Condensed Matter Physics Commons^™

Quantics Tensor Trains: The Study Of A Continuous Lattice Model And Beyond, Aleix Bou Comas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This four-chapter dissertation studies the efficient discretization of continuous variable functions with tensor train representation. The first chapter describes all the methodology used to discretize functions and store them efficiently. In this section, the algorithm tensor renormalization group is explained for self-containment purposes. The second chapter centers around the XY model. Quantics tensor trains are used to describe the transfer matrix of the model and compute one and two-dimensional quantities. The one dimensional magnitudes are compared to analytical results with an agreement close to machine precision. As for two dimensions, the analytical results cannot be computed. However, the critical temperature …

Exciton Dynamics, Interaction, And Transport In Monolayers Of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, Saroj Chand

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Monolayers Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted much attention in recent years due to their promising optical and electronic properties for applications in optoelectronic devices. The rich multivalley band structure and sizable spin-orbit coupling in monolayer TMDs result in several optically bright and dark excitonic states with different spin and valley configurations. In the proposed works, we have developed experimental techniques and theoretical models to study the dynamics, interactions, and transport of both dark and bright excitons.

In W-based monolayers of TMDs, the momentum dark exciton cannot typically recombine optically, but they represent the lowest excitonic state of the system …

Nonlinear Processes In Room Temperature Exciton-Polaritons, Prathmesh Deshmukh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Strong light-matter coupling in solid state systems is an intriguing process that allows one to exploit the advantages of both light and matter. In this context, microcavities have become essential platforms for studying the strong coupling regime, where hybrid light-matter states known as exciton-polaritons form, leading to enhanced light matter interaction, modified material properties, and novel quantum phenomena. In this thesis, we explore the phenomenology of exciton-polaritons in strained TMD microcavities, 2D perovskites, fluorescent proteins and organic dyes encompassing thermalization, polariton lasing, and the observation of nonlinear effects.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a remarkable class of two- …

The Role Of Nuclear Quantum Effects In Supercooled Water And Amorphous Ice, Ali H. Eltareb

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Water is one of the most important substances on Earth and plays a fundamental role in numerous scientific and engineering applications. Interestingly, water behaves much differently than other liquids. For example, water shows an anomalous density maximum at 277 K, the solid phase (ice) is less denser than the liquid, and its thermodynamic response functions, such as the specific heat C_P and isothermal compressibility κ_T, also increase anomalously upon cooling. In the glassy state, water can exist in two different forms, low-density and high-density amorphous ice (LDA and HDA). While water has been scrutinized for many centuries, …

Dynamics Of Spin And Charge Of Color Centers In Diamond Under Cryogenic Conditions, Richard G. Monge

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Individual quantum systems in semiconductors are currently the most sought-after platform for applications in quantum science. Most notably, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond features a defect deep within the electronic bandgap, making it amenable for precise manipulation to help pave the way to perform fundamental quantum physics experimentation. The NV center also offers long coherence times and versatile spin-dependent fluorescent properties, making it an ideal candidate for a nanoscale magnetometer. Furthermore, multi-color excitation offers deterministic charge state manipulation. While ambient operation has been key to their appeal, bringing NVs to cryogenic conditions opens new opportunities for alternate forms of …

The Study Of Excitons In 2d Novel Materials And Their Van Der Waals Heterostructures In The Magnetic Field, Anastasia Spiridonova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This research focuses on the direct and indirect excitons in Rydberg states in monolayers, bilayers, and van der Waals heterostructures composed of 2D semiconductors in the presence of the external magnetic field. In our work, we report binding energies of direct and indirect excitons in Rydberg states, the energy contribution from the magnetic field to the binding energies of magnetoexcitons, and diamagnetic coefficients (DMCs) of magnetoexcitons.

We study isotropic materials: transition metal dichalcogenides, TMDCs (WSe₂, WS₂, MoSe₂, MoS₂), and Xenes (silicene, germanene, stanene), and anisotropic materials: phosphorene and transition metal trichalcogenides, TMTCs …

Revealing The Three-Dimensional Magnetic Texture With Machine Learning Models, Shihua Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Revealing three-dimensional (3D) magnetic textures with vector field electron tomography (VFET) is essential in studying novel magnetic materials with topologically protected spin textures potentially being used in the next-generation semiconductor industry. In this dissertation, we use machine learning (ML) models to reconstruct 3D magnetic textures from electron holography (EH) data.

