We show two-dimensional “strong” topological superconductivity in $d$-wave superconductors (SCs). Although the topological invariant of the bulk wave function cannot be defined in $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave and $d_{xy}$-wave SCs because of nodal excitations, the bulk energy spectrum of $d$-wave SCs on a substrate is fully gapped in a magnetic field. Then the superconducting state is specified by a nontrivial Chern number, and hence topologically nontrivial properties are robust against disorders and interactions. We discuss high-temperature topological superconductivity in cuprate SCs recently fabricated on a substrate. Furthermore, we show that the three-dimensional noncentrosymmetric $d$-wave SC is a Weyl SC hosting topologically protected Weyl nodes. Noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion SCs, such as ${\mathrm{CeRhSi}}_3$ and ${\mathrm{CeIrSi}}_3$, are candidates for Weyl SCs.

To elucidate the origin of nematic order in Fe-based superconductors, we report a Raman scattering study of lattice dynamics, which quantify the extent of $C_4$-symmetry breaking, in ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$ and FeSe. FeSe possesses a nematic ordering temperature $T_{\mathrm{s}}$ and orbital-related band-energy split below $T_{\mathrm{s}}$ that are similar to those in ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$, but unlike ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$ it has no long-range magnetic order. We find that the $E_g$ phonon-energy split in FeSe becomes substantial only well below $T_{\mathrm{s}}$, and its saturated value is much smaller than that in ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$. Together with reported results for the $\mathrm{Ba}({\mathrm{Fe}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{Co}}_x{)}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$ family, the data suggest that magnetism exerts a major influence on the lattice.

Domain walls in soft permalloy strips may exhibit various equilibrium micromagnetic structures depending on the width and thickness of the strip, ranging from the well-known transverse and vortex walls in narrow and thin strips to double and triple vortex walls recently reported in wider strips [V. Estévez and L. Laurson, Phys. Rev. B 91, 054407 (2015)]. Here, we analyze the field driven dynamics of such domain walls in permalloy strips of widths from 240 nm up to $6 \mu \mathrm{m}$, using the known equilibrium domain wall structures as initial configurations. Our micromagnetic simulations show that the domain wall dynamics in wide strips is very complex, and depends strongly on the geometry of the system, as well as on the magnitude of the driving field. We discuss in detail the rich variety of the dynamical behaviors found, including dynamic transitions between different domain wall structures, periodic dynamics of a vortex core close to the strip edge, transitions towards simpler domain wall structures of the multi-vortex domain walls controlled by vortex polarity, and the fact that for some combinations of the strip geometry and the driving field the system cannot support a compact domain wall.

We present a magnetic-penetration-depth study on polycrystalline and granular samples of SrPtAs, a pnictide superconductor with a hexagonal structure containing PtAs layers that individually break inversion symmetry (local noncentrosymmetry). Compact samples show a clear-cut $s$-wave-type BCS behavior, which we consider to be the intrinsic penetration depth of SrPtAs. Granular samples display a sample-dependent second diamagnetic drop, attributed to the intergrain coupling. Our experimental results point to a nodeless isotropic superconducting energy gap in SrPtAs, which puts strong constraints on the driven mechanism for superconductivity and the order parameter symmetry of this compound.

The ill-posed analytic continuation problem for Green's functions and self-energies is investigated by revisiting the Padé approximants technique. We propose to remedy the well-known problems of the Padé approximants by performing an average of several continuations, obtained by varying the number of fitted input points and Padé coefficients independently. The suggested approach is then applied to several test cases, including Sm and Pr atomic self-energies, the Green's functions of the Hubbard model for a Bethe lattice and of the Haldane model for a nanoribbon, as well as two special test functions. The sensitivity to numerical noise and the dependence on the precision of the numerical libraries are analyzed in detail. The present approach is compared to a number of other techniques, i.e., the nonnegative least-squares method, the nonnegative Tikhonov method, and the maximum entropy method, and is shown to perform well for the chosen test cases. This conclusion holds even when the noise on the input data is increased to reach values typical for quantum Monte Carlo simulations. The ability of the algorithm to resolve fine structures is finally illustrated for two relevant test functions.

We report the development of an efficient many-body algorithm for simulating open quantum system dynamics that utilizes a time-dependent variational principle for matrix product states to evolve large system-environment states. Capturing all system-environment correlations, we reproduce the nonperturbative, quantum-critical dynamics of the zero-temperature spin-boson model, and then exploit the many-body information to visualize the complete time-frequency spectrum of the environmental excitations. Our “environmental spectra” reveal correlated vibrational motion in polaronic modes which preserve their vibrational coherence during incoherent spin relaxation, demonstrating how environment information could yield valuable insights into complex quantum dissipative processes.

