Conductance Oscillations Research Articles

Ionic conductance oscillations in sub-nanometer pores probed by optoelectronic control

<h2>Summary</h2> Ionic Coulomb blockade is one of the ion transport phenomena revealing the quantized nature of ionic charges, which is of crucial importance to our understanding of the sub-continuum transport in nanofluidics and the mechanism of biological ion channels. Here, we report an experimental observation and plausible theoretical reasoning of ionic conduction oscillations. Our experiment is performed under confinement in sub-nanometer (sub-nm) MoS₂ pores with optoelectronic control enabled for active tuning of pore surface charges. Under this charge control, we measure the ionic current at fixed voltages and observe multiple current peaks. Our analytical discussions and molecular dynamics simulations further reveal that the conductance oscillations may originate from the multi-ion interaction at the pore entry, particularly the electrostatic repulsion of ions external to the pore by ions bound inside the pore. Our work adds a further understanding of ionic Coulomb blockade effect and paves the way for developing advanced ionic machineries.

Oscillation in the electrical conductivity of a thick graphene oxide membrane

Because of their unusual fundamental behavior that arises at the molecular scale, the electrical conductivity of stacked graphene oxide (GO) sheets in the presence of external parameters is not adequately understood. Previous studies concentrated on the DC response of thin GO membranes giving their resistive switching properties. Here, we observe anomalous low-frequency (&amp;lt;1 Hz) oscillations in the electrical conductivity of micrometer size GO, which is repeated in a process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Such vibrations and their unique trajectories are not only fundamentally important but also have characteristic frequencies that can be directly linked to the formation and destruction of regions with sp2 hybridization. Also, the reported switching time (of the order of seconds) makes our resistive switching system different than all the previously reported systems and introduces a new class of switching phenomena. The observed phenomena improve our understanding of the electrical conductivity of GO membranes and the corresponding microscopic details that pave the way for the promising application of these new observed low-frequency oscillations.

Oscillations of the thermal conductivity in the spin-liquid state of α-RuCl3

In the class of materials called spin liquids, a magnetically ordered state cannot be attained even at milliKelvin temperatures because of conflicting constraints on each spin (for e.g. from geometric or exchange frustration). The resulting quantum spin-liquid (QSL) state is currently of intense interest because it exhibits novel excitations as well as wave-function entanglement. The layered insulator $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ orders as a zigzag antiferromagnet below $\sim$7 K in zero magnetic field. The zigzag order is destroyed when a magnetic field $\bf H$ is applied parallel to the zigzag axis a. Within the field interval (7.3, 11) Tesla, there is growing evidence that a QSL state exists. Here we report the observation of oscillations in its thermal conductivity below 4 K. The oscillation amplitude is very large within the interval (7.3, 11) T and strongly suppressed on either side. Paradoxically, the oscillations are periodic in 1/\emph{H}, analogous to quantum oscillations in metals, even though $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ is an excellent insulator with a gap of 1.9 eV. By tilting $\bf H$ out of the plane, we find that the oscillation period is determined by the in-plane component $H_a$. As the temperature is raised above 0.5 K, the oscillation amplitude decreases exponentially. The decrease anticorrelates with the emergence above $\sim$2 K of an anomalous planar thermal Hall conductivity measured with $\bf H\parallel a$. To exclude extrinsic artifacts, we carried out several tests. The implications of the oscillations are discussed.

Specular Andreev reflection and its detection

We propose a universal method to detect the specular Andreev reflection taking the simple two dimensional Weyl nodal-line semimetal-superconductor double-junction structure as an example. The quasiclassical quantization conditions are established for the energy levels of bound states formed in the middle semimetal along a closed path. The establishment of the conditions is completely based on the intrinsic character of the specularly reflected hole which has the same sign relation of its wave vector and group velocity with the incident electron. This brings about the periodic oscillation of conductance with the length of the middle semimetal, which is lack for the retro-Andreev reflected hole having the opposite sign relation with the incident electron. The positions of the conductance peaks and the oscillation period can be precisely predicted by the quantization conditions. Our detection method is irrespective of the details of the materials, which may promote the experimental detection of and further researches on the specular Andreev reflection as well as its applications in superconducting electronics.

Delocalization-Assisted Transport through Nucleic Acids in Molecular Junctions.

