Diamagnetic Response Research Articles

Mechanochemical Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Room Temperature Stable Calcium Electride.

A new calcium-based Room temperature Stable Electride (RoSE), K[{Ca[N(Mes)(SiMe3)]3(e-)}2K3] (2), is successfully synthesized from the reaction of a calcium tris-amide, [Ca{N(Mes)(SiMe3)}3K] (1) (Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), with potassium under mechanochemical treatment. The dimeric structure of K[{Ca[N(Mes)(SiMe3)]3(e-)}2K3] is calculated using ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) methods. This shows the existence of highly localized anionic electrons (e-) and suggests poor electrical conductance, as confirmed via electroconductivity measurements. The two anionic electrons in 2 are strongly antiferromagnetically coupled, thus in agreement with the largely diamagnetic response from magnetometry. Reaction of 2 with pyridine affords 4,4'-bipyridine, while reaction with benzene gives C-H activation and formation of a calcium hydride complex, [K(η6-C6H6)4][{Ca[N(Mes)(SiMe3)](H)}2K3] (3). Computational DFT analysis reveals the crucial role played by the ligand framework in the stabilization of this new Ca-hydride complex.

Superconductivity in pressurized trilayer La4Ni3O10-δ single crystals.

The pursuit of discovering new high-temperature superconductors that diverge from the copper-based model1-3 has profound implications for explaining mechanisms behind superconductivity and may also enable new applications4-8. Here our investigation shows that the application of pressure effectively suppresses the spin-charge order in trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10-δ single crystals, leading to the emergence of superconductivity with a maximum critical temperature (Tc) of around 30 K at 69.0 GPa. The d.c. susceptibility measurements confirm a substantial diamagnetic response below Tc, indicating the presence of bulk superconductivity with a volume fraction exceeding 80%. In the normal state, we observe a strange metal behaviour, characterized by a linear temperature-dependent resistance extending up to 300 K. Furthermore, the layer-dependent superconductivity observed hints at a unique interlayer coupling mechanism specific to nickelates, setting them apart from cuprates in this regard. Our findings provide crucial insights into the fundamental mechanisms underpinning superconductivity, while also introducing a new material platform to explore the intricate interplay between the spin-charge order, flat band structures, interlayer coupling, strange metal behaviour and high-temperature superconductivity.

Theoretical Studies on Off-Axis Phase Diagrams and Knight Shifts in UTe2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$_2$$\\end{document}: Tetra-Critical Point, d-Vector Rotation, and Multiple Phases

Inspired by recent remarkable sets of experiments on UTe2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$_2$$\\end{document}: discoveries of the fourth horizontal internal transition line running toward a tetra-critical point (TCP) at H = 15 T, the off-axis high-field phases, and abnormally large Knight shift (KS) drop below Tc\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$T_\ extrm{c}$$\\end{document} for H‖a\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H \\parallel a$$\\end{document}-magnetic easy axis, we advance further our theoretical work on the field (H)-temperature (T) phase diagram for H‖b\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H \\parallel b$$\\end{document}-magnetic hard axis which contains a positive sloped Hc2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_\ extrm{c2}$$\\end{document} departing from TCP. A nonunitary spin-triplet pairing with three components explains these experimental facts simultaneously and consistently by assuming that the underlying normal electron system with a narrow bandwidth characteristic to the Kondo temperature ∼\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim$$\\end{document}30 K unsurprisingly breaks the particle-hole symmetry. This causes a special invariant term in Ginzburg–Landau (GL) free energy functional which couples directly with the 5f magnetic system, giving rise to the Tc\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$T_\ extrm{c}$$\\end{document} splitting and ultimately to the positive sloped Hc2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_\ extrm{c2}$$\\end{document} and the horizontal internal transition line connected to TCP. The large KS drop can be understood in terms of this GL invariance whose coefficient is negative and leads to a diamagnetic response where the Cooper pair spin is antiparallel to the applied field direction. The present scenario also accounts for the observed d-vector rotation phenomena and off-axis phase diagrams with extremely high Hc2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_\ extrm{c2}$$\\end{document}≳\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\gtrsim$$\\end{document}70 T found at angles in between the b- and c-axes and between the bc-plane and a-axis, making UTe2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$_2$$\\end{document} a fertile playground for a possible topological superconductor.

