arXiv subjects

Tobias Kramer

Publications and source records attributed to Tobias Kramer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Wave packet approach to transport in mesoscopic systems

Wave packets provide a well established and versatile tool for studying time-dependent effects in molecular physics. Here, we demonstrate the application of wave packets to mesoscopic nanodevices at low temperatures. The electronic transport in the devices is expressed in terms of scattering and transmission coefficients, which are efficiently obtained by solving an initial value problem (IVP) using the time-dependent Schroedinger equation. The formulation as an IVP makes non-trivial device topologies accessible and by tuning the wave packet parameters one can extract the scattering properties for a large range of energies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Theory of the quantum Hall effect in graphene

We study the quantum Hall effect (QHE) in graphene based on the current injection model. In our model, the presence of disorder, the edge-state picture, extended states and localized states, which are believed to be indispensable ingredients in describing the QHE, do not play an important role. Instead the boundary conditions during the injection into the graphene sheet, which are enforced by the presence of the Ohmic contacts, determine the current-voltage characteristics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Revivals of quantum wave-packets in graphene

We investigate the propagation of wave-packets on graphene in a perpendicular magnetic field and the appearance of collapses and revivals in the time-evolution of an initially localised wave-packet. The wave-packet evolution in graphene differs drastically from the one in an electron gas and shows a rich revival structure similar to the dynamics of highly excited Rydberg states. We present a novel numerical wave-packet propagation scheme in order to solve the effective single-particle Dirac-Hamiltonian of graphene and show how the collapse and revival dynamics is affected by the presence of disorder. Our effective numerical method is of general interest for the solution of the Dirac equation in the presence of potentials and magnetic fields.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Use of Lambert's Theorem for the n-Dimensional Coulomb Problem

We present the analytical solution in closed form for the semiclassical limit of the quantum mechanical Coulomb Green function in position space in n dimensions. We utilize a projection method which has its roots in Lambert's theorem and which allows us to treat the system as an essentially one dimensional problem. The semiclassical result assumes a simple analytical form and is well suited for a numerical evaluation. The method can also be extended to classically forbidden space regions. Already for moderately large principal quantum numbers nu >= 5, the semiclassical Green function is found to be an excellent approximation to the quantum mechanical Green function.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

The quantum Hall effect under the influence of a top-gate and integrating AC lock-in measurements

Low frequency AC-measurements are commonly used to determine the voltage and currents through mesoscopic devices. We calculate the effect of the alternating Hall voltage on the recorded time-averaged voltage in the presence of a top-gate covering a large part of the device. The gate is kept on a constant voltage, while the Hall voltage is recorded using an integrating alternating-current lock-in technique. The resulting Hall curves show inflection points at the arithmetic mean between two integer plateaus, which are not necessarily related to the distribution of the density of states within a Landau level.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Half integer features in the quantum Hall Effect: experiment and theory

The quantum Hall effect is one of the most important developments in condensed matter physics of the 20th century. The standard explanations of the famous integer quantized Hall plateaus in the transverse resistivity are qualitative, and involve assumptions about disorder, localized states, extended states, edge states, Fermi levels pinned by Landau levels, etc. These standard narratives give plausible reasons for the existence of the plateaus, but provide little in the way of even a qualitative understanding of the shape and width of the Hall plateaus, much less a first principles calculation. The injection model presented in this paper changes that situation. Rather than focusing on the middle of the Hall device, we follow the electrons to their source: one corner of the Hall bar and its steep electric field gradients. We find the entire resistivity curve including the Hall plateaus is calculable as a function of magnetic field, temperature, and current. The new higher current experiments reported here show remarkable half integer features for the first time; these are faithfully reproduced by the injection theory. The Hall plateaus and half integer inflections are shown to result from the local density of states appropriate to the magnetic field and the strong electric field gradient at the injection corner.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Quasiperiodic propagation in time of some classical/quantum systems: Nielsen's conserved quantity and Floquet properties

We consider classical and quantum propagators for two different time intervals. If these propagators follow one another in a Fibonacci sequence we get a discrete quasiperiodic system. A theorem due to Nielsen provides a novel conserved quantity for this system. The Nielsen quantity controls the transition between commutative and non-commutative propagation in time. The quasiperiodically kicked oscillator moreover is dominated by quasiperiodic analogues of the Floquet theorem.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