We can feed the EH data, a series of two-dimensional (2D) phasemaps, into a neural network (NN) architecture directly or feed the EH data into a conventional VFET and then feed the reconstructed results into a NN. Thus, perceptive NN, either a simple convolutional neural network (CNN) or Unet architecture, …

Perspectives On Determinism In Quantum Mechanics: Born, Bohm, And The “Quantal Newtonian” Laws, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

Quantum mechanics has a deterministic Schrödinger equation for the wave function. The Göttingen–Copenhagen statistical interpretation is based on the Born Rule that interprets the wave function as a “probability amplitude.” A precept of this interpretation is the lack of determinism in quantum mechanics. The Bohm interpretation is that the wave function is a source of a field experienced by the electrons, thereby attributing determinism to quantum theory. In this paper, we present a new perspective on such determinism. The ideas are based on the equations of motion or “Quantal Newtonian” Laws obeyed by each electron. These Laws, derived from …

Driven Dipolaritons In Van Der Waals Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Heterostructures: Properties And Applications, Patrick Serafin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The need for advances in optical computation leads us toward the investigation of novel methods of re-routing light in optical circuits. The behavior and properties of electrically driven exciton-dipolaritons in van der Waals transition metal dichalcogenides are investigated as a platform for realizing working elements of a polaritronic transistor. In this work, we consider exciton-dipolaritons, which are three-way superposition of cavity photons, direct excitons, and indirect excitons in a bilayer semiconducting system embedded in an optical microcavity. We start by providing motivation for our study of polaritons and then survey the fundamental properties of exciton-dipolaritons. We also survey the basic …

Control Of Nonlinear Properties Of Van Der Waals Materials, Rezlind Bushati

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Van der Waals materials are a broad class of materials that exhibit unique optoelectronic properties. They provide a rich playground for which they can be integrated into current on-chip devices due to their nanometer-scale size, and be utilized for studying fundamental physics. Strong coupling of emitters to microcavities provides many opportunities for new exotic physics through the formation of hybrid quasi-particles exciton-polaritons. This thesis
focuses on exploring and enhancing nonlinearity of van der Waals materials through strongly coupling to microcavities. By taking advantage of the stacking order of TMDs, we show intense second-harmonic generation from bulk, centrosymmetric TMD systems. In …

Stability Of Two-Dimensional Magnetic Skyrmions, Amel Derras-Chouk

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Magnetic skyrmions are whirls formed by magnetic moments in a crystal. They have attracted attention largely due to their topological protection, which provides an avenue for technology like next-generation memory storage. The idea of topologically protected solutions of a quantum field theory was originally proposed by Tony Skyrme when he developed a model to explain the stability of hadrons in particle physics. His work has extended far beyond his original intent to several areas of condensed matter physics. Here we focus on skyrmions in magnetic materials.

Skyrme's original theory modeled excitations which exist in three spatial dimensions, a requirement for …

Electron Transport In Quantum Systems With Interaction, Sara Abedi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Engineering Rare-Earth Based Color Centers In Wide Bandgap Semiconductors For Quantum And Nanoscale Applications, Gabriel I. López-Morales

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For many years, atomic point-defects have been readily used to tune the bulk properties of solid-state crystalline materials, for instance, through the inclusion of elemental impurities (doping) during growth, or post-processing treatments such as ion bombardment or high-energy irradiation. Such atomic point-defects introduce local ‘incompatible’ chemical interactions with the periodic atomic arrangement that makes up the crystal, resulting for example in localized electronic states due to dangling bonds or excess of electrons. When present in sufficient concentrations, the defects interact collectively to alter the overall bulk properties of the host material. In the low concentration limit, however, point-defects can serve …

The 'Quantal Newtonian' First Law: A Complementary Perspective To The Stationary-State Quantum Theory Of Electrons, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

A complementary perspective to the Göttingen-Copenhagen interpretation of stationary-state quantum theory of electrons in an electromagnetic field is described. The perspective, derived from Schrödinger-Pauli theory, is that of the individual electron via its equation of motion or ‘Quantal Newtonian’ First Law. The Law is in terms of ‘classical’ fields experienced by each electron: the sum of the external and internal fields vanishes. The external field is a sum of the electrostatic and Lorentz fields. The internal field is a sum of fields’ representative of Pauli and Coulomb correlations; kinetic effects; electron density; and internal magnetic component. The energy is obtained …

Phase Transitions, Critical Phenomena, And Correlation Functions In The 2d Ising Model And Its Applications To Quantum Dynamics: A Tensor Network Approach, Sankhya Basu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis explores several aspects of the 2D Ising Model at both real and complex temperatures utilizing tensor network algorithms. We briefly discuss the importance of tensor networks in the context of forming efficient representations of wavefunctions and partition functions for quantum and classical many-body systems respectively, followed by a brief review of the tensor network renormalization algorithms to compute the one point and two point correlation functions. We use the Tensor Renormalization Group (TRG) to study critical phenomena and examine feasibility of accurate estimations of universal critical data for three critical points for three critical points in two dimensions …