In Situ Local Imaging of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in RbEuFe4As4.

The coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism is an intrinsically interesting research focus in condensed matter physics, but the study is limited by low superconducting (Tc) and magnetic (Tm) transition temperatures in related materials. Here, we used a scanning superconducting quantum interference device to image the in situ diamagnetic and ferromagnetic responses of RbEuFe4As4 with high Tc and Tm. We observed significant suppression of the superfluid density in the vicinity of the magnetic phase transition, signifying fluctuation-enhanced magnetic scatterings between Eu spins and Fe 3d conduction electrons. Intriguingly, we observed multiple ferromagnetic domains that should be absent in an ideal magnetic helical phase. The formation of these domains demonstrates a weak c-axis ferromagnetic component probably arising from the Eu spin-canting effect, indicative of possible superconductivity-driven domain Meissner and domain vortex-antivortex phases, as revealed in EuFe2(As0.79P0.21)2. Our observations highlight that RbEuFe4As4 is a unique system that includes multiple interplay channels between superconductivity and ferromagnetism.

Magnetic field expulsion in optically driven YBa2Cu3O6.48.

Coherent optical driving in quantum solids is emerging as a research frontier, with many reports of interesting non-equilibrium quantum phases1-4 and transient photo-induced functional phenomena such as ferroelectricity5,6, magnetism7-10 and superconductivity11-14. In high-temperature cupratesuperconductors, coherent driving of certain phonon modes has resulted in a transient state with superconducting-like optical properties, observed far above their transition temperatureTc and throughout the pseudogap phase15-18. However, questions remain on the microscopic nature of this transient state and how to distinguish it from a non-superconducting state with enhanced carrier mobility. For example, it is not known whether cuprates driven in this fashion exhibit Meissner diamagnetism. Here we examine the time-dependent magnetic field surrounding an optically driven YBa2Cu3O6.48 crystal by measuring Faraday rotation in a magneto-optic material placed in the vicinity of the sample. For a constant applied magnetic field and under the same driving conditions that result in superconducting-like optical properties15-18, a transient diamagnetic response was observed. This response is comparable in size with that expected in an equilibrium type II superconductor of similar shape and size with a volume susceptibility χv of order -0.3. This value is incompatible with a photo-induced increase in mobility without superconductivity. Rather, it underscores the notion of a pseudogap phase in which incipient superconducting correlations are enhanced or synchronized by the drive.

Atomistic modulating of structural, elastic, and optoelectronic behavior of pure TiO2 and Fe/TiO2 for photoelectrochemical water splitting application

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has attracted much attention because of their desirable physicochemical properties especially in the water splitting process. In this work pure and Fe-doped TiO2 compounds are studies theoretically with the help of Generalized Gradient Approximation with the revised Pardew–Burke–Ernzerh (RPBE) exchange–correlation scheme. Total Density of States (TDOS) and Partial Density of States (DOS) were analyzed in detail which show that iron (Fe) and oxygen (O) orbitals hybridize, especially in the region of the doping system conduction band minima for both modes. Additionally, this interaction produces an energy level that effectively reduces the bandgap of the adsorbed system. Optical properties were elucidated which shows that Fe-doped TiO2 system results in high absorption and photoconductivity. Moreover, the results demonstrate low bandgap energy which is suitable for the reduction in water splitting without the need for external energy. Magnetic properties demonstrated that Fe-doped TiO2 systems show very low diamagnetic responses. The calculated elastic properties of Fe-doped TiO2 indicate ductile nature of the material with a strong average bond strength. Fe-doped TiO2 exhibited less microcracks with a mechanically stable composition.

