-
Dynamical patterns and nonreciprocal effective interactions in an active-passive mixture through exact hydrodynamic analysis
Authors:
James Mason,
Robert L. Jack,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
The formation of dynamical patterns is one of the most striking features of nonequilibrium physical systems. Recent work has shown that such patterns arise generically from forces that violate Newton's third law, known as nonreciprocal interactions. These nonequilibrium phenomena are challenging for modern theories. Here, we introduce a model mixture of active (self-propelled) and passive (diffusi…
▽ More
The formation of dynamical patterns is one of the most striking features of nonequilibrium physical systems. Recent work has shown that such patterns arise generically from forces that violate Newton's third law, known as nonreciprocal interactions. These nonequilibrium phenomena are challenging for modern theories. Here, we introduce a model mixture of active (self-propelled) and passive (diffusive) particles amenable to exact mathematical analysis. We exploit state-of-the-art methods to derive exact hydrodynamic equations for the particle densities, which reveal effective nonreciprocal couplings between the active and passive species. We study the resulting collective behavior, including the linear stability of homogeneous states and phase coexistence in large systems. This reveals a novel phase diagram with the spinodal associated with active phase separation protruding through the associated binodal, heralding the emergence of dynamical steady states. We analyze these states in the thermodynamic limit of large system size, showing, for example, that sharp interfaces may travel at finite velocities, but traveling phase-separated states are forbidden. The model's mathematical tractability enables precise new conclusions beyond those available by numerical simulation of particle models or field theories.
△ Less
Submitted 23 August, 2025; v1 submitted 7 August, 2024;
originally announced August 2024.
-
Exact hydrodynamics and onset of phase separation for an active exclusion process
Authors:
James Mason,
Clement Erignoux,
Robert Jack,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
We consider a lattice model of active matter with exclusion and derive its hydrodynamic description exactly. The hydrodynamic limit leads to an integro-differential equation for the density of particles with a given orientation. Volume exclusion results in nonlinear mobility dependent on spatial density. Such models of active matter can support motility-induced phase separation, which occurs despi…
▽ More
We consider a lattice model of active matter with exclusion and derive its hydrodynamic description exactly. The hydrodynamic limit leads to an integro-differential equation for the density of particles with a given orientation. Volume exclusion results in nonlinear mobility dependent on spatial density. Such models of active matter can support motility-induced phase separation, which occurs despite the absence of attractive interactions. We study the onset of phase separation with linear stability analysis and numerical simulations.
△ Less
Submitted 30 October, 2023; v1 submitted 21 July, 2023;
originally announced July 2023.
-
Macroscopic behaviour in a two-species exclusion process via the method of matched asymptotics
Authors:
James Mason,
Robert L Jack,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
We consider a two-species simple exclusion process on a periodic lattice. We use the method of matched asymptotics to derive evolution equations for the two population densities in the dilute regime, namely a cross-diffusion system of partial differential equations for the two species densities. First, our result captures non-trivial interaction terms neglected in the mean-field approach, includin…
▽ More
We consider a two-species simple exclusion process on a periodic lattice. We use the method of matched asymptotics to derive evolution equations for the two population densities in the dilute regime, namely a cross-diffusion system of partial differential equations for the two species densities. First, our result captures non-trivial interaction terms neglected in the mean-field approach, including a non-diagonal mobility matrix with explicit density dependence. Second, it generalises the rigorous hydrodynamic limit of Quastel [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 45(6), 623--679 (1992)], valid for species with equal jump rates and given in terms of a non-explicit self-diffusion coefficient, to the case of unequal rates in the dilute regime. In the equal-rates case, by combining matched asymptotic approximations in the low- and high-density limits, we obtain a cubic polynomial approximation of the self-diffusion coefficient that is numerically accurate for all densities. This cubic approximation agrees extremely well with numerical simulations. It also coincides with the Taylor expansion up to the second-order in the density of the self-diffusion coefficient obtained using a rigorous recursive method.
