Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)

Abstract: The interplay between chirality and magnetism has been a source of fascination among scientists for over a century. In recent years, chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) has attracted renewed interest. It has been observed that electron transport through layers of homochiral molecules leads to a significant spin polarization of several tens of percent. Despite the abundant experimental evidence gathered through mesoscopic transport measurements, the exact mechanism behind CISS remains elusive. In this study, we report spin-selective electron transport through single helical aromatic hydrocarbons that were sublimed in vacuo onto ferromagnetic cobalt surfaces and examined with spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) at a temperature of 5 K. Direct comparison of two enantiomers under otherwise identical conditions revealed magnetochiral conductance asymmetries of up to 50% when either the molecular handedness was exchanged or the magnetization direction of the STM tip or Co substrate was reversed. Importantly, our results rule out electron-phonon coupling and ensemble effects as primary mechanisms responsible for CISS.

Abstract: In this work, we will study the transmission probability of Dirac fermions through a double laser barrier. As part of the Floquet approximation, we will determine the spinors in the five regions. Due to the continuity of the wave function at the barrier edges, we find eight equations, each with infinity modes. To simplify, we use the matrix formalism and limit our study to the first three bands, the central band, and the first two side bands. From the continuity equation and the spinors in the five regions, we will determine the current density in each region, which makes it possible to determine the expression of the transmission probability corresponding to each energy band. The time-dependent laser fields generate several transmission modes, which give two transmission processes: transmission with zero photon exchange corresponds to the central band $\varepsilon$, and transmission with emission or absorption of photons corresponds to the first two sidebands $\varepsilon\pm\varpi$. One of the two modes can be suppressed by varying the distance between the two barriers or the barrier width. The transmission is not permitted if the incoming energy is below an energy threshold $\varepsilon>k_y+2\varpi$. Increasing the intensity of the laser fields makes it possible to modify the sharpness and amplitude of the transmission.

Abstract: We analyze the possibility of evaluation of the thickness and refractive index of the stagnant layer in concentrated suspensions of nanoparticles through the transport characteristics of scattered light photons. The analysis is based on a physically-transparent generalization of the concept of the single scattering intensity off systems in which the number of particles within regions with linear sizes of order of the wavelength in the medium greatly exceeds unity. This generalization is carried out within the notion of compact groups of particles, makes it possible to go beyond the traditional Born approximation, and take into account many-particle effects contributed from those ranges of integration variables in the terms of the iteration series for the scattered field where the internal propagators have delta-function-type behavior. The evaluation of the photon transport characteristics becomes possible without a detailed modeling of many-particle scattering and correlation processes in the system. The photon mean-free-path length, $l$, is investigated as a function of the stagnant refractive index and that of the layer thickness to show a noticeable effect of both parameters on it. As the layer refractive index is increased at a fixed layer thickness, $l$ decreases because the suspension optical density increases. As a function of the layer thickness, $l$ reveals different types of behavior, depending on the relation between refractive indices of the stagnant layer and base liquid. If the former is smaller than the latter, this behavior is increasing; in the opposite case, it is decreasing. An experimentally observed increase of $l$ with the particle concentration is explained as a manifestation of higher correlation effects. Our theory reveals that the stagnant layer make the situation more complicated, for both factors may either enhance or diminish each other.

Abstract: The Benalcazar-Bernevig-Hughes (BBH) quadrupole insulator model is a cornerstone model for higher-order topological phases. It requires \pi flux threading through each plaquette of the two-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Recent studies show that particular \pi-flux patterns can modify the fundamental Brillouin zone from the shape of a torus to a Klein-bottle with emerging topological phases. By designing different \pi-flux patterns, we propose two types of Klein-bottle BBH models. These models show rich topological phases including Klein-bottle quadrupole insulators and Dirac semimetals. The phase with nontrivial Klein-bottle topology shows twined edge modes at open boundaries. These edge modes can further support second-order topology yielding a quadrupole insulator. Remarkably, both models are robust against flux perturbations. Moreover, we show that different \pi-flux patterns dramatically affect the phase diagram of the Klein-bottle BBH models. Going beyond the original BBH model, Dirac semimetal phases emerge in Klein-bottle BBH models featured by the coexistence of twined edge modes and bulk Dirac points.