The flow of charge through molecules is central to the function of supramolecular machines, and charge transport in nucleic acids is implicated in molecular signaling and DNA repair. We examine the transport of electrons through nucleic acids to understand the interplay of resonant and nonresonant charge carrier transport mechanisms. This study reports STM break junction measurements of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) with a G-block structure and contrasts the findings with previous results for DNA duplexes. The conductance of G-block PNA duplexes is much higher than that of the corresponding DNA duplexes of the same sequence; however, they do not display the strong even-odd dependence conductance oscillations found in G-block DNA. Theoretical analysis finds that the conductance oscillation magnitude in PNA is suppressed because of the increased level of electronic coupling interaction between G-blocks in PNA and the stronger PNA-electrode interaction compared to that in DNA duplexes. The strong interactions in the G-block PNA duplexes produce molecular conductances as high as 3% G0, where G0 is the quantum of conductance, for 5 nm duplexes.

Dependence of the tunneling conductance on the barrier thickness: effects of the complex-band structure

The dependence of tunneling conductance on the barrier thickness was investigated theoretically by using a tight-binding model. In order to calculate the tunneling conductance, full-band calculations were carried out with a model tunnel junction. In addition to an exponential decay, it was shown that the tunneling conductance may oscillate strongly as a function of the barrier thickness due to the complex-band structure of the barrier. The relation between the complex Fermi surface of the barrier and the oscillation period of the tunneling conductance was examined. The oscillation of the tunnel conductance is affected by the matching between the metal and the barrier bands.

Illumination-induced modulation of conductivity and Gunn oscillation properties in epitaxial GaAs

We illuminate a gallium arsenide (GaAs) Gunn device and study the light-induced changes of Gunn oscillation properties. We observe that illumination leads to the modulation of the Gunn threshold voltage, the Gunn oscillation magnitude, and the coherency of Gunn oscillation, with the nature of the modulation being closely related to the position of illumination on the device. These effects are attributed to the generation of optically excited carriers, which results in the modulation of conductivity and the electric field profile along the device. The finite element method is used to simulate the change of the field profile of the Gunn device caused by illumination. We also report an unexpected phenomenon of Gunn oscillation property manipulation with an optical chopper. In addition, wavelength-dependent, power-dependent, and pulsed illumination measurements are performed to help with further understanding the observations.

Tunable spin-valley polarized transport channel in silicene-based superconducting hybrid structures

We investigate the influence of spin-valley polarized transport channel (SVPTC) mismatch modulated by the perpendicular electric field and the exchange field in a silicene-based ferromagnet/ferromagnet/superconductor junction and the barrier strength in a ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet/superconductor junction. In the former junction, due to the mismatch of SVPTC caused by the different electric fields applied in the two ferromagnet (F) layers, the zero-bias Andreev reflection and zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) are suppressed. Moreover, by shifting the band, the exchange field can lead to the different mismatch of SVPTC between the two F layers with opposite magnetization orientations, and thus, the conversion from ZBCP to a zero-bias conductance valley can be observed. For the latter junction, due to the electrically tunable SVPTC, the phase shift of conductance oscillation with barrier strength is created by changing the electric field but not by altering the exchange field. Particularly, for the variation from the parallel to the antiparallel magnetic configuration, there is a phase shift π/2 of conductance vs the barrier strength.

Micromagnetic instabilities in spin-transfer switching of perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

Micromagnetic instabilities and non-uniform magnetization states play a significant role in spin transfer induced switching of nanometer scale magnetic elements. Here we model domain wall mediated switching dynamics in perpendicularly magnetized magnetic tunnel junction nanopillars. We show that domain wall surface tension always leads to magnetization oscillations and instabilities associated with the disk shape of the junction. A collective coordinate model is developed that captures aspects of these instabilities and illustrates their physical origin. Model results are compared to those of micromagnetic simulations. The switching dynamics is found to be very sensitive to the domain wall position and phase, which characterizes the angle of the magnetization in the disk plane. This sensitivity is reduced in the presence of spin torques and the spin current needed to displace a domain wall can be far less than the threshold current for switching from a uniformly magnetized state. A prediction of this model is conductance oscillations of increasing frequency during the switching process.