We investigate the transient optical response in high-quality ${\mathrm{Cd}}_{0.88}{\mathrm{Zn}}_{0.12}\mathrm{Te}$ crystals in the regime of slow light propagation on the lower exciton-polariton branch. Femtosecond photoexcitation leads to very substantial transmission changes in a $\sim 10$-meV broad spectral range within the transparency window of the unexcited semiconductor. These nonlinear optical signatures decay on picosecond time scales governed by carrier thermalization and recombination. The temporal and spectral dependence indicate the dynamical optical response as arising from excitation-induced dephasing and perturbed free induction decay. Model simulations for the optical response taking into account the actual exciton-polariton dispersion and excitation-induced dephasing of a nonlinearly driven two-level system support this interpretation.

Strain engineering is one of the most promising and effective routes toward continuously tuning the electronic and optic properties of materials, while thermal properties are generally believed to be insensitive to mechanical strain. In this paper, the strain-dependent thermal conductivity of monolayer silicene under uniform biaxial tension is computed by solving the phonon Boltzmann transport equation with interatomic force constants extracted from first-principles calculations. Unlike the commonly believed understanding that thermal conductivity only slightly decreases with increased tensile strain for bulk materials, it is found that the thermal conductivity of silicene can increase dramatically with strain. Depending on the size, the maximum thermal conductivity of strained silicene can be a few times higher than that of the unstrained case. Such an unusual strain dependence is mainly attributed to the dramatic enhancement in the acoustic phonon lifetime. Such enhancement plausibly originates from the flattening of the buckling of the silicene structure upon stretching, which is unique for silicene as compared with other common two-dimensional materials. Our findings offer perspectives on modulating the thermal properties of low-dimensional structures for applications such as thermoelectrics, thermal circuits, and nanoelectronics.

Although phonon-mediated thermal conduction in pristine graphene and hexagonal boron nitride is well understood, less is known about phonon transport in single-sheet graphene-hexagonal boron nitride ($\mathrm{Gr}/h-\mathrm{BN}$) lateral heterostructures, where the thermal resistance of the interfaces plays an important role in the overall thermal conductivity. We apply the newly developed extended atomistic Green's function method to analyze with detail the effect of strain and structure engineering on the thermal conductance $G_{\mathrm{int}}$ of the $\mathrm{Gr}/h-\mathrm{BN}$ interface. Our calculations show that longitudinal tensile strain leads to significant $G_{\mathrm{int}}$ enhancement (up to $25\%$ at 300 K) primarily through the improved alignment of the flexural acoustic phonon bands, despite the reduction in the longitudinal acoustic (LA) and transverse acoustic phonon velocities. In addition, we find that alternating C-N zigzag bonds along the zigzag interface lead to a greater $G_{\mathrm{int}}$ than C-B bonds through more effective transmission of high-frequency LA and transverse optical phonons, especially at high strain levels. We also demonstrate how the interfacial structure dramatically affects the orientation of the transmitted optical phonons, a phenomenon that is neither seen for acoustic phonons nor predictable from conventional acoustic wave scattering theory. Insights from our paper can provide the basis for manipulating the interfacial thermal conductance in other two-dimensional heterostructures.

Recent experiments have demonstrated the efficacy of chiral helically shaped molecules in polarizing the scattered electron spin, an effect termed chiral-induced spin selectivity. Here we solve a simple tight-binding model for electron transport through a single helical molecule, with spin-orbit interactions on the bonds along the helix. Quantum interference is introduced via additional electron hopping between neighboring sites in the direction of the helix axis. When the helix is connected to two one-dimensional single-mode leads, time-reversal symmetry prevents spin polarization of the outgoing electrons. One possible way to retrieve such a polarization is to allow leakage of electrons from the helix to the environment, via additional outgoing leads. Technically, the leakage generates complex site self-energies, which break unitarity. As a result, the electron waves in the helix become evanescent, with different decay lengths for different spin polarizations, yielding a net spin polarization of the outgoing electrons, which increases with the length of the helix (as observed experimentally). A maximal polarization can be measured at a finite angle away from the helix axis.

Spectral and transport properties of electrons in confined phosphorene systems are investigated in a five hopping parameter tight-binding model, using analytical and numerical techniques. The main emphasis is on the properties of the topological edge states accommodated by the quasiflat band that characterizes the phosphorene energy spectrum. We show, in the particular case of phosphorene, how the breaking of the bipartite lattice structure gives rise to the electron-hole asymmetry of the energy spectrum. The properties of the topological edge states in the zigzag nanoribbons are analyzed under different aspects: degeneracy, localization, extension in the Brillouin zone, dispersion of the quasiflat band in magnetic field. The finite-size phosphorene plaquette exhibits a Hofstadter-type spectrum made up of two unequal butterflies separated by a gap, where a quasiflat band composed of zigzag edge states is located. The transport properties are investigated by simulating a four-lead Hall device (importantly, all leads are attached on the same zigzag side), and using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism. We find out that the chiral edge states due to the magnetic field yield quantum Hall plateaus, but the topological edge states in the gap do not support the quantum Hall effect and prove a dissipative behavior. By calculating the complex eigenenergies of the non-Hermitian effective Hamiltonian that describes the open system (plaquette+leads), we prove the superradiance effect in the energy range of the quasiflat band, with consequences for the density of states and electron transmission properties.