△ Less
Submitted 3 January, 2023; v1 submitted 2 March, 2022;
originally announced March 2022.
-
Phase Separation in Systems of Interacting Active Brownian Particles
Authors:
M. Bruna,
M. Burger,
A. Esposito,
S. M. Schulz
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to discuss the mathematical modeling of Brownian active particle systems, a recently popular paradigmatic system for self-propelled particles. We present four microscopic models with different types of repulsive interactions between particles and their associated macroscopic models, which are formally obtained using different coarse-graining methods. The macroscopic limits…
▽ More
The aim of this paper is to discuss the mathematical modeling of Brownian active particle systems, a recently popular paradigmatic system for self-propelled particles. We present four microscopic models with different types of repulsive interactions between particles and their associated macroscopic models, which are formally obtained using different coarse-graining methods. The macroscopic limits are integro-differential equations for the density in phase space (positions and orientations) of the particles and may include nonlinearities in both the diffusive and advective components. In contrast to passive particles, systems of active particles can undergo phase separation without any attractive interactions, a mechanism known as motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). We explore the onset of such a transition for each model in the parameter space of occupied volume fraction and Péclet number via a linear stability analysis and numerical simulations at both the microscopic and macroscopic levels. We establish that one of the models, namely the mean-field model which assumes long-range repulsive interactions, cannot explain the emergence of MIPS. In contrast, MIPS is observed for the remaining three models that assume short-range interactions that localize the interaction terms in space.
△ Less
Submitted 27 May, 2022; v1 submitted 13 October, 2021;
originally announced October 2021.
-
Active Crowds
Authors:
Maria Bruna,
Martin Burger,
Jan-Frederik Pietschmann,
Marie-Therese Wolfram
Abstract:
This chapter focuses on the mathematical modelling of active particles (or agents) in crowded environments. We discuss several microscopic models found in literature and the derivation of the respective macroscopic partial differential equations for the particle density. The macroscopic models share common features, such as cross diffusion or degenerate mobilities. We then take the diversity of ma…
▽ More
This chapter focuses on the mathematical modelling of active particles (or agents) in crowded environments. We discuss several microscopic models found in literature and the derivation of the respective macroscopic partial differential equations for the particle density. The macroscopic models share common features, such as cross diffusion or degenerate mobilities. We then take the diversity of macroscopic models to a uniform structure and work out potential similarities and differences. Moreover, we discuss boundary effects and possible applications in life and social sciences. This is complemented by numerical simulations that highlight the effects of different boundary conditions.
△ Less
Submitted 10 November, 2022; v1 submitted 6 July, 2021;
originally announced July 2021.
-
Coarse graining of a Fokker-Planck equation with excluded volume effects preserving the gradient-flow structure
Authors:
Maria Bruna,
Martin Burger,
José Antonio Carrillo
Abstract:
The propagation of gradient flow structures from microscopic to macroscopic models is a topic of high current interest. In this paper we discuss this propagation in a model for the diffusion of particles interacting via hard-core exclusion or short-range repulsive potentials. We formulate the microscopic model as a high-dimensional gradient flow in the Wasserstein metric for an appropriate free-en…
▽ More
The propagation of gradient flow structures from microscopic to macroscopic models is a topic of high current interest. In this paper we discuss this propagation in a model for the diffusion of particles interacting via hard-core exclusion or short-range repulsive potentials. We formulate the microscopic model as a high-dimensional gradient flow in the Wasserstein metric for an appropriate free-energy functional. Then we use the JKO approach to identify the asymptotics of the metric and the free-energy functional beyond the lowest order for single particle densities in the limit of small particle volumes by matched asymptotic expansions. While we use a propagation of chaos assumption at far distances, we consider correlations at small distance in the expansion. In this way we obtain a clear picture of the emergence of a macroscopic gradient structure incorporating corrections in the free energy functional due to the volume exclusion.
△ Less
Submitted 17 August, 2020; v1 submitted 18 February, 2020;
originally announced February 2020.
