Tunneling Theory Research Articles

Numerical Detector Theory for the Longitudinal Momentum Distribution of the Electron in Strong Field Ionization.

The lack of analytical solutions for the exit momentum in the laser-driven tunneling theory is a well-recognized problem in strong field physics. Theoretical studies of electron momentum distributions in the neighborhood of the tunneling exit depend heavily on adhoc assumptions. In this Letter, we apply a new numerical method to study the exiting electron's longitudinal momentum distribution under intense short-pulse laser excitation. We present the first realizations of the dynamic behavior of an electron near the so-called tunneling exit region without adopting a tunneling approximation.

Temperature changes of the Fe8 molecular magnet during its spin reversal process

Tunneling of the spins in the Fe$_8$ molecular magnet from a metastable ground state to an excited state is accompanied by a decay of these spins to the global ground state, and an increase of the crystal temperature. We measured this temperature using two thermometers, one strongly coupled and the other weakly coupled to the thermal bath. We found that the temperature increases to no greater than $2.2$~K. This upper limit agrees with the flame temperature derived from deflagration theory and previous measurements. In light of this temperature increase we re-examine the Landau, Zener and Stuckelberg (LZS) theory of spin tunneling in large Fe$_8$ crystals.

Dynamics of pure spin current in high-frequency quantum regime

Pure spin current is a powerful tool for manipulating spintronic devices, and its dynamical behavior is an important issue. By using the mesoscopic transport theory for electron tunneling induced by spin accumulation, we investigate the dynamics of the spin current in the high-frequency quantum regime, where the effect of frequency is much greater than those of temperature and bias voltage. Besides the thermal noise, frequency-dependent finite noise emerges, signaling the spin current across the tunneling barrier. We also find that the autocorrelation of the spin current exhibits sinusoidal oscillation with time as a consequence of the Pauli exclusion principle even without any net charge current.

Landau-Zener tunneling of solitons.

We consider Landau-Zener tunneling of solitons in a weakly coupled two-channel system, for this purpose we construct a simple mechanical system using two weakly coupled chains of nonlinear oscillators with gradually decreasing (first chain) and increasing (second chain) masses. The model allows us to consider soliton propagation and Landau-Zener tunneling between the chains. It is shown that soliton tunneling characteristics become drastically dependent on its amplitude in nonlinear regime. The validity of the developed tunneling theory is justified via comparison with direct numerical simulations on oscillator ladder system.

Electrical and photocatalytic properties of boron-doped ZnO nanostructure grown on PET\u2013ITO flexible substrates by hydrothermal method

Boron-doped zinc oxide sheet-spheres were synthesized on PET–ITO flexible substrates using a hydrothermal method at 90 °C for 5 h. The results of X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the B atoms were successfully doped into the ZnO lattice, the incorporation of B led to an increase in the lattice constant of ZnO and a change in its internal stress. The growth mechanism of pure ZnO nanorods and B-doped ZnO sheet-spheres was specifically investigated. The as-prepared BZO/PET–ITO heterojunction possessed obvious rectification properties and its positive turn-on voltage was 0.4 V. The carrier transport mechanisms involved three models such as hot carrier tunneling theory, tunneling recombination, and series-resistance effect were explored. The BZO/PET–ITO nanostructures were more effective than pure ZnO to degrade the RY 15, and the degradation rate reached 41.45%. The decomposition process with BZO nanostructure followed first-order reaction kinetics. The photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the B-doping could promote the separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, which was beneficial to enhance the photocatalytic activity. The photocurrent density of B-doped and pure ZnO/PET–ITO were 0.055 mA/cm2 and 0.016 mA/cm2, respectively. The photocatalytic mechanism of the sample was analyzed by the energy band theory.

Corporate governance following mass privatization

Using vouchers to privatize state-owned firms was an innovative but controversial aspect of transition. In the Czech Republic, voucher privatization created a large group of minority shareholders who coexisted with large shareholder–managers who controlled firms. Critics allege that the structure of shareholdings and regulatory failures allowed pervasive theft of corporate assets, much of it financed by irresponsible bank lending, and led to a financial crisis and an economic downturn. I argue that neither anecdotal evidence of managerial malfeasance nor the theories of tunneling and looting provide strong evidence for this view of corporate governance in the Czech Republic. A lack of small shareholder protection seems to have imposed small costs on the economy, and it may have facilitated rather than hampered the restructuring of firms.

