reentrant nu = 1 quantum Hall state in a two-dimensional hole system

We report the observation of a reentrant quantum Hall state at the Landau level filling factor nu = 1 in a two-dimensional hole system confined to a 35-nm-wide (001) GaAs quantum well. The reentrant behavior is characterized by a weakening and eventual collapse of the nu = 1 quantum Hall state in the presence of a parallel magnetic field component B||, followed by a strengthening and reemergence as B|| is further increased. The robustness of the nu = 1 quantum Hall state during the transition depends strongly on the charge distribution symmetry of the quantum well, while the magnitude of B|| needed to invoke the transition increases with the total density of the system.

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arXiv2011

Inverse-kinematics one-neutron pickup with fast rare-isotope beams

New measurements and reaction model calculations are reported for single neutron pickup reactions onto a fast \nuc{22}{Mg} secondary beam at 84 MeV per nucleon. Measurements were made on both carbon and beryllium targets, having very different structures, allowing a first investigation of the likely nature of the pickup reaction mechanism. The measurements involve thick reaction targets and $γ$-ray spectroscopy of the projectile-like reaction residue for final-state resolution, that permit experiments with low incident beam rates compared to traditional low-energy transfer reactions. From measured longitudinal momentum distributions we show that the $\nuc{12}{C} (\nuc{22}{Mg},\nuc{23}{Mg}+γ)X$ reaction largely proceeds as a direct two-body reaction, the neutron transfer producing bound \nuc{11}{C} target residues. The corresponding reaction on the \nuc{9}{Be} target seems to largely leave the \nuc{8}{Be} residual nucleus unbound at excitation energies high in the continuum. We discuss the possible use of such fast-beam one-neutron pickup reactions to track single-particle strength in exotic nuclei, and also their expected sensitivity to neutron high-$\ell$ (intruder) states which are often direct indicators of shell evolution and the disappearance of magic numbers in the exotic regime.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

Robust Level Coincidences in the Subband Structure of Quasi 2D Systems

Recently, level crossings in the energy bands of crystals have been identified as a key signature for topological phase transitions. Using realistic models we show that the parameter space controlling the occurrence of level coincidences in energy bands has a much richer structure than anticipated previously. In particular, we identify robust level coincidences that cannot be removed by a small perturbation of the Hamiltonian compatible with the crystal symmetry. Different topological phases that are insulating in the bulk are then separated by a gapless (metallic) phase. We consider HgTe/CdTe quantum wells as a specific example.

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arXiv2010

Invariant expansion for the trigonal band structure of graphene

We present a symmetry analysis of the trigonal band structure in graphene, elucidating the transformational properties of the underlying basis functions and the crucial role of time-reversal invariance. Group theory is used to derive an invariant expansion of the Hamiltonian for electron states near the K points of the graphene Brillouin zone. Besides yielding the characteristic k-linear dispersion and higher-order corrections to it, this approach enables the systematic incorporation of all terms arising from external electric and magnetic fields, strain, and spin-orbit coupling up to any desired order. Several new contributions are found, in addition to reproducing results obtained previously within tight-binding calculations. Physical ramifications of these new terms are discussed.

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arXiv2010

Time reversal of pseudo-spin 1/2 degrees of freedom

We show that pseudo-spin 1/2 degrees of freedom can be categorized in two types according to their behavior under time reversal. One type exhibits the properties of ordinary spin whose three Cartesian components are all odd under time reversal. For the second type, only one of the components is odd while the other two are even. We discuss several physical examples for this second type of pseudo-spin and highlight observable consequences that can be used to distinguish it from ordinary spin.

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arXiv2009

Side-jumps in the spin-Hall effect: construction of the Boltzmann collision integral

We present a systematic derivation of the side-jump contribution to the spin-Hall current in systems without band structure spin-orbit interactions, focusing on the construction of the collision integral for the Boltzmann equation. Starting from the quantum Liouville equation for the density operator we derive an equation describing the dynamics of the density matrix in the first Born approximation and to first order in the driving electric field. Elastic scattering requires conservation of the total energy, including the spin-orbit interaction energy with the electric field: this results in a first correction to the customary collision integral found in the Born approximation. A second correction is due to the change in the carrier position during collisions. It stems from the part of the density matrix off-diagonal in wave vector. The two corrections to the collision integral add up and are responsible for the total side-jump contribution to the spin-Hall current. The spin-orbit-induced correction to the velocity operator also contains terms diagonal and off-diagonal in momentum space, which together involve the total force acting on the system. This force is explicitly shown to vanish (on the average) in the steady state: thus the total contribution to the spin-Hall current due to the additional terms in the velocity operator is zero.

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arXiv2009

Spin angular impulse due to spin-dependent reflection off a barrier

The spin-dependent elastic reflection of quasi two-dimensional electrons from a lateral impenetrable barrier in the presence of band-structure spin-orbit coupling results in a spin angular impulse exerted on the electrons which is proportional to the nontrivial difference between the electrons' momentum and velocity. Even for an unpolarized incoming beam we find that the spin angular impulse is nonzero when averaged over all components of the reflected beam. We present a detailed analysis of the kinematics of this process.

