Magnetoexcitonic optical absorption in semiconductors under strong magnetic fields and intense terahertz radiation in the Voigt configuration

The magnetoexcitonic optical absorption of a GaAs bulk semiconductor driven by a terahertz (THz) field is investigated numerically. The method of the solution of the initial-value problem, in combination with the perfect matched layer technique, is used to calculate the optical susceptibility, with Coulomb interaction, Landau quantization, and THz fields involved nonperturbatively. It shows that there appear replicas and sidebands of magnetoexciton of different Landau levels, which greatly enrich the magneto-optical spectrum in the presence of a driving THz field. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2008.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAGNETIC DEPOPULATION OF SUBBANDS IN VERY NARROW SYSTEMS

We present a model for electrons confined in narrow conducting channels by a parabolic well under moderate to high magnetic fields which takes into account a cutoff in the filling of the subbands. Such a cutoff gives rise to energy-separated subbands and a two-dimensional (2D) like subband depopulation, resulting in a relation between sublevel index n and inverse magnetic field B-1 such that in the high-field regime it changes over to the well-known 2D form as expected, and in the moderate field regime it shows pronounced deviation from linearity. This agrees well with the experimental results. The linear region of the n-B-1 experimental plot is believed to arise from the two dimensionality of the system. Calculations show that no resolvable 1D sublevel exists in the 0.5-mu-m-wide wire at very small magnetic fields (including zero field), which agrees qualitatively with the experimental results found in other wires that the Hall resistance, R(H), approaches its classical value B/n(e)e in this region and R(H) = 0 at B = 0, where n(e) is the electron concentration. In this model the linear and nonlinear regions in the experimental n-B-1 plot are used to extract the characteristic frequency omega-0, and the effective 2D electron concentration N(e)2D, respectively.

A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVE DIFFUSION CONSTANT OF 2-DIMENSIONAL ELECTRONS IN THE PRESENCE OF MAGNETIC-FIELDS

The transient charge response Q(t) of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs heterostructures to a small pulse of the gate voltage, applied between the top gate and source electrodes in a Corbino structure, was employed to directly measure the effective diffusion constant of a 2DEG in the quantum Hall regime. The measured diffusion constant D showed a drastic change as the magnetic field was swept through the integer fillings of the Landau levels.

Electronic states and magnetotransport in quantum waveguides with nonuniform magnetic fields

The electronic states and magnetotransport properties of quantum waveguides (QW's) in the presence of nonuniform magnetic fields perpendicular to the QW plane are investigated theoretically. It is found that the magnetoconductance of those structures as a function of Fermi energy exhibits stepwise variation or square-wave-like oscillations, depending on the specific distributions (both in magnitude and direction) of nonuniform magnetic fields in QW's. We have investigated the dual magnetic strip structures and three magnetic strip structures. The character of the magnetotransport is closely related to the effective magnetic potential and the energy-dispersion spectrum of electron in the structures. It is found that dispersion relations seem to be combined by different sets of dispersion curves that belong to different individual magnetic subwaveguides. The magnetic effective potential leads to the coupling of states and the substantial distortion of the original dispersion curves at the interfaces in which the abrupt change of magnetic fields appears. Magnetic scattering states are created. Only in some three magnetic strip structures, these scattering states produce the dispersion relations with oscillation structures superimposed on the bulk Landau levels. It is the oscillatory behavior in dispersions that leads to the occurrence of square-wave-like modulations in conductance.

High-field cyclotron resonance and electron-phonon interaction in modulation-doped multiple quantum well structures

A systematic study of electron cyclotron resonance (CR) in two sets of GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As modulation-doped quantum-well samples (well widths between 12 and 24 nm) has been carried out in magnetic fields up to 30 T. Polaron CR is the dominant transition in the region of GaAs optical phonons for the set of lightly doped samples, and the results are in good agreement with calculations that include the interaction with interface optical phonons. The results from the heavily doped set are markedly different. At low magnetic fields (below the GaAs reststrahlen region), all three samples exhibit almost identical CR which shows little effect of the polaron interaction due to screening and Pauli-principle effects. Above the GaAs LO-phonon region (B > similar to 23 T), the three samples behave very differently. For the most lightly doped sample (3 x 10(11) cm(-2)) only one transition minimum is observed, which can be explained as screened polaron CR. A sample of intermediate density (6 x 10(11) cm(-2)) shows two lines above 23 T; the higher frequency branch is indistinguishable from the positions of the single line of the low density sample. For the most heavily, doped sample (1.2 x 10(12) cm(-2)) there is no evidence of high frequency resonance, and the strong, single line observed is indistinguishable from the lower branch observed from sample with intermediate doping density. We suggest that the low frequency branch in our experiment is a magnetoplasmon resonance red-shifted by disorder, and the upper branch is single-particle-like screened polaron CR. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

36-segmented high magnetic field hexapole magnets for electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Two high magnetic field hexapoles for electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) have successfully fabricated to provide sufficient radial magnetic confinement to the ECR plasma. The highest magnetic field at the inner pole tip of one of the magnets exceeds 1.5 T, with the inner diameter (i.d.)=74 mm. The other hexapole magnet provides more than 1.35 T magnetic field at the inner pole tip, and the i.d. is 84 mm. In this article, we discuss the necessity to have a good radial magnetic field confinement and the importance of a Halbach hexapole to a high performance ECRIS. The way to design a high magnetic field Halbach structure hexapole and one possible solution to the self-demagnetization problem are both discussed. Based on the above discussions, two high magnetic field hexapoles have been fabricated to be utilized on two high performance ECRISs in Lanzhou. The preliminary results obtained from the two ECR ion sources are given

Test and analysis of uniform magnetic fields for imaging of electrons produced in ion-atom collisions

In order to expand the solid angle for imaging of electrons in ion-atom collisions, we designed a complex Helmholtz coils composed of four single coils. Theoretical simulations were carried out to optimize the arrangement of the coils. The complex is constructed according to the theoretical analysis, and the magnetic fields were measured for interested regions. The measured results show that the relative uniformity of the magnetic fields is +/- 0.6%, which satisfies the requirements of collision experiments.