-
A one-dimensional model for chemotaxis with hard-core interactions
Authors:
Tertius Ralph,
Stephen W. Taylor,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
In this paper we consider a biased velocity jump process with excluded-volume interactions for chemotaxis, where we account for the size of each particle. Starting with a system of N individual hard rod particles in one dimension, we derive a nonlinear kinetic model using two different approaches. The first approach is a systematic derivation for small occupied fraction of particles based the meth…
▽ More
In this paper we consider a biased velocity jump process with excluded-volume interactions for chemotaxis, where we account for the size of each particle. Starting with a system of N individual hard rod particles in one dimension, we derive a nonlinear kinetic model using two different approaches. The first approach is a systematic derivation for small occupied fraction of particles based the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The second approach, based on a compression method that exploits the single-file motion of hard core particles, does not have the limitation of a small occupied fraction but requires constant tumbling rates. We validate our nonlinear model with numerical simulations, comparing its solutions with the corresponding noninteracting linear model as well as stochastic simulations of the underlying particle system.
△ Less
Submitted 5 February, 2020; v1 submitted 17 October, 2019;
originally announced October 2019.
-
Reactions, Diffusion and Volume Exclusion in a Heterogeneous System of Interacting Particles
Authors:
Daniel Wilson,
Helen Byrne,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
Complex biological and physical transport processes are often described through systems of interacting particles. Excluded-volume effects on these transport processes are well studied, however the interplay between volume exclusion and reactions between heterogenous particles is less well known. In this paper we develop a novel framework for modeling reaction-diffusion processes which directly inc…
▽ More
Complex biological and physical transport processes are often described through systems of interacting particles. Excluded-volume effects on these transport processes are well studied, however the interplay between volume exclusion and reactions between heterogenous particles is less well known. In this paper we develop a novel framework for modeling reaction-diffusion processes which directly incorporates volume exclusion. From an off-lattice microscopic individual based model we use the Fokker--Planck equation and the method of matched asymptotic expansions to derive a low-dimensional macroscopic system of nonlinear partial differential equations describing the evolution of the particles. A biologically motivated, hybrid model of chemotaxis with volume exclusion is explored, where reactions occur at rates dependent upon the chemotactic environment. Further, we show that for reactions due to contact interactions the appropriate reaction term in the macroscopic model is of lower order in the asymptotic expansion than the nonlinear diffusion term. However, we find that the next reaction term in the expansion is needed to ensure good agreement with simulations of the microscopic model. Our macroscopic model allows for more direct parameterization to experimental data than the models available to date.
△ Less
Submitted 2 April, 2018; v1 submitted 28 April, 2017;
originally announced May 2017.
-
Particle-based and Meshless Methods with Aboria
Authors:
Martin Robinson,
Maria Bruna
Abstract:
Aboria is a powerful and flexible C++ library for the implementation of particle-based numerical methods. The particles in such methods can represent actual particles (e.g. Molecular Dynamics) or abstract particles used to discretise a continuous function over a domain (e.g. Radial Basis Functions). Aboria provides a particle container, compatible with the Standard Template Library, spatial search…
▽ More
Aboria is a powerful and flexible C++ library for the implementation of particle-based numerical methods. The particles in such methods can represent actual particles (e.g. Molecular Dynamics) or abstract particles used to discretise a continuous function over a domain (e.g. Radial Basis Functions). Aboria provides a particle container, compatible with the Standard Template Library, spatial search data structures, and a Domain Specific Language to specify non-linear operators on the particle set. This paper gives an overview of Aboria's design, an example of use, and a performance benchmark.
△ Less
Submitted 11 October, 2017; v1 submitted 28 April, 2017;
originally announced April 2017.