An efficient and accurate method to obtain the energy-dependent Green function for general potentials

Time-dependent quantum mechanics provides an intuitive picture of particle propagation in external fields. Semiclassical methods link the classical trajectories of particles with their quantum mechanical propagation. Many analytical results and a variety of numerical methods have been developed to solve the time-dependent Schroedinger equation. The time-dependent methods work for nearly arbitrarily shaped potentials, including sources and sinks via complex-valued potentials. Many quantities are measured at fixed energy, which is seemingly not well suited for a time-dependent formulation. Very few methods exist to obtain the energy-dependent Green function for complicated potentials without resorting to ensemble averages or using certain lead-in arrangements. Here, we demonstrate in detail a time-dependent approach, which can accurately and effectively construct the energy-dependent Green function for very general potentials. The applications of the method are numerous, including chemical, mesoscopic, and atomic physics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

New Mathematical Tools for Quantum Technology

Progress in manufacturing technology has allowed us to probe the behavior of devices on a smaller and faster scale than ever before. With increasing miniaturization, quantum effects come to dominate the transport properties of these devices, between collisions, carriers undergo ballistic motion under the influence of local electric and magnetic fields. The often surprising propertiesof quantum ballistic transport are currently elucidated in clean atomic physics experiments. From a theoretical viewpoint, theelectron dynamics is governed by ballistic propagators and Green functions, intriguing quantities at the crossroads of classical and quantum mechanics. Here, we briefly describe the propagator method, some ballistic Green functions, and their application in a diverse range of problems in atomic and solid state physics, such as photodetachment, atom lasers, scanning tunneling microscopy, and the quantum Hall effect.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Quantum theory of an atom laser originating from a Bose-Einstein condensate or a Fermi gas in the presence of gravity

We present a 3D quantum mechanical theory of radio-frequency outcoupled atom lasers from trapped atomic gases in the presence of the gravitational force. Predictions for the total outcoupling rate as a function of the radio-frequency and for the beam wave function are given. We establish a sum rule for the energy integrated outcoupling, which leads to a separate determination of the coupling strength between the atoms and the radiation field. For a non-interacting Bose-Einstein condensate analytic solutions are derived which are subsequently extended to include the effects of atomic interactions. The interactions enhance interference effects in the beam profile and modify the outcoupling rate of the atom laser. We provide a complete quantum mechanical solution which is in line with experimental findings and allows to determine the validity of commonly used approximative methods. We also extend the formalism to a fermionic atom laser and analyze the effect of superfluidity on the outcoupling of atoms.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Landau level broadening without disorder, non-integer plateaus without interactions - an alternative model of the quantum Hall effect

I review some aspects of an alternative model of the quantum Hall effect, which is not based on the presence of disorder potentials. Instead, a quantization of the electronic drift current in the presence of crossed electric and magnetic fields is employed to construct a non-linear transport theory. Another important ingredient of the alternative theory is the coupling of the two-dimensional electron gas to the leads and the applied voltages. By working in a picture, where the external voltages fix the chemical potential in the 2D subsystem, the experimentally observed linear relation between the voltage and the location of the quantum Hall plateaus finds an natural explanation. Also, the classical Hall effect emerges as a natural limit of the quantum Hall effect. For low temperatures (or high currents), a non-integer substructure splits higher Landau levels into sublevels. The appearence of substructure and non-integer plateaus in the resistivity is NOT linked to electron-electron interactions, but caused by the presence of a (linear) electric field. Some of the resulting fractions correspond exactly to half-integer plateaus.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

The photoelectric effect in external fields

Atoms and negative ions interacting with laser photons yield a coherent source of photoelectrons. Applying external fields to photoelectrons gives rise to interesting and valuable interference phenomena. We analyze the spatial distribution of the photocurrent using elementary quantum methods. The photoelectric effect is shown to be an interesting example for the use of coherent particle sources in quantum mechanics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Electron drift orbits in crossed electromagnetic fields and the quantum Hall effect