Вертикальная проводимость сверхрешетки в продольном сильном магнитном поле при внутризонных и межзонных переходах

The influence of interband and intraband transitions on oscillations of the vertical conductivity of superlattices in a strong magnetic field is considered. It was found that for the charged impurity scattering intraband transitions dominate in magnetic fields up to 2 T, and with a further increase in the magnetic field, interband transitions control. The conductivity oscillations are determined by a ratio of the magnetic length to the superlattice period and the effective mass anisotropy.

Coulomb blockade oscillations of heat conductance in the charge Kondo regime

We develop a method of theoretically investigating the charge, energy and heat transport in the presence of the charge Kondo correlations. The Coulomb blockade oscillations of heat conductance in the single electron transistor exhibiting the charge Kondo effects are investigated. We explore the Wiedemann Franz ratio in both charge-single channel and charge-two channel Kondo regime. The close connections of our findings with the recent experiments on multi-channel charge Kondo effects are discussed.

Oscillations of EPR Signals Accompanying Belousov–Zhabotinsky Reaction

Periodical transformation of ferroin to ferriin is accompanied by changes in magnetic properties of liquids during Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction malonic acid, sodium bromide, sodium bromate, ferroin, and sulfuric acid. Instead of the earlier studied oscillation of microwave conductivity accompanying an oscillating reaction, we propose a flash technique to interrupt the BZ reaction by rapid freezing. Rapid cooling of a solution during chemical oscillations results in a frozen system with a fixed concentration of paramagnetic centers Fe3+. EPR spectrum recorded at different stages of the interrupted reaction corresponds to the exact concentration of the ferroin and ferriin components. Following unfreezing unblocks the BZ reaction, and oscillations are still observed. A simulated spectrum allows one to distinguish two groups of Fe3+ ions of different symmetries. The obtained results are important to explain the earlier observed effect of inhomogeneous magnetic field on BZ reaction front velocity.

Signatures of topological ground state degeneracy in Majorana islands

We consider a mesoscopic superconducting island hosting multiple pairs of Majorana zero-energy modes. The Majorana island consists of multiple p-wave wires connected together by a trivial (s-wave) superconducting backbone and is characterized by an overall charging energy $E_C$; the wires are coupled to normal-metal leads via tunnel junctions. We calculate the average charge on the island as well as non-local conductance matrix as a function of a p-wave pairing gap $\Delta_P$, charging energy $E_C$ and dimensionless junction conductances $g_i$. We find that the presence of a topological ground-state degeneracy in the island dramatically enhances charge fluctuations and leads to the suppression of Coulomb blockade effects. In contrast with conventional (s-wave) mesoscopic superconducting islands, we find that Coulomb blockade oscillations of conductance are suppressed in Majorana islands regardless of the ratio $E_C/\Delta_P$ or the magnitude of the conductances $g_i$. We also discuss our findings in relation to the so-called topological Kondo effect.

Mechanically controlled quantum switch defined on a curved 2DEG

To investigate quantum nature of two dimensional electrons subject to high perpendicular magnetic fields, usually a planar electronic Fabry-P\'erot interferometer is utilized. In this work, we investigate an interferometer defined on a curved heterostructure. In the presence of a magnetic field perpendicular to the cylindrical axis, the location and the properties of the edge channels depend on the radial component of the magnetic field. Considering a curved structure, we perform numerical and semi-analytical calculations to determine widths of the incompressible edge states. We observe that the edge states form a closed loop for certain magnetic field strengths yielding observation of conductance oscillations, which can be manipulated by changing the Azimuthal angle mechanically. In addition, we investigate the effect of spin polarization on the edge state distribution considering Zeeman splitting and obtained odd integer edge states. The proposed experiment would yield a novel method to clarify the ongoing debate on the origin of conductance oscillations, namely whether they stem from Aharonov-Bohm phase or charging effects

Long-Range Propagation and Interference of d-Wave Superconducting Pairs in Graphene.

Recent experiments have shown that proximity with high-temperature superconductors induces unconventional superconducting correlations in graphene. Here, we demonstrate that those correlations propagate hundreds of nanometers, allowing for the unique observation of d-wave Andreev-pair interferences in YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7}-graphene devices that behave as a Fabry-Perot cavity. The interferences show as a series of pronounced conductance oscillations analogous to those originally predicted by de Gennes-Saint-James for conventional metal-superconductor junctions. The present demonstration is pivotal to the study of exotic directional effects expected for nodal superconductivity in Dirac materials.