Diamagnetic Response and Vortex Matter in a Type-I Superconducting Irregular Octagon

Diamagnetic Response and Vortex Matter in a Type-I Superconducting Irregular Octagon

Surface Spin Polarization in the Magnetic Response of GeTe Rashba Ferroelectric

We experimentally investigate magnetization reversal curves for a GeTe topological semimetal. In addition to the known lattice diamagnetic response, we observe narrow magnetization loop in low fields, which should not be expected for non-magnetic material. The diamagnetic hysteresis loop is unusual, so the saturation level is negative in positive fields, and the loop is passed clockwise, in contrast to standard ferromagnetic behavior. We show, that the experimental hysteresis curves cannot be obtained from standard ferromagnetic ones by adding/subtracting of any linear dependence, or even by considering several interacting magnetic phases. The latter possibility is also eliminated by the remanence plots technique (Henkel or \\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\delta M$$\\end{document} plots). We explain our results as a direct consequence of the correlation between ferroelectricity and spin-polarized surface states in GeTe, similarly to magnetoelectric structures.

Pressure-Induced Superconductivity In Polycrystalline La3Ni2O7−δ

We synthesized polycrystalline La3Ni2O7−δ (δ≈0.07) samples by using the sol-gel method without postannealing under high oxygen pressure, and then measured temperature-dependent resistivity under various hydrostatic pressures up to 18 GPa by using the cubic anvil and two-stage multianvil apparatus. We find that the density-wave-like anomaly in resistivity is progressively suppressed with increasing pressure and the resistivity drop corresponding to the onset of superconductivity emerges at pressure as low as ∼6 GPa. Zero resistivity is achieved at 9 GPa below Tczero≈6.6 K, which increases quickly with pressure to 41 K at 18 GPa. However, the diamagnetic response was not detected in the ac magnetic susceptibility measurements up to 15 GPa, indicating a filamentary nature of the observed superconductivity in the studied pressure range. The constructed T−P phase diagram reveals an intimate relationship between superconductivity, density-wave-like order, and the strange-metal-like behaviors. The observation of zero-resistance state in the polycrystalline La3Ni2O7−δ samples under high pressures not only corroborates the recent report of superconductivity in the pressurized La3Ni2O7 crystals but also facilitates further studies on this emerging family of nickelate high-Tc superconductors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Imaging the Meissner effect in hydride superconductors using quantum sensors.

By directly altering microscopic interactions, pressure provides a powerful tuning knob for the exploration of condensed phases and geophysical phenomena1. The megabar regime represents an interesting frontier, in which recent discoveries include high-temperature superconductors, as well as structural and valence phase transitions2-6. However, at such high pressures, many conventional measurement techniques fail. Here we demonstrate the ability to perform local magnetometry inside a diamond anvil cell with sub-micron spatial resolution at megabar pressures. Our approach uses a shallow layer of nitrogen-vacancy colour centres implanted directly within the anvil7-9; crucially, we choose a crystal cut compatible with the intrinsic symmetries of the nitrogen-vacancy centre to enable functionality at megabar pressures. We apply our technique to characterize a recently discovered hydride superconductor, CeH9 (ref. 10). By performing simultaneous magnetometry and electrical transport measurements, we observe the dual signatures of superconductivity: diamagnetism characteristic of the Meissner effect and a sharp drop of the resistance to near zero. By locally mapping both the diamagnetic response and flux trapping, we directly image the geometry of superconducting regions, showing marked inhomogeneities at the micron scale. Our work brings quantum sensing to the megabar frontier and enables the closed-loop optimization of superhydride materials synthesis.

Structure and photochemistry of di-tert-butyldiphosphatetrahedrane.

