Jun 2012, Volume 7 Issue 3
    

Cover illustration

  • The recent research on semiconductor quantum dots follows naturally the evolution of semiconductor technology from transistors based on bulk silicon and lasers based on bulk gallium arsenide to field effect transistors and quantum-well lasers. Semiconductor quantum dots are a natural step forward in allowing for the control of material composition in three dimensions and at the nanoscale with atomic precision. Simultaneously, the recent isolation of a single, atomically thick [Detail] ...


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  • NEWS & VIEWS
    Li-bing Liu, Quan-lin Li
  • NEWS & VIEWS
    Kai-Min Duan, Chuan-Feng Li
  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Hong-yi Fan, Li-yun Hu

    By virtue of the new technique of performing integration over Dirac’s ket–bra operators, we explore quantum optical version of classical optical transformations such as optical Fresnel transform, Hankel transform, fractional Fourier transform, Wigner transform, wavelet transform and Fresnel–Hadmard combinatorial transform etc. In this way one may gain benefit for developing classical optics theory from the research in quantum optics, or vice-versa. We cannot only find some new quantum mechanical unitary operators which correspond to the known optical transformations, deriving a new theorem for calculating quantum tomogram of density operators, but also can reveal some new classical optical transformations. For examples, we find the generalized Fresnel operator (GFO) to correspond to the generalized Fresnel transform (GFT) in classical optics. We derive GFO’s normal product form and its canonical coherent state representation and find that GFO is the loyal representation of symplectic group multiplication rule. We show that GFT is just the transformation matrix element of GFO in the coordinate representation such that two successive GFTs is still a GFT. The ABCD rule of the Gaussian beam propagation is directly demonstrated in the context of quantum optics. Especially, the introduction of quantum mechanical entangled state representations opens up a new area in finding new classical optical transformations. The complex wavelet transform and the condition of mother wavelet are studied in the context of quantum optics too. Throughout our discussions, the coherent state, the entangled state representation of the two-mode squeezing operators and the technique of integration within an ordered product (IWOP) of operators are fully used. All these have confirmed Dirac’s assertion: “...for a quantum dynamic system that has a classical analogue, unitary transformation in the quantum theory is the analogue of contact transformation in the classical theory”.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Zheng Tan(谭政), Xiu-chao Zhao (赵修超), Yong Cheng (程雍), Xian-ping Sun (孙献平), Jun Luo (罗军), Xin Zhou (周欣), Jin Wang (王谨), Ming-sheng Zhan (詹明生)

    A scheme of Doppler-free spectroscopy is experimentally demonstrated with a co-propagating control laser locking to an atomic hyperfine transition, and the differential transmission of the probe and the reference laser is detected. Crossover resonances are eliminated by selecting the class of atoms with zero velocity in the direction of beam propagation. In addition, the sub-Doppler spectrum experiences optical gain compared to the conventional saturated-absorption spectrum as a result of optical pumping.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Qian-nan Wu, Ya-dong Xu, Huan-yang Chen

    In this letter, we design a perfect field rotator that is by itself invisible and can rotate the electromagnetic (EM) wave front. The device here is designed for a dielectric background and is composed of merely an inner core with the same dielectric and an array of metal plates embedded in the air. Its broadband functionality is also numerically demonstrated.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Li Zhao (赵瓅), Bin Liu (刘斌), Yin-hao Gao (高银浩), Yan-jiao Zhao (赵艳皎), Ji-ping Huang (黄吉平)

    We propose a general method to realize a total scattering of an incident acoustic wave at interfaces between different media while allowing the flow of air, fluids and/or particles. This originates from the enlargement of the equivalent acoustic scattering cross section of an embedded object coated with acoustic metamaterials, which causes the coated object to behave as a scatterer bigger than its physical size. We theoretically design a model circular cylindrical object coated with such metamaterials whose properties are determined according to two different, but identical, methods. The desired function is confirmed for both far-field and near-field cases with full wave simulations based on the finite element method. This work reveals a promising way to achieve noise shielding and naval camouflage.

