Condensed Matter Physics Commons^™

Measuring The Practical Particle-In-A-Box: Orthorhombic Perovskite Nanocrystals, Brandon Mitchell, Eric Herrmann, Junhao Lin, Leyre Gomez, Chris De Weerd, Yasufumi Fujiwara, Kazutomo Suenaga, Tom Gregorkiewicz

Physics & Engineering Faculty Publications

A connection between condensed matter physics and basic quantum mechanics is demonstrated as we use the fundamental 3D particle-in-a-box model to explain the optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, which are substantially modified due to quantum confinement. We also discuss recent advances in the imaging and measurement capabilities of transmission electron microscopy, which have made it possible to directly image single nanocrystals while simultaneously measuring their characteristic absorption energies. We introduce the basic theory of nanocrystals and derive a simplified expression to approximate the optical bandgap energy of an orthorhombic nanocrystal. CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals are used to demonstrate this model due …

Quantum And Classical Transport Of 2d Electrons In The Presence Of Long And Short Range Disorder, Jesse Kanter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This work focuses on the study of electron transport of 2-D electron gas systems in relation to both fundamental properties of the systems such as disorder and scattering mechanisms, as well as unique magnetoresistance (MR) effects. A large portion of the discussion is built around the use of an in plane magnetic field to vary the ratio between the Zeeman energy between electrons of different spins and the Landau level spacing, creating a tool to control the quantization of the density of states (DOS).

This tool is first used to isolate Quantum Positive Magnetoresistance (QPMR), which grants insight to the …

Nmr Characterizations Of Candidate Battery Electrolytes, Stephen A. Munoz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Enormous strides have been made in next-generation power sources to build a more sustainable society. Energy storage has become a limiting factor in our progress, and there are huge environmental and financial incentives to find the next step forward in battery technology. This work discusses NMR methods for characterizing materials for use in battery application, with a special focus on relaxometry and diffusometry. Examples are provided of various recent investigations involving novel candidate electrolyte materials with different collaborators. Works discussed in this thesis include: the characterization of a new disruptive solid polymer electrolyte technology, investigations of the dynamics of super …

Charge State Dynamics And Quantum Sensing With Defects In Diamond, Jacob D. Henshaw

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, defect centers in wide band gap semiconductors such as diamond, have received significant attention. Defects offer great utility as single photon emitters, nanoscale sensors, and quantum memories and registers for quantum computation. Critical to the utility of these defects, is their charge state.

In this dissertation, experiments surrounding the charge state dynamics and the carrier dynamics are performed and analyzed. Extensive studies of the ionization and recombination processes of defects in diamond, specifically, the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) center, have been performed. Diffusion of ionized charge carriers has been imaged indirectly through the recapture of said carriers by …

Direct Experimental Evidence Of Toroidal Symmetry In A Lanthanide-Based Molecular Magnet, Qing Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Molecular magnets (MM) are finite clusters of identical exchange-coupled magnetic systems arranged within a crystalline array such that interactions between neighboring MMs are negligible. Their small size has proven them amenable test beds for the investigation of a wide range of fundamental quantum phenomena such as spin frustration quantum tunneling (QT) of magnetization and Neel vector quantum coherence and Berry phase interference.

Cases where MMs have been found to exhibit quantum wave-functions that evolve coherently are particularly interesting due to their potential for use in quantum information processing. Toroidal magnetic moments, a kind of MM, have fascinating properties that could …

Observation Of A Pressure-Induced Transition From Interlayer Ferromagnetism To Intralayer Antiferromagnetism In Sr4Ru3O10, H. Zheng, W. H. Song, J. Terzic, H. D. Zhao, Y. F. Ni, Lance E. Delong, P. Schlottmann, G. Cao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Sr₄Ru₃O₁₀ is a Ruddlesden-Popper compound with triple Ru-O perovskite layers separated by Sr-O rock-salt layers. This compound presents a rare coexistence of interlayer (c-axis) ferromagnetism and intralayer (basal-plane) metamagnetism at ambient pressure. Here we report the observation of pressure-induced, intralayer itinerant antiferromagnetism arising from the interlayer ferromagnetism. The application of modest hydrostatic pressure generates an anisotropy that may cause a flattening and a tilting of RuO₆ octahedra. All magnetic and transport results from this study indicate these lattice distortions diminish the c-axis ferromagnetism and basal-plane metamagnetism, and induce a basal-plane antiferromagnetic state. …

Direct Observation Of Room-Temperature Out-Of-Plane Ferroelectricity And Tunneling Electroresistance At The Two-Dimensional Limit, H. Wang, Z. R. Liu, H. Y. Yoong, Tula R. Paudel, J. X. Xia, R. Guo, W. N. Lin, P. Yang, J. Wang, G. M. Chow, T. Venkatesan, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, H. Tian, J. S. Chen