Di-tert-butyldiphosphatetrahedrane (tBuCP)2 (1) is a mixed carbon- and phosphorus-based tetrahedral molecule, isolobal to white phosphorus (P4). However, despite the fundamental significance and well-explored reactivity of the latter molecule, the precise structure of the free (tBuCP)2 molecule (1) and a detailed analysis of its electronic properties have remained elusive. Here, single-crystal X-ray structure determination of 1 at low temperature confirms the tetrahedral structure. Furthermore, quantum chemical calculations confirm that 1 is isolobal to P4 and shows a strong largely isotropic diamagnetic response in the magnetic field and thus pronounced spherical aromaticity. A spectroscopic and computational study on the photochemical reactivity reveals that diphosphatetrahedrane 1 readily dimerises to the ladderane-type phosphaalkyne tetramer (tBuCP)4 (2) under irradiation with UV light. With sufficient thermal activation energy, the dimerisation proceeds also in the dark. In both cases, an isomerisation to a 1,2-diphosphacyclobutadiene 1' is the first step. This intermediate subsequently undergoes a [2 + 2] cycloaddition with a second 1,2-diphosphacyclobutadiene molecule to form 2. The 1,2-diphosphacyclobutadiene intermediate 1' can be trapped chemically by N-methylmaleimide as an alternative [2 + 2] cycloaddition partner.

Impurity and hybridization effects on the symmetry classification and magnetic response function of a two-band superconductor with interband pairing order

Abstract The effects of hybridization and impurity (magnetic and nonmagnetic) potentials on the pairing symmetries and magnetic response of a two-band superconductor with an equal-time s-wave interband pairing order parameter in the framework of Green’s function technique are investigated theoretically. First, the effects of spin-independent and spin-dependent hybridization on the generation of even- or odd-frequency Cooper pairs which determines the symmetry classification and the response of the superconductor are studied. Next, the impurity effect on creating different symmetry classes and the kernel response function of a two-band superconductor are discussed. By separating the contributions of even- and odd-frequency pairing to the Meissner kernel, it is shown that the competition between these two terms determines the total Meissner effect of the superconductor. For a two-band spin-singlet superconductor, nonmagnetic impurity scatterings do not change transition temperature according to Anderson’s theorem, while both intra- and interband magnetic impurity scattering cause superconducting transition temperature suppression with the rate following the Abrikosov–Gor’kov theory. For spin-triplet pairing, interband magnetic scattering has no impact on pair breaking, whereas intraband magnetic scattering acts as a pair breaker and suppresses the transition temperature in the Born limit. In this case, the odd-frequency superconducting pairs can be induced in the simultaneous presence of both intra- and interband magnetic impurities. Thus, by controlling the concentration of magnetic impurities, it is possible to engineer triplet-pairing odd-frequency superconductors with a total diamagnetic Meissner response which stabilizes the superconducting state. This technique opens up an avenue for designing stable odd-frequency superconductors.

Hybrid Superconducting/Superconducting Mesoscopic Heterostructure Studied by Modified Ginzburg–Landau Equations

Studies involving vortexes in hybrid superconducting devices and their interactions with different components inside samples are important for reaching higher values of critical parameters in superconducting materials. The vortex distribution on each side of a sample with different fundamental parameters, such as temperature T, penetration depth λ, coherence length ξ, electron mass m, and the order parameter Ψ, may help to improve the superconducting properties. Thus, in this work, we used the modified Ginzburg–Landau theory to investigate a hybrid superconductor (HS), as well as to provide a highly tunable and adjustable theoretical tool for theoretically explaining the experimental results involving the HS in order to study the vortex behavior in superconductors of mesoscopic dimensions with extreme differences among their fundamental parameters. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of the HS on the vortex configuration and its effects on field-dependent magnetization. The results show that when the applied magnetic field H was increased, the diamagnetic response of the HS (Meissner effect) included additional jumps in magnetization, while diamagnetism continued to increase in the sample. In addition, the differences among parameters created an interface between both components, and two different magnitudes of supercurrent and vortex sizes caused less degradation of the local superconductivity, which increased the upper critical field. On the other hand, this type of HS with differences in parameters on both sides can be used to control the vortex movement in the selected sample of the superconducting region with more accuracy.