Quantitative tuning nanoscale solitary waves

One-dimensionally arrayed C60 system, a nanoscale counterpart of traditional macroscale granular crystals, supports solitary wave propagation. In this paper, it is shown that inserting a series of short carbon nanotubes to C60 system may achieve quantitative tuning of C60-based solitary wave based on molecular dynamics simulations. A concept of energy tunnel is suggested which explains the change of transmitted energy in carbon nanotubes. Based on the energy tunnel theory, the amplitude and wave speed can be quantitatively tuned, which, to the authors' knowledge, has not been achieved at macroscale. This study may be instructive to the design of nanoscale wave-tailoring devices as well as stress wave monitoring measurements.

Highly Sensitive, Wearable, Durable Strain Sensors and Stretchable Conductors Using Graphene/Silicon Rubber Composites

Highly sensitive, wearable and durable strain sensors are vital to the development of health monitoring systems, smart robots and human machine interfaces. The recent sensor fabrication progress is respectable, but it is limited by complexity, low sensitivity and unideal service life. Herein a facile, cost‐effective and scalable method is presented for the development of high‐performance strain sensors and stretchable conductors based on a composite film consisting of graphene platelets (GnPs) and silicon rubber. Through calculation by the tunneling theory using experimental data, the composite film has demonstrated ideal linear and reproducible sensitivity to tensile strains, which is contributed by the superior piezoresistivity of GnPs having tunable gauge factors 27.7–164.5. The composite sensors fabricated in different days demonstrate pretty similar performance, enabling applications as a health‐monitoring device to detect various human motions from finger bending to pulse. They can be used as electronic skin, a vibration sensor and a human‐machine interface controller. Stretchable conductors are made by coating and encapsulating GnPs with polydimethyl siloxane to create another composite; this structure allows the conductor to be readily bent and stretched with sufficient mechanical robustness and cyclability.

Quantum mechanical effects in continuum charge flow models

This paper concerns mathematical modelling of charge transport across a thin poorly conducting layer between two electrodes. We describe and analyse two alternative approaches to model quantum effects within a continuum theory: the Density Gradient Confinement (DGC) and Density Gradient Tunnelling (DGT) theories. In either case, quantum effects are characterised by a small parameter, which we exploit to analyse the problems asymptotically. We thus find simplified approximate solutions which show excellent agreement with numerical solutions of the full models, and demonstrate previously undocumented oscillatory behaviour both in the charge density profile and in the variation of current with applied potential difference.

Applications and non-idealities of submicron Al–AlOx–Nb tunnel junctions

We have developed a technique to fabricate sub-micron, Al–AlOx–Nb tunnel junctions using a standard e-beam resist, angle evaporation and double oxidation of the tunneling barrier, resulting in high quality niobium, as determined by the the high measured values of the critical temperature K and the gap meV. The devices show great promise for local nanoscale thermometry in the temperature range 1–7.5 K. Electrical characterization of the junctions was performed at sub-Kelvin temperatures both with and without an external magnetic field, which was used to suppress superconductivity in Al and thus bring the junction into a normal-metal-insulator-superconductor configuration. We observed excess sub-gap current, which could not be explained by the standard tunneling theory. Evidence points towards materials science issues of the barrier or Nb/AlOx interface as the culprit.

Optical rectenna operation: where Maxwell meets Einstein

Optical rectennas are antenna-coupled diode rectifiers that receive and convert optical-frequency electromagnetic radiation into DC output. The analysis of rectennas is carried out either classically using Maxwell’s wave-like approach, or quantum-mechanically using Einstein’s particle-like approach for electromagnetic radiation. One of the characteristics of classical operation is that multiple photons transfer their energy to individual electrons, whereas in quantum operation each photon transfers its energy to each electron. We analyze the correspondence between the two approaches by comparing rectenna response first to monochromatic illumination obtained using photon-assisted tunnelling theory and classical theory. Applied to broadband rectenna operation, this correspondence provides clues to designing a rectenna solar cell that has the potential to exceed the 44% quantum-limited conversion efficiency. The comparison of operating regimes shows how optical rectenna operation differs from microwave rectenna operation.

