© Adrian RADU 2007
 
VERSIUNEA IN LIMBA ROMANA

Project: PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0224
Contract number: 60/2011

Founded by: UEFISCDI, Romania
Title: Analogies between electron transport in nanostructures and light propagation
Budget: 1.500.000 lei
Duration: 60 months, , from 05.10.2011 to 03.10.2016
Coordinator: University of Bucharest
Project director: Prof.univ.dr. Daniela Dragoman
Contact: danieladragoman@yahoo.com

Summary:

Based on the important role that analogies had in the development of several research areas in physics, the project explores the analogies between propagation of electromagnetic waves and electron transport in nanostructures. These nanoscale structures can encompass either common semiconductors, in which electrons are governed by the Schrödinger equation, or graphene, in which the low-energy electrons satisfy a Dirac-like equation. In the first case, the analogies are supported by the formal similarity between the time-independent Schrödinger equation and the Helmholtz equation, while in the second case the spinor wavefunction in graphene can be put into correspondence with the polarization states of light, the electromagnetic field components or with light propagation in photonic bandgap structures with a honeycomb lattice.
Although electrons and photons differ in many aspects, such as quantum statistics or electric charge, analogies between these particles have been evidenced in ballistic, i.e. collisionless, and multiple-scattering propagation regimes, when phase coherent effects are preserved.
The aim of the project is to develop analogies for cases that have not been studied before, with the intent to emphasize the differences as well as the similarities between electron and photon propagation. In particular, the project is expected to contribute theoretically and experimentally to a better understanding of electron transport in asymmetric, inhomogeneous disordered nanoscale conductors and could lead to the design of novel devices based on the analogies between electron and light propagation.
Team: Besides the director of the project, the team consists of a senior researcher and three postdocs (one of them being a PhD student when the project begun)
  1. Prof.dr. Daniela DRAGOMAN - Project Director
  2. Prof. dr. Lucian ION
  3. Assist. prof. Adrian RADU
  4. Assist. prof. Sorina IFTIMIE
  5. Assit. research dr. Tudor Luca MITRAN
Expected results in the first part of the project (2011-2012)
Objectives: Study of analogies between the propagation of light waves and ballistic electrons described by either Schrödinger or Dirac equations, with the aim of focusing on analogies that were not evidenced before

    Activities:
  • Investigation of the polarization effects of electromagnetic waves on electron-photon analogies for ballistic electrons satisfying either Schrödinger or Dirac equations
  • The study of analogies between electromagnetic fields and ballistic Schrödinger electrons propagating in anisotropic media/type II heterostructures, metamaterials or in the presence of spin effects
  • The study of analogies between ballistic Dirac electrons and electromagnetic fields in gyrotropic and electro-optic media, complex conjugate media and photonic crystals with Dirac points
  • Development of computational algorithms for the study of inhomogeneous disordered nanostructures
Expected results in 2013 Objectives: Investigation of analogies between the propagation of light and Schrödinger-type electrons in disordered structures with an inhomogeneous distribution of scatterers
    Activities:
  • Further development of computational algorithms for the study of inhomogeneous disordered nanostructures
  • Identification of the inhomogeneous nanostructure configuration that is closest to an active disordered optical medium
Expected results in 2014
Objectives: Fabrication and characterization, from a morphological and structural point of view, of disordered nanowires with an inhomogeneous distribution of scattering centers
    Activities:
  • Study of the influence of the inhomogeneous distribution of scattereing centers on the ballistic transport of electrons
  • Fabrication of nanoscale conductors with variable and controllable carrier density
  • Structural characterization of these conductors
Expected results in 2015
Objectives: Electrical characterization of the nanowires fabricated in 2014 and comparison of the experimental data withe simulated results
    Activities:
  • Electrical characterization of the nanowires with an inhomogeneous distribution of scattering centers fabricated in 2014
Expected results in 2016
Objectives: Electrical characterization of the nanowires fabricated in 2014-2015 and comparison of the experimental data withe simulated results
    Activities:
  • Comparison of measurement results with the predictions of numerical simulations
  • Improvements of computational algorithms
Synthetic scientific report on the implementation of the project