-
Diffusion of particles with short-range interactions
Authors:
Maria Bruna,
S. Jonathan Chapman,
Martin Robinson
Abstract:
A system of interacting Brownian particles subject to short-range repulsive potentials is considered. A continuum description in the form of a nonlinear diffusion equation is derived systematically in the dilute limit using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Numerical simulations are performed to compare the results of the model with those of the commonly used mean-field and Kirkwood-sup…
▽ More
A system of interacting Brownian particles subject to short-range repulsive potentials is considered. A continuum description in the form of a nonlinear diffusion equation is derived systematically in the dilute limit using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Numerical simulations are performed to compare the results of the model with those of the commonly used mean-field and Kirkwood-superposition approximations, as well as with Monte Carlo simulation of the stochastic particle system, for various interaction potentials. Our approach works best for very repulsive short-range potentials, while the mean-field approximation is suitable for long-range interactions. The Kirkwood superposition approximation provides an accurate description for both short- and long-range potentials, but is considerably more computationally intensive.
△ Less
Submitted 10 October, 2017; v1 submitted 27 February, 2017;
originally announced March 2017.
-
Carrier mobility and scattering lifetime in electric double-layer gated few-layer graphene
Authors:
E. Piatti,
S. Galasso,
M. Tortello,
J. R. Nair,
C. Gerbaldi,
D. Daghero,
M. Bruna,
S. Borini,
R. S. Gonnelli
Abstract:
We fabricate electric double-layer field-effect transistor (EDL-FET) devices on mechanically exfoliated few-layer graphene. We exploit the large capacitance of a polymeric electrolyte to study the transport properties of three, four and five-layer samples under a large induced surface charge density both above and below the glass transition temperature of the polymer. We find that the carrier mobi…
▽ More
We fabricate electric double-layer field-effect transistor (EDL-FET) devices on mechanically exfoliated few-layer graphene. We exploit the large capacitance of a polymeric electrolyte to study the transport properties of three, four and five-layer samples under a large induced surface charge density both above and below the glass transition temperature of the polymer. We find that the carrier mobility shows a strong asymmetry between the hole and electron doping regime. We then employ ab-initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine the average scattering lifetime from the experimental data. We explain its peculiar dependence on the carrier density in terms of the specific properties of the electrolyte we used in our experiments.
△ Less
Submitted 10 January, 2017;
originally announced January 2017.
-
Weak Localization in Electric-Double-Layer Gated Few-layer Graphene
Authors:
R. S. Gonnelli,
E. Piatti,
A. Sola,
M. Tortello,
F. Dolcini,
S. Galasso,
J. R. Nair,
C. Gerbaldi,
E. Cappelluti,
M. Bruna,
A. C. Ferrari
Abstract:
We induce surface carrier densities up to $\sim7\cdot 10^{14}$cm$^{-2}$ in few-layer graphene devices by electric double layer gating with a polymeric electrolyte. In 3-, 4- and 5-layer graphene below 20-30K we observe a logarithmic upturn of resistance that we attribute to weak localization in the diffusive regime. By studying this effect as a function of carrier density and with ab-initio calcul…
▽ More
We induce surface carrier densities up to $\sim7\cdot 10^{14}$cm$^{-2}$ in few-layer graphene devices by electric double layer gating with a polymeric electrolyte. In 3-, 4- and 5-layer graphene below 20-30K we observe a logarithmic upturn of resistance that we attribute to weak localization in the diffusive regime. By studying this effect as a function of carrier density and with ab-initio calculations we derive the dependence of transport, intervalley and phase coherence scattering lifetimes on total carrier density. We find that electron-electron scattering in the Nyquist regime is the main source of dephasing at temperatures lower than 30K in the $\sim10^{13}$cm$^{-2}$ to $\sim7 \cdot 10^{14}$cm$^{-2}$ range of carrier densities. With the increase of gate voltage, transport elastic scattering is dominated by the competing effects due to the increase in both carrier density and charged scattering centers at the surface. We also tune our devices into a crossover regime between weak and strong localization, indicating that simultaneous tunability of both carrier and defect density at the surface of electric double layer gated materials is possible.
△ Less
Submitted 28 October, 2016;
originally announced October 2016.