An unusual temperature dependence of the photoluminescence lifetime for the green luminescence (GL) band in GaN is explained. This GL is caused by an internal transition of electrons from an excited state to the ground state of the 0/+ transition level of the isolated ${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{N}}$ defect. The excited state appears only after the ${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{N}}$ defect captures two photogenerated holes. The electron capture by the excited state is nonradiative, yet the lifetime of such can be probed by the temperature variation of the GL lifetime, whose temperature dependence shows a classic case of electron capture by a giant trap.

Radiative heat transport between materials supporting surface-phonon polaritons is greatly enhanced when the materials are placed at subwavelength separation as a result of the contribution of near-field surface modes. However, the enhancement is limited to small separations due to the evanescent decay of the surface waves. In this work, we propose and numerically demonstrate an active scheme to extract these modes to the far field. Our approach exploits the monochromatic nature of near-field thermal radiation to drive a transition in a laser gain medium, which, when coupled with external optical pumping, allows the resonant surface mode to be emitted into the far field. Our study demonstrates an approach to manipulate thermal radiation that could find applications in thermal management.

Charge-carrier confinement in nanoscale In-rich agglomerations within a lateral InGaAs quantum well (QW) formed from stacked submonolayers (SMLs) of InAs in GaAs is studied. Low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and magneto-PL clearly demonstrate strong vertical and weak lateral confinement, yielding two-dimensional (2D) excitons. In contrast, high-temperature (400 K) magneto-PL reveals excited states that fit a Fock-Darwin spectrum, characteristic of a zero-dimensional (0D) system in a magnetic field. This paradox is resolved by concluding that the system is heterodimensional: the light electrons extend over several In-rich agglomerations and see only the lateral InGaAs QW, i.e., are 2D, while the heavier holes are confined within the In-rich agglomerations, i.e., are 0D. This description is supported by single-particle effective-mass and eight-band $k·p$ calculations. We suggest that the heterodimensional nature of nanoscale SML inclusions is fundamental to the ability of respective optoelectronic devices to operate efficiently and at high speed.

This article reports on tunable electron backscattering investigated with the biased tip of a scanning force microscope. Using a channel defined by a pair of Schottky gates, the branched electron flow of ballistic electrons injected from a quantum point contact is guided by potentials of a tunable height well below the Fermi energy. The transition from injection into an open two-dimensional electron gas to a strongly confined channel exhibits three experimentally distinct regimes: one in which branches spread unrestrictedly, one in which branches are confined but the background conductance is affected very little, and one where the branches have disappeared and the conductance is strongly modified. Classical trajectory-based simulations explain these regimes at the microscopic level. These experiments allow us to understand under which conditions branches observed in scanning gate experiments do or do not reflect the flow of electrons.

We explore the adsorption of ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ on a range of metal substrates by means of first-principles density functional theory calculations. Including van der Waals forces in the density functional is essential to capture the interaction between ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ and a metal surface, and obtain reliable interface potential steps and Schottky barriers. Special care is taken to construct interface structures that have a mismatch between the ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ and the metal lattices of $<1\%$. ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ is chemisorbed on the early transition metal Ti, which leads to a strong perturbation of its (electronic) structure and a pinning of the Fermi level 0.54 eV below the ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ conduction band due to interface states. ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ is physisorbed on Au, where the bonding hardly perturbs the electronic structure. The bonding of ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ on other metals lies between these two extreme cases, with interface interactions for the late $3d$ transition metals Co, Ni, Cu and the simple metal Mg that are somewhat stronger than for the late $4d/5d$ transition metals Pd, Ag, Pt and the simple metal Al. Even a weak interaction, such as in the case of Al, gives interface states, however, with energies inside the ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ band gap, which pin the Fermi level below the conduction band.

The linear energy dispersion of graphene electrons leads to a strongly nonlinear electromagnetic response of this material. We develop a general quantum theory of the third-order nonlinear local dynamic conductivity of graphene ${\sigma }_{\alpha \beta \gamma \delta }({\omega }_1,{\omega }_2,{\omega }_3)$, which describes its nonlinear response to a uniform electromagnetic field. The derived analytical formulas describe a large number of different nonlinear phenomena such as the third-harmonic generation, the four-wave mixing, the saturable absorption, the second-harmonic generation stimulated by a dc electric current, etc., which may be used in different terahertz and optoelectronic devices.

We study Klein tunneling in polariton graphene. We show that the photonic spin-orbit coupling associated with the energy splitting between TE and TM photonic modes can be described as an emergent gauge field. It suppresses the Klein tunneling in a small energy range close to the Dirac points. Thanks to polariton spin-anisotropic interactions, polarized optical pumping allows one to create potential barriers acting on a single polariton spin. We show that the resulting spin-dependent Klein tunneling can be used to create a perfectly transmitting polarization rotator operating at microscopic scale.