Optical Studies Of Wide Bandgap Photonic Materials, Nikesh Maharjan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation work, optical properties of wide bandgap materials such as hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) have been studied. Deep UV photoluminescence spectroscopy was employed to study the optical properties of bulk h-BN and powder crystals using a laser of wavelength 200 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of Ti:Sapphire laser as excitation source. The properties and chemical compositions of annealed and unannealed bulk h-BN were investigated. The PL spectra from h-BN samples annealed at 900 ºC in ambient air, had strong phonon assisted band edge emissions along with a sharp atomic-like emission line at 4.09 …

Correlations Between The Rotations And Magnetospheres Of The Terrestrial Planets And The Sun's Formation In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu

Publications and Research

Correlations between the rotations of the terrestrial planets in our solar system and the magnetic field of the Sun have been previously noted. These correlations account for the opposite rotation of Venus as a result of the magnetic field of the Sun being dragged across the conducting core of Venus. Currently the Sun’s magnetic field is not sufficiently strong to account for the proposed correlations. But recently meteorite paleomagnetism measurements have indicated that during the Sun’s formation the magnetic field of the Sun was of sufficient strength to have resulted in the observed correlations. As a part of these correlations …

Charge Transport And Spin Dynamics Of Color Centers In Diamond, Damon Daw

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Solid state defects in diamond are promising candidates for room temperature quantum information processors (1, 3, 5). Chief among these defects is the nitrogen vacancy center (‘NV center’ or ‘NV’). The NV has long coherence times (at 300K) and its state is easily initialized, manipulated and read out (5). However, the outstanding issue of entangling NV centers in a scalable fashion, at room temperature remains a challenge. This thesis presents experimental and theoretical work aimed at achieving this goal by developing the ‘flying qubit’ framework in (1). This method for remote entanglement utilizes a charge carrier (initialized into a definite …

Perspectives On Determinism In Quantum Mechanics: Born, Bohm, And The 'Quantal Newtonian' Laws, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

Quantum mechanics has a deterministic Schrödinger equation for the wave function. The Göttingen-Copenhagen statistical interpretation is based on the Born Rule that interprets the wave function as a ‘probability amplitude’. A precept of this interpretation is the lack of determinism in quantum mechanics. The Bohm interpretation is that the wave function is a source of a field experienced by the electrons, thereby attributing determinism to quantum theory. In this paper we present a new perspective on such determinism. The ideas are based on the equations of motion or ‘Quantal Newtonian’ Laws obeyed by each electron. These Laws, derived from the …

Wave Function Identity: A New Symmetry For 2-Electron Systems In An Electromagnetic Field, Marlina Slamet, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

Stationary-state Schrödinger-Pauli theory is a description of electrons with a spin moment in an external electromagnetic field. For 2-electron systems as described by the Schrödinger-Pauli theory Hamiltonian with a symmetrical binding potential, we report a new symmetry operation of the electronic coordinates. The symmetry operation is such that it leads to the equality of the transformed wave function to the wave function. This equality is referred to as the Wave Function Identity. The symmetry operation is a two-step process: an interchange of the spatial coordinates of the electrons whilst keeping their spin moments unchanged, followed by an inversion. The Identity …

Diffraction-Based Studies Of Magneto- And Baro-Caloric Materials, Steven P. Vallone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The field of calorics represents a class of materials that offer the potential for solid-state cooling and heating, and, given the global climate crisis, comprise a necessary and active area of research. A clear and thorough understanding of their internal structural interactions and their external response to the environment is necessary for overall progress in the field, as accurate theoretical modeling and efficient materials design for devices both depend on this information. Through analysis of x-ray and neutron diffraction, the atomic order and disorder that drives these interactions is revealed. This dissertation focuses on diffraction studies concerning representative samples from …

Developing Dynamical Probes Of Quantum Spin Liquids Inspired By Techniques From Spintronics, Joshua Aftergood

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We theoretically study low dimensional insulating spin systems using spin fluctuations as a probe of the spin dynamics. In some systems, low dimensionality in conjunction with other quantum fluctuation enhancing effects impedes spontaneous generation of long range magnetic ordering down to zero absolute temperature. In particular, we focus on exotic spin systems hosting mobile, fractionalized spin excitations above their ground state, and ultimately show that techniques already commonplace in spintronics can be utilized in the context of quantum magnetism to develop probes of exotic ground states.