Publications related to the project:

a) articles in ISI journals:
  1. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Ni-based nanowire arrays as chemical and magnetic field sensors, submitted.
  2. T.L. Mitran, G. Nemnes, L. Ion, D. Dragoman – Balistic electron transport in wrinkled superlattices, Physica E 81, 131-135, 2016
  3. T. L. Mitran, G. A. Nemnes, L. Ion, D. Dragoman - Effects of graded distribution of scattering centers on ballistic transport, J. Appl. Phys. 116, 124316, 2014
  4. D. Dragoman – Optical analogues of nanostructures with Rashba-Dresselhaus interactions, J. Opt. 16, 015710, 2014
  5. D. Dragoman – Dirac-Schrodinger transformations in contacted graphene structures, J. Appl. Phys. 113, 214312, 2013
  6. D. Dragoman, A. Radu, S. Iftimie – Optical analogues of chiral fermions in graphene, J. Opt. 15, 035710, 2013
  7. D. Dragoman – Influence of light polarization on the analogy between ballistic nanostructures and the electromagnetic field, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 29, 1528-1534, 2012
  8. A. Radu, D. Dragoman, S. Iftimie – Steering and collimating ballistic electrons with amphoteric refraction, J. Appl. Phys. 112, 024318, 2012
  9. A. Dumitriu, D. Dragoman – Composite metamaterial for ballistic electrons, J. Phys. D 45, 485104, 2012
b) contributions to international conferences/workshops:
  1. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, A.I. Calugar, A.-M. Raduta, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Optimization growth procedure of metallic segmented Ni nanowires for sensing devices, 11th International Conf. on Physics of Advanced Materials, 8-14 Sept. 2016, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  2. S. Iftimie, A. Radu, A.I. Calugar, B. Bita, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Study of morphological, structural and electrical properties of Ni:Cu segmented nanowires, 11th International Conf. on Physics of Advanced Materials, 8-14 Sept. 2016, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  3. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, A.I. Calugar, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Optimization of metallic segmented nanowires fabrication process using Al2O3 template, 16th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, 7-9 July 2016, Constanta, Romania
  4. S. Iftimie, A. Radu, A.I. Calugar, B. Bita, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Study of physical properties of Ni:Cu segmented nanowires for sensing devices, 16th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, 7-9 July 2016, Constanta, Romania
  5. D. Dragoman – Light-inspired ballistic nanostructure configurations, 16th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, 7-9 July 2016, Constanta, Romania (plenary)
  6. D. Dragoman – Analogies between light and electrons in nanostructures. Applications, TIM 15-16 Physics Conference, 26-28 May 2016, Timisoara, Romania (invited contribution)
  7. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, L. Ion, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Study of magnetic response of segmented Cu/Ni nanowires, TIM 15-16 Physics Conference, 26-28 May 2016, Timisoara, Romania
  8. T.L. Mitran, G.A. Nemnes, L. Ion, D. Dragoman – Ballistic electron transport in wrinkled metamaterials, 8th International Conference on Advanced Materials (ROCAM 2015), 7-10 July 2015, Bucharest, Romania (rocam.unibuc.ro/rocam2015/Program_ROCAM2015_v8.pdf)
  9. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, T.L. Mitran, L. Ion, S. Dulcea, M. Mitrea, S. Antohe, D. Dragoman – Tunable magnetic response of segmented Cu/Ni nanowires, E-MRS (European Materials Research Society) Spring Meeting, 11-15 May 2015, Lille, France (www.european-mrs.com/2015-spring-symposium-ff-european-materials-research-society)
  10. T.L. Mitran, G.A. Nemnes, L. Ion, S. Iftimie, A. Radu, D. Dragoman – Ballistic scattering on nanoribbons with controlled disorder, EMRS 2014 Fall Meeting, 15-19 Sept., Warsaw, Poland
  11. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, T.L. Mitran, L. Ion, D. Dragoman – Ni nanowire arrays as glucose sensor, 2014 Fall Meeting, 15-19 Sept., Warsaw, Poland
  12. T. L. Mitran, L. Ion, D. Dragoman, Ballistic transport in disordered nanoribbons, 36th International Conferences, Oct, 14-16, 1013, Sinaia, Romania, pp 251-254
  13. A. Radu, S. Iftimie, D. Dragoman – Manipulating ballistic electrons by refraction at an interface between isotropic and anisotropic media, Proc. of 35th International Semiconductor Conf., Sinaia, Romania, 2012, pp. 113-116
  14. A. Dumitriu, D. Dragoman – Ballistic electron propagation in a composite metamaterial, Proc. of 35th International Semiconductor Conf., Sinaia, Romania, 2012, pp. 487-490
  15. S. Iftimie, A. Radu, D. Dragoman – Optical testing of ballistic transport in graphene devices, EMRS 2012 fall meeting, Poster
  16. D. Dragoman – Classical optical analogies of ballistic charge carriers in graphene, 518. WE Heraeus Seminar on Quantum-Optical Analogies: a Bridge Between Classical and Quantum Physics, invited paper
  17. S. Iftimie, A. Radu, D. Dragoman – Optical analogies of quantum chirality, 518. WE Heraeus Seminar on Quantum-Optical Analogies: a Bridge Between Classical and Quantum Physics, Poster

Last updated 29-sept-2016