Enhanced Photo-excitation and Angular-Momentum Imprint of Gray Excitons in WSe Monolayers by Spin-Orbit-Coupled Vector Vortex Beams.

A light beam can be spatially structured in the complex amplitude to possess orbital angular momentum (OAM), which introduces an extra degree of freedom alongside the intrinsic spin angular momentum (SAM) associated with circular polarization. Furthermore, superimposing two such twisted light (TL) beams with distinct SAM and OAM produces a vector vortex beam (VVB) in nonseparable states where not only complex amplitude but also polarization is spatially structured and entangled with each other. In addition to the nonseparability, the SAM and OAM in a VVB are intrinsically coupled by the optical spin-orbit interaction and constitute the profound spin-orbit physics in photonics.

Directly Unveiling the Energy Transfer Dynamics between Alq Molecules and Si by Ultrafast Optical Pump-Probe Spectroscopy.

The energy transfer (ET) between organic molecules and semiconductors is a crucial mechanism for enhancing the performance of semiconductor-based optoelectronic devices, but it remains undiscovered. Here, ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy was utilized to directly reveal the ET between organic Alq molecules and Si semiconductors. Ultrathin SiO dielectric layers with a thickness of 3.

The Key Role of Non-Local Screening in the Environment-Insensitive Exciton Fine Structures of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers.

In this work, we present a comprehensive theoretical and computational investigation of exciton fine structures of WSe2-monolayers, one of the best-known two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), in various dielectric-layered environments by solving the first-principles-based Bethe-Salpeter equation. While the physical and electronic properties of atomically thin nanomaterials are normally sensitive to the variation of the surrounding environment, our studies reveal that the influence of the dielectric environment on the exciton fine structures of TMD-MLs is surprisingly limited. We point out that the non-locality of Coulomb screening plays a key role in suppressing the dielectric environment factor and drastically shrinking the fine structure splittings between bright exciton (BX) states and various dark-exciton (DX) states of TMD-MLs.

Genomic architecture underlying morphological and physiological adaptation to high elevation in a songbird.

Organisms often acquire physiological and morphological modifications to conquer ecological challenges when colonizing new environments which lead to their adaptive evolution. However, deciphering the genomic mechanism of ecological adaptation is difficult because ecological environments are often too complex for straightforward interpretation. Thus, we examined the adaptation of a widespread songbird-the rufous-capped babbler (Cyanoderma ruficeps)-to a relatively simple system: distinct environments across elevational gradients on the mountainous island of Taiwan.

Selective Photoexcitation of Finite-Momentum Excitons in Monolayer MoS by Twisted Light.

Twisted light carries a well-defined orbital angular momentum (OAM) of per photon. The quantum number of its OAM can be arbitrarily set, making it an excellent light source to realize high-dimensional quantum entanglement and ultrawide bandwidth optical communication structures. In spite of its interesting properties, twisted light interaction with solid state materials, particularly two-dimensional materials, is yet to be extensively studied experiments.

Electronic structures of WS armchair nanoribbons doped with transition metals.

Armchair WS nanoribbons are semiconductors with band gaps close to 0.5 eV. If some of the W atoms in the ribbon are replaced by transition metals, the impurity states can tremendously affect the overall electronic structure of the doped ribbon.

Model eggs fail to detect egg recognition in host populations after brood parasitism is relaxed.

Background: Obligate brood parasites exert strong selective pressure on target hosts. In response, hosts typically evolve anti-parasitism strategies, of which egg recognition is one of the most efficient. Generally, host egg-recognition capacity is determined using model eggs.

Distinctive Signatures of the Spin- and Momentum-Forbidden Dark Exciton States in the Photoluminescence of Strained WSe Monolayers under Thermalization.

With both spin and valley degrees of freedom, the low-lying excitonic spectra of photoexcited transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers (TMDC-MLs) are featured by rich fine structures, comprising the intravalley bright exciton states as well as various intra- and intervalley dark ones. The latter states can be classified as those of the spin- and momentum-forbidden dark excitons according to the violated optical selection rules. Because of their optical invisibility, these two types of the dark states are in principle hardly observed and even distinguished in conventional spectroscopies although their impacts on the optical and dynamical properties of TMDC-MLs have been well noticed.

Effects of electrostatic environment on the electrically triggered production of entangled photon pairs from droplet epitaxial quantum dots.

Entangled photon pair generation is a crucial task for development of quantum information based technologies, and production of entangled pairs by biexciton cascade decays in semiconductor quantum dots is so far one of the most advanced techniques to achieve it. However, its scalability toward massive implementation requires further understanding and better tuning mechanisms to suppress the fine structure splitting between polarized exciton states, which persists as a major obstacle for entanglement generation from most quantum dot samples. In this work, the influence of electrostatic environment arising from electrically biased electrodes and/or charged impurities on the fine structure splitting of GaAs/AlGaAs droplet epitaxial quantum dots is studied, by means of numerical simulations considering a realistic quantum dot confining potential and electron-hole exchange interaction within a multiband k · p framework.

Breakthrough to Non-Vacuum Deposition of Single-Crystal, Ultra-Thin, Homogeneous Nanoparticle Layers: A Better Alternative to Chemical Bath Deposition and Atomic Layer Deposition.