We initially consider quantum spin chains (QSCs), and examine a system of two exchange-coupled …

Nonlinear Optical Studies Of Interfacial Ferroelectricity And Strain Distribution In Perovskite Dielectric Films, Tony Le

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dielectric and ferroelectric perovskite films have been model energy storage structures for their low-dielectric loss, extremely high charge-discharge speed, and good temperature stability, yet there is still much to understand about the material’s limitations. This dissertation presents a detailed understanding of the strain-induced ferroelectricity at the boundary between a strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) ultrathin film epitaxially grown on a germanium (Ge) substrate through optical second harmonic generation (SHG), and the polydomain distribution in the Zr-doped BaTiO₃ (BZT) films by time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy.

First, SHG measurements were performed to reveal interfacial ferroelectricity in the epitaxial SrTiO₃/Ge (100) …

Wave Excitation And Dynamics In Disordered Systems, Yiming Huang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis presents studies of the field and energy excited in disordered systems as well as the dynamics of scattering.

Dynamic and steady state aspects of wave propagation are deeply connected in lossless open systems in which the scattering matrix is unitary. There is then an equivalence among the energy excited within the medium through all channels, the Wigner time delay, which is the sum of dwell times in all channels coupled to the medium, and the density of states. But these equivalences fall away in the presence of material loss or gain. In this paper, we use microwave measurements, …

Topological Classical Wave Systems With Modulations, Interactions, And Higher-Order Topological States, Mengyao Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Topological phases in classical wave systems, such as photonic and acoustic, have been actively investigated and applied for wave guiding, lasing, and numerous other novel phenomena and device applications Topological phase transitions enable robust boundary states, and the field has been broadening recently into a vast variety of systems with temporal modulations and interactions. Floquet modulation, for example, is the modulation applied periodically in time which may break symmetries and leads to novel topological phases.

Introducing non-Hermitian Floquet modulation enables more interesting phenomena including bandgap in imaginary part of the spectrum and gainy/lossy topological edge states with complex energy values. …

Linear And Non Linear Properties Of Two-Dimensional Exciton-Polaritons, Mandeep Khatoniar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Technology has been accelerating at breakneck speed since the first quantum revolution, an era that ushered transistors and lasers in the late 1940s and early 1960s. Both of these technologies relied on a matured understanding of quantum theories and since their inception has propelled innovation and development in various sectors like communications, metrology, and sensing. Optical technologies were thought to be the game changers in terms of logic and computing operations, with the elevator pitch being "computing at speed of light", a fundamental speed limit imposed by this universe’s legal system (a.k.a physics). However, it was soon realized that that …

Skyrmions And Biskyrmions In Magnetic Films, Daniel Capic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Skyrmions have garnered significant attention in condensed matter systems in recent years. In principle, they are topologically protected, so there is a large energy barrier preventing their annihilation. Furthermore, they can exist at the nanoscale, be manipulated with very small currents, and be created by a number of different methods. This makes them attractive for use in potential computing applications. This work studies ferromagnetic skyrmions. In particular, it highlights our small contributions to the field of skyrmions in condensed matter systems, specifically in thin-film ferromagnets.

Optimization Of Materials For Magnetic Refrigeration And Thermomagnetic Power Generation, Anthony N. Tantillo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The magnetocaloric effect, by which a magnetic material experiences a change in temperature due to an applied magnetic field, can be used for refrigeration. The corollary to the magnetocaloric effect -- known as the pyromagnetic effect -- is the phenomenon by which a magnetic material experiences a thermally-induced change in magnetization that can be used to harvest thermal energy. This dissertation has two main parts: one focusing on novel materials for energy harvesting; and another focusing on methods of materials discovery for refrigeration purposes. Thermomagnetic power generation (TMG) is the process by which magnetic flux, which comes from a temperature-driven …

Quantum Transport In Topological Magnets, Haiming Deng

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the past several years, a new field of symmetry-protected topological materials has emerged in condensed matter physics, based on the wide range of consequences that result from the realization that certain properties of physical systems can be expressed as topological invariants, which are insensitive to local perturbations. This new class of materials hosts unique surface/edge states, such as the first known topological system – quantum Hall insulator with dissipationless chiral edge states, and massless spin-helical Dirac surface states in 3D topological insulators that are unlike any other known 1D or 2D electronic systems. In this thesis, to understand the …

Superfluid Swimmers, German Kolmakov, Igor S. Aranson

Publications and Research

The propulsion of living microorganisms ultimately relies on viscous drag for body-fluid interactions. The self-locomotion in superfluids such as ⁴He is deemed impossible due to the apparent lack of viscous resistance. Here, we investigate the self-propulsion of a Janus (two-face) light-absorbing particle suspended in superfluid helium ⁴He (He-II). The particle is energized by the heat flux due to the absorption of light from an external source. We show that a quantum mechanical propulsion force originates due to the transformation of the superfluid to a normal fluid on the heated particle face. The theoretical analysis is supported by the …