Effects of magnetic fields on crystal growth

The effects of a constant uniform magnetic field on dendritic solidification were investigated using a 2-dimensional enthalpy based numerical model. The interaction between thermoelectic currents and the magnetic field generates a Lorentz force that creates a flow. This flow causes a change in the morphology of the dendrite; secondary growth is promoted on one side of the dendrite arm and the tip velocity of the primary arm is increased.

Effects of magnetic fields on crystal growth

The effects of a constant uniform magnetic field on thermoelectric currents during dendritic solidification were investigated using a two-dimensional enthalpy based numerical model. Using an approximation for three-dimensional unconstricted growth, the resulting Lorentz forces generate a circulating flow influencing the solidification pattern. Under the presence of a strong magnetic field secondary growth on the clockwise side of the primary arm of the dendrite was encouraged, whereas the anticlockwise side is suppressed due to a reduction in local free energy. The preferred direction of growth rotated in the clockwise sense under an anticlockwise flow. The tip velocity is significantly increased compared with growth in stagnant flow. This is due to a small recirculation at the tip of the dendrite; bringing in colder liquid and lowering the concentration of solute.

Ionization energies of beryllium in strong magnetic fields: a frozen core approximation

An effective frozen core approximation has been developed and applied to the calculation of energy levels and ionization energies of the beryllium atom in magnetic field strengths up to 2.35 x 10(5) T. Systematic improvement over the existing results for the beryllium ground and low-lying states has been accomplished by taking into account most of the correlation effects in the four-electron system. To our knowledge, this is the first calculation of the electronic properties of the beryllium atom in a strong magnetic field carried out using a configuration interaction approximation and thus allowing a treatment beyond that of Hartree-Fock. Differing roles played by strong magnetic fields in intrashell correlation within different states are observed. In addition, possible ways to gain further improvement in the energies of the states of interest are proposed and discussed briefly.

Rotation of a nanoparticle cloud in an inductively coupled plasma induced by weak static magnetic fields

Hydrocarbon nanoparticles with diameters between 10 and 30 nanometres are created in a low pressure plasma combining capacitive and inductive power coupling. The particles are generated in the capacitive phase of the experiment and stay confined in the plasma in the inductive phase. The presence of these embedded particles induces a rotation of a particle-free region (void) around the symmetry axis of the reactor. The phenomenon is analysed using optical emission spectroscopy both line integrated and spatially resolved via an intensified charge coupled device camera. From these data, electron temperatures and densities are deduced. We find that the rotation of the void is driven by a tangential component of the ion drag force induced by an external static magnetic field. Two modes are observed: a fast rotation of the void in the direction opposite to that of the tangential component and a slow rotation in the same direction. The rotation speed decreases linearly with the size of the particles. In the fast mode the dependence on the applied magnetic field is weak and consequently the rotation speed can serve as a monitor to detect particle sizes in low temperature plasmas.

DNA and chromosomal damage in response to intermittent extremely low-frequency magnetic fields.

Considerable controversy still exists as to whether electric and magnetic fields (MF) at extremely low frequencies are genotoxic to humans. The aim of this study was to test the ability of alternating magnetic fields to induce DNA and chromosomal damage in primary human fibroblasts. Single- and double-strand breaks were quantified using the alkaline comet assay and the gammaH2AX-foci assay, respectively. Chromosomal damage was assayed for unstable aberrations, sister chromatid exchange and micronuclei. Cells were exposed to switching fields - 5min on, 10min off - for 15h over the range 50-1000microT. Exposure to ionizing radiation was used as a positive-effect calibration. In this study two separate MF exposure systems were used. One was based on a custom-built solenoid coil system and the other on a commercial system almost identical to that used in previous studies by the EU REFLEX programme. With neither system could DNA damage or chromosomal damage be detected as a result of exposure of fibroblasts to switching MF. The sensitive gammaH2AX assay could also not detect significant DNA damage in the MF-exposed fibroblasts, although the minimum threshold for this assay was equivalent to an X-ray dose of 0.025Gy. Therefore, with comparable MF parameters employed, this study could not confirm previous studies reporting significant effects for both the alkaline and neutral comet assays and chromosomal aberration induction.

Effect of self-generated magnetic fields on fast-electron beam divergence in solid targets

The collimating effect of self-generated magnetic fields on fast-electron transport in solid aluminium targets irradiated by ultra-intense, picosecond laser pulses is investigated in this study. As the target thickness is varied in the range of 25 mu m to 1.4 mm, the maximum energies of protons accelerated from the rear surface are measured to infer changes in the fast-electron density and therefore the divergence of the fast-electron beam transported through the target. Purely ballistic spreading of the fast-electrons would result in a much faster decrease in the maximum proton energy with increasing target thickness than that measured. This implies that some degree of 'global' magnetic pinching of the fast-electrons occurs, particularly for thick (>400 mu m) targets. Numerical simulations of electron transport are in good agreement with the experimental data and show that the pinching effect of the magnetic field in thin targets is significantly reduced due to disruption of the field growth by refluxing fast-electrons.