The classical drift motion of electrons in crossed electric and magnetic fields provides an interesting example of a system with an on average constant velocity -- despite the presence of an electric field. This drift-velocity depends solely on the ratio of the electric and magnetic fields and not on the initial momentum of the electron. The present work describes the quantum-mechanical version of this drift-motion, which differs drastically from the classical result: The drift becomes dependent on the energy and a quantization of the transport occurs. The results bear implications for the theory of the quantum Hall effect: Current theories neglect the electric Hall-field (which is perpendicular to a magnetic field) and thus do not include the quantization due to the crossed-field geometry. I will discuss why it is not possible to eliminate the electric field and how one can explain the quantization in crossed fields in a semiclassical picture. These results make it possible to construct an alternative theory of the quantum Hall effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

A heuristic quantum theory of the integer quantum Hall effect

Contrary to common belief, the current emitted by a contact embedded in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is quantized in the presence of electric and magnetic fields. This observation suggests a simple, clearly defined model for the quantum current through a Hall device that does not invoke disorder or interactions as the cause of the integer quantum Hall effect (QHE), but is based on a proper quantization of the classical electron drift motion. The theory yields a quantitative description of the breakdown of the QHE at high current densities that is in agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, several of its key points are in line with recent findings of experiments that address the dependency of the QHE on the 2DEG bias voltage, results that are not easily explained within the framework of conventional QHE models.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Electron dynamics in parallel electric and magnetic fields

We examine the spatial distribution of electrons generated by a fixed energy point source in uniform, parallel electric and magnetic fields. This problem is simple enough to permit analytic quantum and semiclassical solution, and it harbors a rich set of features which find their interpretation in the unusual and interesting properties of the classical motion of the electrons: For instance, the number of interfering trajectories can be adjusted in this system, and the turning surfaces of classical motion contain a complex array of singularities. We perform a comprehensive analysis of both the semiclassical approximation and the quantum solution, and we make predictions that should serve as a guide for future photodetachment experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Tunneling out of a time-dependent well

Solutions to explicit time-dependent problems in quantum mechanics are rare. In fact, all known solutions are coupled to specific properties of the Hamiltonian and may be divided into two categories: One class consists of time-dependent Hamiltonians which are not higher than quadratic in the position operator, like i.e the driven harmonic oscillator with time-dependent frequency. The second class is related to the existence of additional invariants in the Hamiltonian, which can be used to map the solution of the time-dependent problem to that of a related time-independent one. In this article we discuss and develop analytic methods for solving time-dependent tunneling problems, which cannot be addressed by using quadratic Hamiltonians. Specifically, we give an analytic solution to the problem of tunneling from an attractive time-dependent potential which is embedded in a long-range repulsive potential. Recent progress in atomic physics makes it possible to observe experimentally time-dependent phenomena and record the probability distribution over a long range of time. Of special interest is the observation of macroscopical quantum-tunneling phenomena in Bose-Einstein condensates with time-dependent trapping potentials. We apply our model to such a case in the last section.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Observed photodetachment in parallel electric and magnetic fields

We investigate photodetachment from negative ions in a homogeneous 1.0-T magnetic field and a parallel electric field of approximately 10 V/cm. A theoretical model for detachment in combined fields is presented. Calculations show that a field of 10 V/cm or more should considerably diminish the Landau structure in the detachment cross section. The ions are produced and stored in a Penning ion trap and illuminated by a single-mode dye laser. We present preliminary results for detachment from S- showing qualitative agreement with the model. Future directions of the work are also discussed.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2003

Propagation in crossed electric and magnetic fields: The quantum source approach

The propagation of electrons in static and uniform electromagnetic fields is a standard topic of classical electrodynamics. The Hamilton function is given by a quadratic polynomial in the positions and momenta. The corresponding quantum-mechanical problem has been analyzed in great detail and the eigenfunctions and time evolution operators are well-known. Surprisingly, the energy-dependent counterpart of the time-evolution operator, the Green function, is not easily accessible. However in many situations one is interested in the evolution of a system that started with emitted particles that carry a specific energy. In the following we present a suitable approach to study this type of matter waves arising from a localized region in space. Two applications are discussed, the photodetachment current in external fields and the quantum Hall effect in a fermionic electron gas.

cond-mat↗