Resonant tunneling between two-dimensional layers accounting for spin-orbit interaction

We present a theory of quantum tunneling between 2D layers with account for Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in the layers. Energy and momentum conservation results in a single resonant peak in the tunnel conductance between two 2D layers as has been experimentally observed for two quantum wells (QW) in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. The account for SOI in the layers leads to a complex pattern in the tunneling characteristic with typical features corresponding to SOI energy. For this manifestation of SOI to be observed experimentally the characteristic energy should exceed the resonant broadening related to the particles quantum lifetime in the layers. We perform an accurate analysis of the known experimental data on electron and hole 2D-2D tunneling in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures. It appears that for the electron tunneling the manifestation of SOI is difficult to observe, but for the holes tunneling the parameters of the real structures used in the experiments are very close to those required by the resolution criteria. We also consider a new promising candidate for the effect to be observed, that is p-doped SiGe strained heterostructures. The reported parameters of cubic Rashba SOI and quantum lifetime in strained Ge QWs fabricated up to date already match the criteria for observing SOI in 2D-2D heavy holes tunneling. As supported by our calculations small adjustments of the parameters for AlGaAs/GaAs p-type QWs or simply designing a 2D-2D tunneling experiment for SiGe case are very likely to reveal the SOI features in the 2D-2D tunneling.

Simple Figure of Merit for Diodes in Optical Rectennas

Harvesting infrared and visible light energy using optical rectennas—diode-coupled optical antennas—is strongly dependent on the diode current–voltage characteristics. Predicting the conversion efficiency is an arduous procedure that involves calculating the efficiency by solving the nonlinear diode circuit using the theory of photon-assisted tunneling (PAT). Because of the complexity of the calculations, many rectenna diodes have been reported without indications of how well these diodes will actually function in a rectenna. To provide a quick assessment of the diodes’ usefulness in optical rectennas, we provide a figure of merit ( FOM ) that incorporates the diodes’ current–voltage and capacitance, the antenna radiation resistance, and the illumination parameters.

Charge transport in disordered semiconducting polymers driven by nuclear tunneling

The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of hole-only diodes based on poly(2-methoxy, 5-(2′ ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) were measured at a wide temperature and field range. At high electric fields the temperature dependence of the transport vanishes, and all J-V sweeps converge to a power law. Nuclear tunneling theory predicts a power law at high fields that scales with the Kondo parameter. To model the J-V characteristics we have performed master-equation calculations to determine the dependence of charge carrier mobility on electric field, charge carrier density, temperature, and Kondo parameter, using nuclear tunneling transfer rates. We demonstrate that nuclear tunneling, unlike other semiclassical models, provides a consistent description of the charge transport for a large bias, temperature, and carrier density range. cop. 2016 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.

Harmonic and reactive behavior of the quasiparticle tunnel current in SIS junctions

In this paper, we show theoretically and experimentally that the reactive quasiparticle tunnel current of the superconductor tunnel junction could be directly measured at specific bias voltages for the higher harmonics of the quasiparticle tunnel current. We used the theory of quasiparticle tunneling to study the higher harmonics of the quasiparticle tunnel current in superconducting tunnel junction in the presence of rf irradiation. The impact of the reactive current on the harmonic behavior of the quasiparticle tunnel current was carefully studied by implementing a practical model with four parameters to model the dc I-V characteristics of the superconducting tunnel junction. The measured reactive current at the specific bias voltage is in good agreement with our theoretically calculated reactive current through the Kramers-Kronig transform. This study also shows that there is an excellent correspondence between the behavior of the predicted higher harmonics using the previously established theory of quasiparticle tunnel current in superconducting tunnel junctions by J.R. Tucker and M.J. Feldman and the measurements presented in this paper.

Effects of intervalley scattering on the transport properties in one-dimensional valleytronic devices.

Based on a one-dimensional valley junction model, the effects of intervalley scattering on the valley transport properties are studied. We analytically investigate the valley transport phenomena in three typical junctions with both intervalley and intravalley scattering included. For the tunneling between two gapless valley materials, different from conventional Klein tunneling theory, the transmission probability of the carrier is less than 100% while the pure valley polarization feature still holds. If the junction is composed of at least one gapped valley material, the valley polarization of the carrier is generally imperfect during the tunneling process. Interestingly, in such circumstance, we discover a resonance of valley polarization that can be tuned by the junction potential. The extension of our results to realistic valley materials are also discussed.

