Oscillating paramagnetic Meissner effect and Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ monolayer

Monolayers of a prototypical cuprate high transition-temperature (TC) superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) was recently found to show TC and other electronic properties similar to those of the bulk. The robustness of superconductivity in an ideal two-dimensional (2D) system was an intriguing fact that defied the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Here, we took advantage of the high sensitivity of scanning SQUID susceptometry to image the phase stiffness throughout the phase transition of Bi2212 in the 2D limit. We found susceptibility oscillated with flux between diamagnetism and paramagnetism in a Fraunhofer-like pattern up till TC. The temperature and sample size-dependence of the modulation period agreed well with our Coulomb gas analogy of a finite 2D system based on Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) transition. In the multilayers, the susceptibility oscillation differed in a small temperature regime below TC in consistent with a dimensional-crossover led by interlayer coupling. Serving as strong evidence of BKT transition in the bulk, there appeared a sharp superfluid density jump at zero-field and paramagnetism at small fields just below TC. These results unified the phase transitions from the monolayer Bi2212 to the bulk as BKT transition with finite interlayer coupling. This elucidating picture favored the pre-formed pairs scenario for the underdoped cuprates regardless of lattice dimensionality.

Dielectric Confinement and Exciton Fine Structure in Lead Halide Perovskite Nanoplatelets

Owing to their flexible chemical synthesis and the ability to shape nanostructures, lead halide perovskites have emerged as high potential materials for optoelectronic devices. Here, we investigate the excitonic band edge states and their energies levels in colloidal inorganic lead halide nanoplatelets, particularly the influence of dielectric effects, in a thin quasi-2D system. We use a model including band offset and dielectric confinements in the presence of Coulomb interaction. Short- and long-range contributions, modified by dielectric effects, are also derived, leading to a full modelization of the exciton fine structure, in cubic, tetragonal and orthorhombic phases. The fine splitting structure, including dark and bright excitonic states, is discussed and compared to recent experimental results, showing the importance of both confinement and dielectric contributions.

Transport through the network of topological channels in HgTe based quantum well

Topological insulators represent a new quantum state of matter which is characterized by edge or surface states and an insulating band gap in the bulk. In a two dimensional (2D) system based on the HgTe quantum well (QW) of critical width random deviations of the well width from its average value result in local crossovers from zero gap 2D Dirac fermion system to either the 2D topological insulator or the ordinary insulator, forming a complicated in-plane network of helical channels along the zero-gap lines. We have studied experimentally the transport properties of the critical width HgTe quantum wells near the Dirac point, where the conductance is determined by a percolation along the zero-gap lines. The experimental results confirm the presence of percolating conducting channels of a finite width. Our work establishes the critical width HgTe QW as a promising platform for the study of the interplay between topology and localization.

The anomalous behavior of liquids in three-dimensional and two-dimensional spaces

Using a molecular dynamics method water-like anomalies in a core-softened system depending on the potential parameters and space dimension were investigated. We have examined the anomalies of density, diffusion and structure and have shown that the sequence of anomalous regions cardinally depends on the repulsive step width and space dimension. Thus, in a three-dimensional (3D) system with small values of the step width the sequence of anomalous regions is the same as in water, whereas in a two-dimensional (2D) system – as in liquid silica. With an increase in the step width, an inversion of the regions of the diffusion anomaly and of the density anomaly is observed. Such an unusual sequence of anomalous regions different from water and liquid silica is exclusively caused by the step width and does not depend on the space dimension.

Nonreciprocal and Directional Wave Propagation in a Two-Dimensional Lattice With Bilinear Properties

A passive method of realizing nonreciprocal wave propagation in a two-dimensional (2D) lattice is proposed, using bilinear springs combined with the necessary spatial asymmetry to provide a stable and strong departure from reciprocity. The bilinear property is unique among nonlinear mechanisms in that it is independent of amplitude but sensitive to the sign of the wave motion; the 2D setup allows the flexibility of generating spatial asymmetry at both small and large scales. The starting point is a linear 2D monatomic spring-mass lattice with strong directionally dependent wave propagation. The source and receiver are aligned so that there is virtually no direct wave transmission between them. Adding a region of bilinearity combined with spatial asymmetry that is not in the direct path between the source and receiver causes signal transmission via nonreciprocal scattering. A variety of spatially asymmetric bilinear configurations are considered, ranging from compact modulations confined within the unit cell to extended ones over the whole section, to obtain different dynamic nonreciprocal effects. Simulations illustrate how the combination of bilinearity and spatial asymmetry ensures a passive amplitude-independent nonreciprocal 2D system for a variety of different excitations.

Harmonically confined Bose–Einstein condensation on the surface of a cylinder

It is well known that Bose–Einstein condensation cannot occur in a free two-dimensional (2D) system. Recently, several studies have showed that BEC can occur on the surface of a sphere. We investigate BEC on the surface of cylinder on both sides of which atoms are confined in a one-dimensional (1D) harmonic potential. In this work, only the non-interacting Bose gas is considered. We determine the critical temperature and the condensate fraction in the geometry using the semi-classical approximation. Moreover, the thermodynamic properties of ideal bosons are also studied using the grand canonical partition function.

Visualization of Chemical Heavy Oil EOR Displacement Mechanisms in a 2D System

This study aims to develop a visual understanding of the macro-displacement mechanisms associated with heavy oil recovery by water and chemical flooding in a 2D system. The sweep efficiency improvements by water, surfactant, polymer, and surfactant-polymer (SP) were evaluated in a Hele-Shaw cell with no local pore-level trapping of fluids. The results demonstrated that displacement performance is highly correlated to the mobility ratio between the fluids. Surfactant and water reached similar oil recovery values at similar mobility ratios; however, they exhibited different flow patterns in the 2D system—reductions in IFT can lead to the formation of emulsions and alter flow pathways, but in the absence of porous media these do not lead to significant improvements in oil recovery. Polymer flooding displayed a more stable front and a higher reduction in viscous fingering. Oil recovery by SP was achieved mostly by polymer rather than due to the effect of the surfactant. The surfactant in the SP slug washed out residual oil in the swept zone without increasing the swept area. This shows the impact of the surfactant on reducing the oil saturation in water-swept zones, but the overall oil recovery was still controlled by the injection of polymer. This study provides insight into the fluid flow behavior in diverging flow paths, as opposed to linear core floods that have limited pathways. The visualization of bulk liquid interactions between different types of injection fluids and oil in the Hele-Shaw cell might assist in the screening process for new chemicals and aid in testing the production process.