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Out-of-plane ferroelectricity with a high transition temperature in nanometer-scale films is required to miniaturize electronic devices. Direct visualization of stable ferroelectric polarization and its switching behavior in atomically thick films is critical for achieving this goal. Here, ferroelectric order at room temperature in the two-dimensional limit is demonstrated in tetragonal BiFeO₃ ultrathin films. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly observed robust out-of-plane spontaneous polarization in one-unitcell-thick BiFeO₃ films. High-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy measurements show that the polarization is stable and switchable, whereas a tunneling electroresistance effect of up to 370% is achieved in BiFeO₃ films. …

Kinetic Effects In 2d And 3d Quantum Dots: Comparison Between High And Low Electron Correlation Regimes, Marlina Slamet, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

Kinetic related ground state properties of a two-electron 2D quantum dot in a magnetic field and a 3D quantum dot (Hooke's atom) are compared in the Wigner high (HEC) and low (LEC) electron correlation regimes. The HEC regime corresponds to low densities sufficient for the creation of a Wigner molecule. The LEC regime densities are similar to those of natural atoms and molecules. The results are determined employing exact closed-form analytical solutions of the Schrödinger-Pauli and Schrödinger equations, respectively. The properties studied are the local and nonlocal quantal sources of the density and the single particle density matrix; the kinetic …

Large T1 Contrast Enhancement Using Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles In Ultra-Low Field Mri, Xiaolu Yin, Stephen E. Russek, Gary Zabow, Fan Sun, Jeotikatan Mohapatra, Kathryn E. Keenan, Michael A. Boss, Hao Zeng, J. Ping Liu, Alexandrea Viert, Sy-Hwang Liou, John Moreland

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are widely investigated and utilized as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast and therapy agents due to their large magnetic moments. Local field inhomogeneities caused by these high magnetic moments are used to generate T₂ contrast in clinical high-field MRI, resulting in signal loss (darker contrast). Here we present strong T1 contrast enhancement (brighter contrast) from SPIONs (diameters from 11 nm to 22 nm) as observed in the ultra-low field (ULF) MRI at 0.13 mT. We have achieved a high longitudinal relaxivity for 18 nm SPION solutions, r1 = 615 s−1 mM−1, which is two …

Enhanced Acidity Of Acetic And Pyruvic Acids On The Surface Of Water, Alexis J. Eugene, Elizabeth A. Pillar, Agustín J. Colussi, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Understanding the acid–base behavior of carboxylic acids on aqueous interfaces is a fundamental issue in nature. Surface processes involving carboxylic acids such as acetic and pyruvic acids play roles in (1) the transport of nutrients through cell membranes, (2) the cycling of metabolites relevant to the origin of life, and (3) the photooxidative processing of biogenic and anthropogenic emissions in aerosols and atmospheric waters. Here, we report that 50% of gaseous acetic acid and pyruvic acid molecules transfer a proton to the surface of water at pH 2.8 and 1.8 units lower than their respective acidity constants pK_{a …}

Defect-Assisted Tunneling Electroresistance In Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions, Konstantin Klyukin, Lingling Tao, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Vitaly Alexandrov

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Recent experimental results have demonstrated ferroelectricity in thin films of SrTiO₃ induced by antisite Ti_Sr defects. This opens a possibility to use SrTiO₃ as a barrier layer in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs)—emerging electronic devices promising for applications in nanoelectronics. Here using density functional theory combined with quantum-transport calculations applied to a prototypical Pt/SrTiO₃/Pt FTJ, we demonstrate that the localized in-gap energy states produced by the antisite Ti_Sr defects are responsible for the enhanced electron tunneling conductance which can be controlled by ferroelectric polarization. Our tight-binding modeling, which takes into account multiple defects, shows that …

Developing A Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy Experiment For Solid State Materials, Daniel Hammerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy (FSRS) is a ultrafast spectroscopy technique first implemented by chemists to understand isomerization and other ultrafast molecular morphology changes by resolving vibrational dynamics[1, 2, 3]. FSRS has an unparalleled temporal and spectral resolution [4, 1, 5, 6] that arises as a result of a clever combination of picosecond and femtosecond pulses. However, despite this capability, FSRS has yet to be applied to modern materials in condensed matter physics. This thesis explores the design and implementation of FSRS to study two-dimensional materials in order to measure their quantum confined vibrational dynamics on utlrafast time scales.