-
Graphene-based, mid-infrared, room-temperature pyroelectric bolometers with ultrahigh temperature coefficient of resistance
Authors:
U. Sassi,
R. Parret,
S. Nanot,
M. Bruna,
S. Borini,
S. Milana,
D. De Fazio,
Z. Zhuang,
E. Lidorikis,
F. H. L. Koppens,
A. C. Ferrari,
A. Colli
Abstract:
Graphene is ideally suited for photonic and optoelectronic applications, with a variety of photodetectors (PDs) in the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and THz reported to date, as well as thermal detectors in the mid-infrared (MIR). Here, we present a room temperature-MIR-PD where the pyroelectric response of a LiNbO3 crystal is transduced with high gain (up to 200) into resistivity modulation for g…
▽ More
Graphene is ideally suited for photonic and optoelectronic applications, with a variety of photodetectors (PDs) in the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and THz reported to date, as well as thermal detectors in the mid-infrared (MIR). Here, we present a room temperature-MIR-PD where the pyroelectric response of a LiNbO3 crystal is transduced with high gain (up to 200) into resistivity modulation for graphene, leading to a temperature coefficient of resistance up to 900%/K, two orders of magnitude higher than the state of the art, for a device area of 300x300um2. This is achieved by fabricating a floating metallic structure that concentrates the charge generated by the pyroelectric substrate on the top-gate capacitor of the graphene channel. This allows us to resolve temperature variations down to 15umK at 1 Hz, paving the way for a new generation of detectors for MIR imaging and spectroscopy
△ Less
Submitted 1 August, 2016;
originally announced August 2016.
-
Raman fingerprints of atomically precise graphene nanoribbons
Authors:
Ivan A. Verzhbitskiy,
Marzio De Corato,
Alice Ruini,
Elisa Molinari,
Akimitsu Narita,
Yunbin Hu,
Matthias Georg Schwab,
M. Bruna,
D. Yoon,
S. Milana,
Xinliang Feng,
Klaus Müllen,
Andrea C. Ferrari,
Cinzia Casiraghi,
Deborah Prezzi
Abstract:
Bottom-up approaches allow the production of ultra-narrow and atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), with electronic and optical properties controlled by the specific atomic structure. Combining Raman spectroscopy and ab-initio simulations, we show that GNR width, edge geometry and functional groups all influence their Raman spectra. The low-energy spectral region below 1000 cm-1 is parti…
▽ More
Bottom-up approaches allow the production of ultra-narrow and atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), with electronic and optical properties controlled by the specific atomic structure. Combining Raman spectroscopy and ab-initio simulations, we show that GNR width, edge geometry and functional groups all influence their Raman spectra. The low-energy spectral region below 1000 cm-1 is particularly sensitive to edge morphology and functionalization, while the D peak dispersion can be used to uniquely fingerprint the presence of GNRs, and differentiates them from other sp2 carbon nanostructures.
△ Less
Submitted 13 May, 2016;
originally announced May 2016.
-
High Responsivity, Large-Area Graphene/MoS2 Flexible Photodetectors
Authors:
D. De Fazio,
I. Goykhman,
M. Bruna,
A. Eiden,
S. Milana,
D. Yoon,
U. Sassi,
M. Barbone,
D. Dumcenco,
K. Marinov,
A. Kis,
A. C. Ferrari
Abstract:
We present flexible photodetectors (PDs) for visible wavelengths fabricated by stacking centimetre-scale chemical vapour deposited (CVD) single layer graphene (SLG) and single layer CVD MoS2, both wet transferred onto a flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate. The operation mechanism relies on injection of photoexcited electrons from MoS2 to the SLG channel. The external responsivity is 45.5…
▽ More
We present flexible photodetectors (PDs) for visible wavelengths fabricated by stacking centimetre-scale chemical vapour deposited (CVD) single layer graphene (SLG) and single layer CVD MoS2, both wet transferred onto a flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate. The operation mechanism relies on injection of photoexcited electrons from MoS2 to the SLG channel. The external responsivity is 45.5A/W and the internal 570A/W at 642nm. This is at least two orders of magnitude higher than bulk-semiconductor flexible membranes and other flexible PDs based on graphene and layered materials. The photoconductive gain is up to 4x10^5. The photocurrent is in the 0.1-100 uA range. The devices are semi-transparent, with just 8% absorption at 642nm and work stably upon bending to a curvature of 6cm. These capabilities and the low voltage operation (<1V) make them attractive for wearable applications.