Electron–positron pair production from vacuum in the field of high-intensity laser radiation

The works dealing with the theory of e + e – pair production from vacuum under the action of highintensity laser radiation are reviewed. The following problems are discussed: pair production in a constant electric field E and time-variable homogeneous field E(t); the dependence of the number of produced pairs $${N_{{e^ + }{e^ - }}}$$ on the shape of a laser pulse (dynamic Schwinger effect); and a realistic three-dimensional model of a focused laser pulse, which is based on exact solution of Maxwell’s equations and contains parameters such as focal spot radius R, diffraction length L, focusing parameter Δ, pulse duration τ, and pulse shape. This model is used to calculate $${N_{{e^ + }{e^ - }}}$$ for both a single laser pulse (n = 1) and several (n ≥ 2) coherent pulses with a fixed total energy that simultaneously “collide” in a laser focus. It is shown that, at n ≫ 1, the number of pairs increases by several orders of magnitude as compared to the case of a single pulse. The screening of a laser field by the vapors that are generated in vacuum, its “depletion,” and the limiting fields to be achieved in laser experiments are considered. The relation between pair production, the problem of a quantum frequency-variable oscillator, and the theory of groups SU(1, 1) and SU(2) is discussed. The relativistic version of the imaginary time method is used in calculations. In terms of this version, a relativistic theory of tunneling is developed and the Keldysh theory is generalized to the case of ionization of relativistic bound systems, namely, atoms and ions. The ionization rate of a hydrogen-like ion with a charge 1 ≤ Z ≤ 92 is calculated as a function of laser radiation intensity (F and ellipticity ρ.

Effects of RTA temperatures on conductivity and micro-structures of boron-doped silicon nanocrystals in Si-rich oxide thin films

In this work, the B-doped Si rich oxide (SRO) thin films were deposited and then annealed using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) to form SiO2-matrix silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs). The effects of the RTA temperatures on the structural properties, conduction mechanisms and electrical properties of B-doped SRO thin films (BSF) were investigated systematically using Hall measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that the crystalline fraction of annealed BSF increased from 41.3% to 62.8%, the conductivity was increased from 4.48×10−3S/cm to 0.16s/cm, the carrier concentration was increased from 8.74×1017cm−3 to 4.9×1018cm−3 and the carrier mobility was increased from 0.032cm2V−1s−1 to 0.2cm2V−1s−1 when the RTA temperatures increased from 1050°C to 1150°C. In addition, the fluctuation induced tunneling (FIT) theory was applicable to the conduction mechanisms of SiO2-matrix boron-doped Si-NC thin films.

Optimization and Analysis of Thermoelectric Properties of Unfilled Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3 Synthesized via a Rapid Hydrothermal Procedure.

A series of nanostructured co-doped Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3 were fabricated using a rapid hydrothermal method at 170 °C for a duration of 12 h, followed by evacuated-and-encapsulated heating at 580 °C for a short period of 5 h. The resulting samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, bulk density, electronic and thermal transport measurements. The power factor of Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3 is significantly enhanced in the high-temperature region due to significant enhancement of the electrical conductivity and absolute value of thermopower. The latter arises from the onset of bipolar effect being shifted to higher temperatures as compared with the non-doped CoSb3. The room temperature thermal conductivity falls in the range between 1.22 and 1.67 W m(-1) K(-1) for Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3. The thermal conductivity of both the (x,y) = (0.14,10) and (0.14,12) samples is measured up to 600 K and found to decrease with increasing temperature. The thermal conductivity of the (0.14,10) sample goes down to ∼1.02 W m(-1) K(-1). As a result, zT = 0.68 is attained at 600 K. The lattice thermal conductivity is analyzed to gain insight into the contribution of various scattering processes that suppress the heat transfer through the phonons in Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3. The effect of the simultaneous presence of Co, Ni, and Fe elements on the electronic structure and transport properties of Co(1-x-y)Ni(x)Fe(y)Sb3 is described using the quantum mechanical tunneling theory of electron transmission among the potential barriers.

Connecting the irreversible capacity loss in Li-ion batteries with the electronic insulating properties of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) components

The formation and continuous growth of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer are responsible for the irreversible capacity loss of batteries in the initial and subsequent cycles, respectively. In this article, the electron tunneling barriers from Li metal through three insulating SEI components, namely Li2CO3, LiF and Li3PO4, are computed by density function theory (DFT) approaches. Based on electron tunneling theory, it is estimated that sufficient to block electron tunneling. It is also found that the band gap decreases under tension while the work function remains the same, and thus the tunneling barrier decreases under tension and increases under compression. A new parameter, η, characterizing the average distances between anions, is proposed to unify the variation of band gap with strain under different loading conditions into a single linear function of η. An analytical model based on the tunneling results is developed to connect the irreversible capacity loss, due to the Li ions consumed in forming these SEI component layers on the surface of negative electrodes. The agreement between the model predictions and experimental results suggests that only the initial irreversible capacity loss is due to the self-limiting electron tunneling property of the SEI.