Plasma Based Synthesis And Surface Modification Of Graphene., Rong Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Graphene, an atom thick layer of carbon, has attracted intense scientific interest due to its exceptional electrical, mechanical and chemical properties. Especially, it provides a perfect platform to explore the unique electronic properties in absolute two-dimension. Pristine graphene possesses zero band gap and weakens its competitiveness in the field of semiconductors. In order to induce a band gap and control its semiconducting properties, functionalization and doping are two of the most feasible methods. In the context of functionalization, large area monolayer graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition was subjected to controlled and sequential fluorination using radio frequency plasma while monitoring …

Crystallographic Exploration Of Fundamental Technetium Species At Nonambient Conditions, Daniel S. Mast

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The study of mater under extreme conditions has yielded fascinating insight into the physical and chemical nature of materials that under more modest conditions are considered mundane but have quite unusual properties when under pressure. Examples of this are the lightest of elements found in the first two rows and in the heaviest elements of the lanthanide and actinide series. Pure elements, though the simplest possible chemical systems, have proven to be among the most complex and interesting. Technetium metal is a simple HCP transition metal that, due to its half-filled d-shell, has a rich chemistry and an important place …

Localization And Scrambling Of Quantum Information With Applications To Quantum Computation And Thermodynamics, Adrian Kristian Chapman

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

As our demand for computational power grows, we encounter the question: "What are the physical limits to computation?" An answer is necessarily incomplete unless it can incorporate physics at the smallest scales, where we expect our near-term high-performance computing to occur. Microscopic physics -- namely, quantum mechanics -- behaves counterintuitively to our everyday experience, however. Quantum matter can occupy superpositions of states and build stronger correlations than are possible classically. This affects how quantum computers and quantum thermodynamic engines will behave.

Though these properties may seem to overwhelmingly defeat our attempts to build a quantum computer at-first-glance, what is remarkable …

Effects Of B And C Doping On Tunneling Magnetoresistance In Cofe/Mgo Magnetic Tunnel Junctions, Andy Paul Chen, John D. Burton, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Yuan Ping Feng, Jingsheng Chen

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Using density-functional theory calculations, we investigate the dominant defects formed by boron (B) and carbon (C) impurities in a CoFe/MgO/CoFe magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and their influence on conductivity and tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). We find that, in the O-poor conditions relevant to experiment, B forms the substitutional defect B_Co and C forms the interstitial site C_i at the CoFe/MgO interface. The C-doped MTJ is predicted to have a significantly higher TMR than the B-doped MTJ. This is due to interface state densities associated with the majority spin Δ₁-symmetry bands being more heavily suppressed by the B …

Persistent Spin Texture Enforced By Symmetry, Lingling Tao, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Persistent spin texture (PST) is the property of some materials to maintain a uniform spin configuration in the momentum space. This property has been predicted to support an extraordinarily long spin lifetime of carriers promising for spintronics applications. Here, we predict that there exists a class of noncentrosymmetric bulk materials, where the PST is enforced by the nonsymmorphic space group symmetry of the crystal. Around certain high symmetry points in the Brillouin zone, the sublattice degrees of freedom impose a constraint on the effective spin–orbit field, which orientation remains independent of the momentum and thus maintains the PST. We illustrate …

Laser-Induced Recoverable Surface Patterning On Ni50ti50 Shape Memory Alloys, Saidjafarzoda Ilhom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of smart materials exhibiting extraordinary properties with a wide range of applications in engineering, biomedical, and aerospace technologies. In this study, an advanced, efficient, low-cost, and highly scalable laser-assisted imprinting method with low environmental impact to create thermally controllable surface patterns is reported. Two different imprinting methods were carried out mainly on Ni50Ti50 (at. %) SMAs by using a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm wavelength and 10 Hz frequency. First, laser pulses at selected fluences were directly focused on the NiTi surface, which generated pressure pulses of up to …

Towards Fundamental Understanding Of Thermoelectric Properties In Novel Materials Using First Principles Simulations, Artem R. Khabibullin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermoelectric materials play an important role in energy conversion as they represent environmentally safe and solid state devices with a great potential towards enhancing their efficiency. The ability to generate electric power in a reliable way without using non-renewable resources motivates many experimentalists as well as computational physicists to search and design new thermoelectric materials. Several classes of materials have been identified as good candidates for high efficient thermoelectrics because of their inherently low thermal conductivity. The complex study of the crystal and electronic structures of such materials helps to reveal hidden properties and give fundamental understanding, necessary for the …

Aftershocks In Slowly Compressed Bulk Metallic Glasses: Experiments And Theory, Louis W. Mcfaul, Wendelin Wright, Xiaojun Gu, Jonathan T. Uhl, Karin A. Dahmen

Faculty Journal Articles

We observe two distinct interevent time patterns in the slip avalanches of compressed bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). Small slip avalanches cluster together in time, but large slip avalanches recur roughly periodically. We compare the timing patterns of BMG slip avalanches with timing patterns of earthquakes and with the predictions of a mean-field model. The time clustering of small avalanches is similar to the known time clustering of earthquake foreshocks and aftershocks.