△ Less
Submitted 27 December, 2015;
originally announced December 2015.
-
Silk reinforced with graphene or carbon nanotubes spun by spiders
Authors:
Emiliano Lepore,
Francesco Bonaccorso,
Matteo Bruna,
Federico Bosia,
Simone Taioli,
Giovanni Garberoglio,
Andrea. C. Ferrari,
Nicola Maria Pugno
Abstract:
Here, we report the production of silk incorporating graphene and carbon nanotubes directly by spider spinning, after spraying spiders with the corresponding aqueous dispersions. We observe a significant increment of the mechanical properties with respect to the pristine silk, in terms of fracture strength, Young's and toughness moduli. We measure a fracture strength up to 5.4 GPa, a Young's modul…
▽ More
Here, we report the production of silk incorporating graphene and carbon nanotubes directly by spider spinning, after spraying spiders with the corresponding aqueous dispersions. We observe a significant increment of the mechanical properties with respect to the pristine silk, in terms of fracture strength, Young's and toughness moduli. We measure a fracture strength up to 5.4 GPa, a Young's modulus up to 47.8 GPa and a toughness modulus up to 2.1 GPa, or 1567 J/g, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest reported to date, even when compared to the current toughest knotted fibres. This approach could be extended to other animals and plants and could lead to a new class of bionic materials for ultimate applications.
△ Less
Submitted 25 April, 2015;
originally announced April 2015.
-
Temperature Dependence of Electric Transport in Few-layer Graphene under Large Charge Doping Induced by Electrochemical Gating
Authors:
R. S. Gonnelli,
F. Paolucci,
E. Piatti,
Kanudha Sharda,
A. Sola,
M. Tortello,
Jijeesh R. Nair,
C. Gerbaldi,
M. Bruna,
S. Borini
Abstract:
The temperature dependence of electric transport properties of single-layer and few-layer graphene at large charge doping is of great interest both for the study of the scattering processes dominating the conductivity at different temperatures and in view of the theoretically predicted possibility to reach the superconducting state in such extreme conditions. Here we present the results obtained i…
▽ More
The temperature dependence of electric transport properties of single-layer and few-layer graphene at large charge doping is of great interest both for the study of the scattering processes dominating the conductivity at different temperatures and in view of the theoretically predicted possibility to reach the superconducting state in such extreme conditions. Here we present the results obtained in 3-, 4- and 5-layer graphene devices down to 3.5 K, where a large surface charge density up to about 6.8x10^14 cm^(-2) has been reached by employing a novel polymer electrolyte solution for the electrochemical gating. In contrast with recent results obtained in single-layer graphene, the temperature dependence of the sheet resistance between 20 K and 280 K shows a low-temperature dominance of a T^2 component - that can be associated with electron-electron scattering - and, at about 100 K, a crossover to the classic electron-phonon regime. Unexpectedly this crossover does not show any dependence on the induced charge density, i.e. on the large tuning of the Fermi energy.
△ Less
Submitted 4 March, 2015;
originally announced March 2015.