Observation and control of hybrid spin-wave-Meissner-current transport modes.

Superconductors are materials with zero electrical resistivity and the ability to expel magnetic fields, which is known as the Meissner effect. Their dissipationless diamagnetic response is central to magnetic levitation and circuits such as quantum interference devices. In this work, we used superconducting diamagnetism to shape the magnetic environment governing the transport of spin waves-collective spin excitations in magnets that are promising on-chip signal carriers-in a thin-film magnet. Using diamond-based magnetic imaging, we observed hybridized spin-wave-Meissner-current transport modes with strongly altered, temperature-tunable wavelengths and then demonstrated local control of spin-wave refraction using a focused laser. Our results demonstrate the versatility of superconductor-manipulated spin-wave transport and have potential applications in spin-wave gratings, filters, crystals, and cavities.

On Magnetic Field Screening and Trapping in Hydrogen-Rich High-Temperature Superconductors: Unpulling the Wool Over Readers’ Eyes

In Minkov et al. (Nat. Commun. 13:3194, 2022), Minkov et al. reported magnetization measurements on hydrides under pressure that claimed to find a diamagnetic signal below a critical temperature demonstrating the existence of superconductivity. Here, we present an analysis of raw data recently released (Minkov et al. Nat. Commun. 14:5322, 2023) by the authors of Minkov et al. (Nat. Commun. 13:3194, 2022) that shows that the measured data do not support their claim that the samples exhibit a diamagnetic response indicative of superconductivity. We also point out that Minkov et al. (Nat. Commun. 13:3194, 2022) in its original form omitted essential information that resulted in presentation of a distorted picture of reality, and that important information on transformations performed on measured data remains undisclosed. Our analysis also calls into question the conclusions of Minkov et al.’s trapped flux experiments reported in Minkov et al. (Nat. Phys. 19:1293–1300, 2023) as supporting superconductivity in these materials. This work together with earlier work implies that there is no magnetic evidence for the existence of high temperature superconductivity in hydrides under pressure.

Single crystal synthesis, structure, and magnetism of Pb10−xCux(PO4)6O

The recent claim of superconductivity above room temperature in Pb10−xCux(PO4)6O with 0.9 < x < 1 (referred to as LK-99) has sparked considerable interest. To minimize the influence of structural defects and impurity phases on the physical properties, we have synthesized phase-pure single crystals with a copper doping level of x ∼ 1. We find that the crystals are highly insulating and optically transparent. X-ray analysis reveals an uneven distribution of the substituted Cu throughout the sample. Temperature (T) dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements for 2 ≤ T ≤ 800 K reveal the diamagnetic response characteristic of a non-magnetic insulator, as well as a small ferromagnetic component, possibly originating from frustrated exchange interactions in Cu-rich clusters in the Pb10−xCux(PO4)6O structure. No anomalies indicative of phase transitions are observed. We, therefore, rule out the presence of superconductivity in Pb9Cu(PO4)6O crystals and provide some considerations on the origin of anomalies previously reported in experiments on polycrystalline specimens.

Paramagnetic Singularities of the Orbital Magnetism in Graphene with a Moiré Potential.

The recent detection of the singular diamagnetism of Dirac electrons in a single graphene layer paved a new way of probing 2D quantum materials through the measurement of equilibrium orbital currents which cannot be accessed in usual transport experiments. Among the theoretical predictions is an intriguing orbital paramagnetism at saddle points of the dispersion relation. Here we present magnetization measurements in graphene monolayers aligned on hexagonal boron nitride crystals. Besides the sharp diamagnetic McClure response at the Dirac point, we detect extra diamagnetic singularities at the satellite Dirac points of the moiré lattice. Surrounding these diamagnetic satellite peaks, we also observe paramagnetic peaks located at the chemical potential of the saddle points of the graphene moiré band structure and relate them to the presence of vanHove logarithmic singularities in the density of states. These findings reveal the long ago predicted anomalous paramagnetic orbital response in 2D systems when the Fermi energy is tuned to the vicinity of saddle points.