  • PERSPECTIVE
    Liang-feng Huang, Zhi Zeng

    It is promising to apply quantum-mechanically confined graphene systems in field-effect transistors. High stability, superior performance, and large-scale integration are the main challenges facing the practical application of graphene transistors. Our understandings of the adatom-graphene interaction combined with recent progress in the nanofabrication technology indicate that very stable and high-quality graphene nanostripes could be integrated in substrate-supported functionalized (hydrogenated or fluorinated) graphene using electron-beam lithography.We also propose that parallelizing a couple of graphene nanostripes in a transistor should be preferred for practical application, which is also very useful for transistors based on graphene nanoribbon.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Wei-dong Sheng, Marek Korkusinski, Alev Devrim Gü?lü, Michal Zielinski, Pawel Potasz, Eugene S. Kadantsev, Oleksandr Voznyy, Pawel Hawrylak

    Our recent work on the electronic and optical properties of semiconductor and graphene quantum dots is reviewed. For strained self-assembled InAs quantum dots on GaAs or InP substrate atomic positions and strain distribution are described using valence-force field approach and continuous elasticity theory. The strain is coupled with the effective mass, k · p, effective bond-orbital and atomistic tight-binding models for the description of the conduction and valence band states. The single-particle states are used as input to the calculation of optical properties, with electronelectron interactions included via configuration interaction (CI) method. This methodology is used to describe multiexciton complexes in quantum dot lasers, and in particular the hidden symmetry as the underlying principle of multiexciton energy levels, manipulating emission from biexcitons for entangled photon pairs, and optical control and detection of electron spins using gates. The self-assembled quantum dots are compared with graphene quantum dots, one carbon atom-thick nanostructures. It is shown that the control of size, shape and character of the edge of graphene dots allows to manipulate simultaneously the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties in a single material system.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Shun-li Yue, Hong Zhang

    The adsorptions of rare-earth (RE) atoms on (6, 0) and (8, 0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been investigated by using the first-principles pseudopotential plane wave method within density functional theory (DFT). The binding energy, Mulliken charge, magnetic properties, band structure and DOS were calculated and analyzed. Most of RE atoms including Nd, Sm and Eu have a magnetic ground state with a significant magnetic moment. Some electrons transfer between RE-5d, 6s and C-2p orbitals. Owing to the curvature effect, the values of binding energy for RE atoms doped (6, 0) SWCNT are lower than those of the same atoms on (8, 0) SWCNT. The pictures of DOS show that hybridizations between RE-5d, 6s states and C-2p orbitals and between RE-4f and C-2p orbitals appear near the Fermi level. Results indicate that the properties of SWCNTs can be modified by the adsorptions of RE atoms.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Xiao-qing Li (李晓庆), Ji-jun Zhao (赵纪军), Jing-cheng Xu (徐京城)

    The effect of chromium content on the fundamental mechanical properties of Fe–Cr alloys has been studied by first-principles calculations. Within a random solid solution model, the lattice constants and the elastic constants of ferromagnetic bcc Fe1-xCrx (0≤x≤0.156) alloys were calculated for different compositions. With addition of Cr content, the lattice parameters of Fe–Cr alloys are larger than that of pure Fe solid, and the corresponding Young’s modulus and shear modulus rise nonmonotonically with the increasing Cr content. All alloys (except 9.4 at% Cr) exhibit less ductile behavior compared with pure bcc Fe. For the Fe1-xCrx (0≤x≤0.156) alloys, the average magnetic moment per atom decreases linearly with the increasing Cr concentration.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Juan-juan Zhang (张娟娟), Hong-yun Ning (宁红云), Zi-yu Yin (银子瑜), Shi-wen Sun (孙世温), Li Wang (王莉), Jun-qing Sun (孙俊清), Cheng-yi Xia (夏承遗)

    We propose a novel snowdrift game model with edge weighting mechanism to explore the cooperative behaviors among the players on the square lattice. Based on the assumption of three types of weight distribution including uniform, exponential and power-law schemes, the cooperation level is largely boosted in contrast with the traditional snowdrift game on the unweighted square lattice. Extensive numerical simulations indicate that the fraction of cooperators greatly augments, especially for the intermediate range of cost-to-benefit ratio r. Furthermore, we investigate how the cooperative behaviors are affected by the undulation amplitude of weight distribution and noise strength of strategy selection, respectively. The simulation results will be conducive to further understanding and analyzing the emergence of cooperation, which is a ubiquitous phenomenon in social and biological science.