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arXiv2009

Current-induced spin torques in III-V ferromagnetic semiconductors

We formulate a theory of current-induced spin torques in inhomogeneous III-V ferromagnetic semiconductors. The carrier spin-3/2 and large spin-orbit interaction, leading to spin non-conservation, introduce significant conceptual differences from spin torques in ferromagnetic metals. We determine the spin density in an electric field in the weak momentum scattering regime, demonstrating that the torque on the magnetization is intimately related to spin precession under the action of both the spin-orbit interaction and the exchange field characteristic of ferromagnetism. The spin polarization excited by the electric field is smaller than in ferromagnetic metals and, due to lack of angular momentum conservation, cannot be expressed in a simple closed vectorial form. Remarkably, scalar and spin-dependent scattering do not affect the result. We use our results to estimate the velocity of current-driven domain walls.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

External gates and transport in biased bilayer graphene

We formulate a theory of transport in graphene bilayers in the weak momentum scattering regime in such a way as to take into account contributions to the electrical conductivity to leading and next-to-leading order in the scattering potential. The response of bilayers to an electric field cannot be regarded as a sum of terms due to individual layers. Rather, interlayer tunneling and coherence between positive- and negative-energy states give the main contributions to the conductivity. At low energies, the dominant effect of scattering on transport comes from scattering within each energy band, yet a simple picture encapsulating the role of collisions in a set of scattering times is not applicable. Coherence between positive- and negative-energy states gives, as in monolayers, a term in the conductivity which depends on the order of limits. The application of an external gate, which introduces a gap between positive- and negative-energy states, does not affect transport. Nevertheless the solution to the kinetic equation in the presence of such a gate is very revealing for transport in both bilayers and monolayers.

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arXiv2008

Spin Orientation of Holes in Quantum Wells

This paper reviews the spin orientation of spin-3/2 holes in quantum wells. We discuss the Zeeman and Rashba spin splitting in hole systems that are qualitatively different from their counterparts in electron systems. We show how a systematic understanding of the unusual spin-dependent phenomena in hole systems can be gained using a multipole expansion of the spin density matrix. As an example we discuss spin precession in hole systems that can give rise to an alternating spin polarization. Finally, we discuss the qualitatively different regimes of hole spin polarization decay in clean and dirty samples.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Weak momentum scattering and the conductivity of graphene

Electrical transport in graphene offers a fascinating parallel to spin transport in semiconductors including the spin-Hall effect. In the weak momentum scattering regime the steady-state density matrix contains two contributions, one linear in the carrier number density $n$ and characteristic scattering time $τ$, the other independent of either. In this paper we take the Liouville equation as our starting point and demonstrate that these two contributions can be identified with pseudospin conservation and non-conservation respectively, and are connected in a non-trivial manner by scattering processes. The scattering term has a distinct form, which is peculiar to graphene and has important consequences in transport. The contribution linear in $τ$ is analogous to the part of the spin density matrix which yields a steady state spin density, while the contribution independent of $τ$, is analogous to the part of the spin density matrix which yields a steady state spin current. Unlike in systems with spin-orbit interactions, the $n$ and $τ$-independent part of the conductivity is reinforced in the weak momentum scattering regime by scattering between the conserved and non-conserved pseudospin distributions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Absence of the Rashba effect in undoped asymmetric quantum wells

To an electron moving in free space an electric field appears as a magnetic field which interacts with and can reorient the electron spin. In semiconductor quantum wells this spin-orbit interaction seems to offer the possibility of gate-voltage control in spintronic devices but, as the electrons are subject to both ion-core and macroscopic structural potentials, this over-simple picture has lead to intense debate. For example, an externally applied field acting on the envelope of the electron wavefunction determined by the macroscopic potential, underestimates the experimentally observed spin-orbit field by many orders of magnitude while the Ehrenfest theorem suggests that it should actually be zero. Here we challenge, both experimentally and theoretically, the widely held belief that any inversion asymmetry of the macroscopic potential, not only electric field, will produce a significant spin-orbit field for electrons. This conclusion has far-reaching consequences for the design of spintronic devices while illuminating important fundamental physics.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Strain-induced Fermi contour anisotropy of GaAs 2D holes

We report measurements of magneto-resistance commensurability peaks, induced by a square array of anti-dots, in GaAs (311)A two-dimensional holes as a function of applied in-plane strain. The data directly probe the shapes of the Fermi contours of the two spin subbands that are split thanks to the spin-orbit interaction and strain. The experimental results are in quantitative agreement with the predictions of accurate energy band calculations, and reveal that the majority spin-subband has a severely distorted Fermi contour whose anisotropy can be tuned with strain.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Generation of spin currents and spin densities in systems with reduced symmetry

We show that the spin-current response of a semiconductor crystal to an external electric field is considerably more complex than previously assumed. While in systems of high symmetry only the spin-Hall components are allowed, in systems of lower symmetry other non-spin-Hall components may be present. We argue that, when spin-orbit interactions are present only in the band structure, the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the spin current is not useful. We show that the generation of spin currents and that of spin densities in an electric field are closely related, and that our general theory provides a systematic way to distinguish between them in experiment. We discuss also the meaning of vertex corrections in systems with spin-orbit interactions.

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