-
Valley and spin dynamics in monolayer MoS$_{2}$
Authors:
S. Dal Conte,
F. Bottegoni,
E. A. A. Pogna,
S. Ambrogio,
I. Bargigia,
C. D'Andrea,
D. De Fazio,
A. Lombardo,
M. Bruna,
F. Ciccacci,
A. C. Ferrari,
G. Cerullo,
M. Finazzi
Abstract:
Valleytronics targets the exploitation of the additional degrees of freedom in materials where the energy of the carriers may assume several equal minimum values (valleys) at non-equivalent points of the reciprocal space. In single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) the lack of inversion symmetry, combined with a large spin-orbit interaction, leads to a conduction (valence) band wit…
▽ More
Valleytronics targets the exploitation of the additional degrees of freedom in materials where the energy of the carriers may assume several equal minimum values (valleys) at non-equivalent points of the reciprocal space. In single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) the lack of inversion symmetry, combined with a large spin-orbit interaction, leads to a conduction (valence) band with different spin-polarized minima (maxima) having equal energies. This offers the opportunity to manipulate information at the level of the charge (electrons or holes), spin (up or down) and crystal momentum (valley). Any implementation of these concepts, however, needs to consider the robustness of such degrees of freedom, which are deeply intertwined. Here we address the spin and valley relaxation dynamics of both electrons and holes with a combination of ultrafast optical spectroscopy techniques, and determine the individual characteristic relaxation times of charge, spin and valley in a MoS$_{2}$ monolayer. These results lay the foundations for understanding the mechanisms of spin and valley polarization loss in two-dimensional TMDs: spin/valley polarizations survive almost two-orders of magnitude longer for holes, where spin and valley dynamics are interlocked, than for electrons, where these degrees of freedom are decoupled. This may lead to novel approaches for the integration of materials with large spin-orbit in robust spintronic/valleytronic platforms.
△ Less
Submitted 24 February, 2015;
originally announced February 2015.
-
Diffusion in spatially varying porous media
Authors:
Maria Bruna,
S. Jonathan Chapman
Abstract:
The problem of diffusion in a porous medium with a spatially varying porosity is considered. The particular microstructure analyzed comprises a collection of impenetrable spheres, though the methods developed are general. Two different approaches for calculating the effective diffusion coefficient as a function of the microstructure are presented. The first is a deterministic approach based on the…
▽ More
The problem of diffusion in a porous medium with a spatially varying porosity is considered. The particular microstructure analyzed comprises a collection of impenetrable spheres, though the methods developed are general. Two different approaches for calculating the effective diffusion coefficient as a function of the microstructure are presented. The first is a deterministic approach based on the method of multiple scales; the second is a stochastic approach for small volume fraction of spheres based on matched asymptotic expansions. We compare the two approaches, and we show good agreement between them in a number of example configurations.
△ Less
Submitted 5 June, 2015; v1 submitted 23 January, 2015;
originally announced January 2015.
-
Doping dependence of the Raman spectrum of defected graphene
Authors:
M. Bruna,
A. K. Ott,
M. Ijas,
D. Yoon,
U. Sassi,
A. C. Ferrari
Abstract:
We investigate the evolution of the Raman spectrum of defected graphene as a function of doping. Polymer electrolyte gating allows us to move the Fermi level up to 0.7eV, as monitored by \textit{in-situ} Hall-effect measurements. For a given number of defects, we find that the intensities of the D and D' peaks decrease with increasing doping. We assign this to an increased total scattering rate of…
▽ More
We investigate the evolution of the Raman spectrum of defected graphene as a function of doping. Polymer electrolyte gating allows us to move the Fermi level up to 0.7eV, as monitored by \textit{in-situ} Hall-effect measurements. For a given number of defects, we find that the intensities of the D and D' peaks decrease with increasing doping. We assign this to an increased total scattering rate of the photoexcited electrons and holes, due to the doping-dependent strength of electron-electron scattering. We present a general relation between D peak intensity and defects valid for any doping level
△ Less
Submitted 16 May, 2014;
originally announced May 2014.