Near-field radiative heat transfer between twisted nanoparticle gratings

We study the near-field radiative heat transfer between two twisted finite-size polar dielectric nanoparticle gratings. Different from previous studies of the same configuration, we do not rely on any approximated effective medium theory to describe the gratings. By the full many-body radiative heat transfer theory, we are able to investigate how the size, distance, and relative orientation between the gratings influence the radiative heat flux. By changing the twisting angle θ, we show a significant oscillation of the thermal conductance G(θ), due to the size effect for gratings of both square and circular shapes. The distance- and twisting-dependent coupling between the gratings accounts for a strong and characteristic modulation of radiative thermal conductance with implications for the energy management, sensing, and the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) and nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) devices.

Simulation of the Quantum Hall Effect in Samples with Weak Long-Range Disorder

The fine structure of the density of states is studied numerically in the quantum Hall effect mode during the ballistic transmission of an electron through an area of 1 µm2 of a two-dimensional electron gas with weak long-range disorder. The calculated widths of strict quantum plateaus agree with experimental data. Periodic conductance oscillations corresponding to the addition of two electrons to the simulated area are found in the central part of the lower Landau band. One-dimensional countercurrents are found inside the area and at its edge, which are separated by a magnetic length and explained by the motion of an electron with a low drift velocity.

Aharonov–Bohm oscillations and equilibrium current distributions in open quantum dot and in ring interferometer

Magnetotransport in two submicron-sized devices formed on the basis of GaAs/AlGaAs structures has been simulated using nonequilibrium Green functions. The effect of a perpendicular magnetic field on quantum transport in a quasi-one-dimensional quantum dot and in an Aharonov–Bohm interferometer has been analyzed in a single-particle approximation. Magnetic field oscillations of two-terminal conductance of the devices, equilibrium (persistent) current distributions and magnetic moment generated in the devices by persistent currents have been determined using numerical methods. Correlations between the magnetic moment, magnetic field oscillations of conductance and energy resonance in a specific magnetic field have been traced. Sufficiently regular conductance oscillations similar to Aharonov–Bohm ones have been revealed for a quasi-one-dimensional quantum dot at small magnetic fields (0.05–0.4 T). For a ring interferometer the contribution to the total equilibrium current and magnetic moment at a specific energy may change abruptly both in magnitude and in sign as a result of changing magnetic field within one Aharonov–Bohm oscillation. We show that the conductance of an interferometer is determined not by the number of modes propagating in the ring but rather by the effect of triangular quantum dots at the ring entrance that produce a strong reflection. The period of the calculated Aharonov–Bohm oscillations is in agreement with the measurement results for these devices.

Phase coherent transport and spin-orbit interaction in GaAs/InSb core/shell nanowires

Low-temperature magnetotransport measurements are performed on GaAs/InSb core–shell nanowires. The nanowires were self-catalyzed grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The conductance measurements as a function of back-gate voltage show an ambipolar behavior comprising an insulating range in between the transition from the p-type to the n-type region. Simulations based on a self-consistent Schrödinger–Poisson solver revealed that the ambipolar characteristics originate from a Fermi level dependent occupation of hole and electron states within the approximately circular quantum well formed in the InSb shell. By applying a perpendicular magnetic field with respect to the nanowire axis, conductance fluctuations were observed, which are used to extract the phase-coherence length. By averaging the magneto-conductance traces at different back-gate voltages, weak antilocalization features are resolved. Regular flux-periodic conductance oscillations are measured when an axial magnetic field is applied. These oscillations are attributed to closed-loop quantized states located in the InSb shell which shift their energetic position periodically with the magnetic flux. Possible reasons for experimentally observed variations in the oscillation patterns are discussed using simulation results.

Graphene disk in a solenoid magnetic potential: Aharonov-Bohm effect without a two-slit-like setup

The Aharonov-Bohm effect allows one to demonstrate the physical meaningfulness of magnetic vector potential by passing the current in zero magnetic field regions. In the standard (a {\em two-slit-like}) setup a conducting ring is pierced by magnetic flux and the quantum interference for an electron passing simultaneously the two ring arms is observed. Here we show, by analyzing the transport via evanescent waves, that the ballistic Corbino disk in graphene subjected to a solenoid magnetic potential may exhibit the conductance oscillations of the Aharonov-Bohm kind although the current flows through a single conducting element only.