Most thin-film techniques require a multiple vacuum process, and cannot produce high-coverage continuous thin films with the thickness of a few nanometers on rough surfaces. We present a new "paradigm shift" non-vacuum process to deposit high-quality, ultra-thin, single-crystal layers of coalesced sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) with controllable thickness down to a few nanometers, based on thermal decomposition. This provides high-coverage, homogeneous thickness, and large-area deposition over a rough surface, with little material loss or liquid chemical waste, and deposition rates of 10 nm/min.

Finger-gate manipulated quantum transport in Dirac materials.

We investigate the quantum transport properties of multichannel nanoribbons made of materials described by the Dirac equation, under an in-plane magnetic field. In the low energy regime, positive and negative finger-gate potentials allow the electrons to make intra-subband transitions via hole-like or electron-like quasibound states (QBS), respectively, resulting in dips in the conductance. In the high energy regime, double dip structures in the conductance are found, attributed to spin-flip or spin-nonflip inter-subband transitions through the QBSs.

Double-finger-gate controlled spin-resolved resonant quantum transport in the presence of a Rashba-Zeeman gap.

We investigate double finger gate (DFG) controlled spin-resolved resonant transport properties in an n-type quantum channel with a Rashba-Zeeman (RZ) subband energy gap. By appropriately tuning the DFG in the strong Rashba coupling regime, resonant state structures in conductance can be found that are sensitive to the length of the DFG system. Furthermore, a hole-like bound state feature below the RZ gap and an electron-like quasi-bound state feature at the threshold of the upper spin branch can be found that is insensitive to the length of the DFG system.

Exposure of the hidden anti-ferromagnetism in paramagnetic CdSe:Mn nanocrystals.

We present theoretical and experimental investigations of the magnetism of paramagnetic semiconductor CdSe:Mn nanocrystals and propose an efficient approach to the exposure and analysis of the underlying anti-ferromagnetic interactions between magnetic ions therein. A key advance made here is the development of an analysis method with the exploitation of group theory technique that allows us to distinguish the anti-ferromagnetic interactions between aggregative Mn(2+) ions from the overall pronounced paramagnetism of magnetic-ion-doped semiconductor nanocrystals. By using the method, we clearly reveal and identify the signatures of anti-ferromagnetism from the measured temperature-dependent magnetisms and furthermore determine the average number of Mn(2+) ions and the fraction of aggregative ones in the measured CdSe:Mn nanocrystals.

Nest defenses and egg recognition of yellow-bellied prinia against cuckoo parasitism.

Parasites may, in multi-parasite systems, block the defenses of their hosts and thus thwart host recognition of parasites by frequency-dependent selection. Nest defenses as frontline may block or promote the subsequent stage of defenses such as egg recognition. We conducted comparative studies of the defensive strategies of a host of the Oriental cuckoo Cuculus optatus, the yellow-bellied prinia Prinia flaviventris, in mainland China with multiple species of cuckoos and in Taiwan with a single cuckoo species.

Non-antireflective scheme for efficiency enhancement of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 nanotip array solar cells.

We present systematic works in characterization of CIGS nanotip arrays (CIGS NTRs). CIGS NTRs are obtained by a one-step ion-milling process by a direct-sputtering process of CIGS thin films (CIGS TF) without a postselenization process. At the surface of CIGS NTRs, a region extending to 100 nm in depth with a lower copper concentration compared to that of CIGS TF has been discovered.

Observation of unusual optical transitions in thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells.

In this paper, we examine photoluminescence spectra of Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) (CIGS) via temperature-dependent and power-dependent photoluminescence (PL). Donor-acceptor pair (DAP) transition, near-band-edge transition were identified by their activation energies. S-shaped displacement of peak position was observed and was attributed to carrier confinement caused by potential fluctuation.

Observation of unusual optical transitions in thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells.

In this paper, we examine photoluminescence spectra of Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) (CIGS) via temperature-dependent and power-dependent photoluminescence (PL). Donor-acceptor pair (DAP) transition, near-band-edge transition were identified by their activation energies. S-shaped displacement of peak position was observed and was attributed to carrier confinement caused by potential fluctuation.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films probed by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films are investigated using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Samples prepared by direct sputtering and co-evaporation processes, which exhibited remarkably different crystalline structures and free carrier densities, were found to result in substantially different carrier relaxation and recombination mechanisms. For the sputtered CIGS films, electron-electron scattering and Auger recombination was observed, whereas for the co-evaporated CIGS films, bandgap renormalization accompanied by band filling effect and hot phonon relaxation was observed.

Tunneling effects on fine-structure splitting in quantum-dot molecules.

We theoretically study the effects of bias-controlled interdot tunneling in vertically coupled quantum dots on the emission properties of spin excitons in various bias-controlled tunneling regimes. As a main result, we predict substantial reduction of optical fine-structure splitting without any drop in the optical oscillator strength for the coupled dots with high tunneling rates. This special reduction diminishes the distinguishability of polarized decay paths in cascade emission processes suggesting the use of stacked quantum-dot molecules as entangled photon-pair sources.

Diamagnetic response of exciton complexes in semiconductor quantum dots.

We report measurements of diamagnetic shifts for different exciton complexes confined in small InAs quantum dots. The measured diamagnetic responses are sensitive to the number of carriers in the exciton complexes, with systematic differences between neutral excitons, biexcitons, and trions. Theoretical calculations suggest that such systematic differences arise from very different extents of electron and hole wave functions confined in small quantum dots.