Optical and Magnetic Response of Pure and CU-Ions Substituted Dysprosium Oxide Thin Films for Various Applications

Dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) and Cu/Dy2O3 thin films of thickness 117.14 nm and 258.30 nm, respectively were successfully deposited via a well-known DC-magnetron sputtering technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy clarifies the growth of uniform and fine granular particles on silicon substrate. The hexagonal closed pack structure for both the thin films has been observed by the x-ray diffraction analysis and it was observed that by inclusion of copper the HCP structure of thin film was retain with a slight shift in the main peak. The reduction from 3.9 eV to 3.8 eV in the energy band gap value was observed by incorporation of copper ions Dy2O3 thin films. The M-H loops obtained through Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) shows that Dy2O3 thin film behave ferromagnetically at low temperature with a saturation magnetization value of 2860 emu/cc and evolves through its phase transition temperatures and behave paramagnetically at room temperature. In Cu/Dy2O3 case, the diamagnetic response of Cu dominates and produces reverse hysteresis loop at both temperatures make it a suitable candidate for energy and memory storage devices applications.

Vertically‐Aligned Ag Nanowire Array‐Based Metamaterial with High Refractive Index and Low‐Dispersion in the Infrared Band

AbstractTo open new vistas for designing nanophotonic systems, exploiting high refractive index (RI) availability is now drawing attention worldwide, especially in the visible‐infrared range. Based upon the nanoscale close‐packed arrangement of metallic nano‐units, few optical‐frequency metamaterials with high RIs have been demonstrated. However, there are still significant challenges in their RI promotion, tuneability, and integrated preparation for practical applications. Herein, a novel Ag nanowire‐based metamaterial scheme is put forward, in which vertically aligned Ag nanowire (NW) array embedded‐Si or ‐Ge composites are made. Thanks to flexible control on microstructure parameters of Ag NWs (meta‐unit) and their dielectric environment, the synergistic effect of enhanced capacitive coupling and weakened diamagnetic response is created, leading to a recorded near‐infrared high‐RI of ≈7.2, low‐dispersion from 2 to 10 µm, and customizable RIs. Further, an air nanohole array‐Si composite layer, acting as an impedance matching layer, is utilized to realize the transmittance increase of the metamaterial film by ≈50% at specific wavelengths, along with the bulk plasmon‐polariton (BPP) modes resonances in the interwire nanocavities. This approach to increasing the infrared refractive index can circumvent physical effect conflict in high RI metamaterials and pave a basis for future scalable and on‐demand photonic applications.

The effects of lateral electric field and dimensionality on the electronic properties of 2D-core/shell quantum disk emerged in finite confining potential

This study explores the influence of lateral electric fields and dimensionality on the physical properties of core/shell quantum disks subjected to a finite confinement potential. By solving the Schrodinger equation using the finite elements method within the effective mass approximation, we investigate the impurity polarizability, diamagnetic response, and dipole moment of the nanostructure. Our findings highlight the substantial impact of these parameters on the physical properties, which are optimized through excitation adjustments. We observe that the electron-impurity mean distance, polarizability, and diamagnetic response exhibit significant changes under the influence of the geometrical confinement regime either weak or strong, the orientation of the applied electric field either positive or negative, and the inner and outer radii of the core/shell. These observations demonstrate the potential for decreasing and/or improving these properties. The insights gained from this study provide crucial knowledge for advancing nanoelectronic devices. By optimizing the impurity polarizability, diamagnetic response, and electron-impurity mean distance in core/shell quantum disks under lateral electric fields, the sensitivity and detection capabilities of these sensors can be significantly improved.