-
Electron-hole pairing in graphene-GaAs heterostructures
Authors:
A. Gamucci,
D. Spirito,
M. Carrega,
B. Karmakar,
A. Lombardo,
M. Bruna,
A. C. Ferrari,
L. N. Pfeiffer,
K. W. West,
Marco Polini,
V. Pellegrini
Abstract:
Vertical heterostructures combining different layered materials offer novel opportunities for applications and fundamental studies of collective behavior driven by inter-layer Coulomb coupling. Here we report heterostructures comprising a single-layer (or bilayer) graphene carrying a fluid of massless (massive) chiral carriers, and a quantum well created in GaAs 31.5 nm below the surface, supporti…
▽ More
Vertical heterostructures combining different layered materials offer novel opportunities for applications and fundamental studies of collective behavior driven by inter-layer Coulomb coupling. Here we report heterostructures comprising a single-layer (or bilayer) graphene carrying a fluid of massless (massive) chiral carriers, and a quantum well created in GaAs 31.5 nm below the surface, supporting a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas. These are a new class of double-layer devices composed of spatially-separated electron and hole fluids. We find that the Coulomb drag resistivity significantly increases for temperatures below 5-10 K, following a logarithmic law. This anomalous behavior is a signature of the onset of strong inter-layer correlations, compatible with the formation of a condensate of permanent excitons. The ability to induce strongly-correlated electron-hole states paves the way for the realization of coherent circuits with minimal dissipation and nanodevices including analog-to-digital converters and topologically protected quantum bits.
△ Less
Submitted 5 January, 2014;
originally announced January 2014.
-
High performance bilayer-graphene Terahertz detectors
Authors:
Davide Spirito,
Dominique Coquillat,
Sergio L. De Bonis,
Antonio Lombardo,
Matteo Bruna,
Andrea C. Ferrari,
Vittorio Pellegrini,
Alessandro Tredicucci,
Wojciech Knap,
Miriam S. Vitiello
Abstract:
We report bilayer-graphene field effect transistors operating as THz broadband photodetectors based on plasma-waves excitation. By employing wide-gate geometries or buried gate configurations, we achieve a responsivity $\sim 1.2V/W (1.3 mA/W)$ and a noise equivalent power $\sim 2\times 10^{-9} W/Hz^{-1/2}$ in the 0.29-0.38 THz range, in photovoltage and photocurrent mode. The potential of this tec…
▽ More
We report bilayer-graphene field effect transistors operating as THz broadband photodetectors based on plasma-waves excitation. By employing wide-gate geometries or buried gate configurations, we achieve a responsivity $\sim 1.2V/W (1.3 mA/W)$ and a noise equivalent power $\sim 2\times 10^{-9} W/Hz^{-1/2}$ in the 0.29-0.38 THz range, in photovoltage and photocurrent mode. The potential of this technology for scalability to higher frequencies and the development of flexible devices makes our approach competitive for a future generation of THz detection systems.
△ Less
Submitted 13 December, 2013;
originally announced December 2013.
-
Raman signature of electron-electron correlation in chemically doped few-layer graphene
Authors:
Matteo Bruna,
Stefano Borini
Abstract:
We report an experimental Raman study of few-layer graphene after chemical doping achieved by a plasma process in CHF$_3$ gas. A systematic reduction of both the splitting and the area of the 2D band is observed with increasing the doping level. Both effects can be ascribed to the electron-electron correlation, which on the one hand reduces the electron-phonon coupling strength, and on the other h…
▽ More
We report an experimental Raman study of few-layer graphene after chemical doping achieved by a plasma process in CHF$_3$ gas. A systematic reduction of both the splitting and the area of the 2D band is observed with increasing the doping level. Both effects can be ascribed to the electron-electron correlation, which on the one hand reduces the electron-phonon coupling strength, and on the other hand affects the probability of the double resonant Raman process.
△ Less
Submitted 6 June, 2011;
originally announced June 2011.
-
Excluded-volume effects in the diffusion of hard spheres
Authors:
Maria Bruna,
S. Jonathan Chapman
Abstract:
Excluded-volume effects can play an important role in determining transport properties in diffusion of particles. Here, the diffusion of finite-sized hard-core interacting particles in two or three dimensions is considered systematically using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The result is a nonlinear diffusion equation for the one-particle distribution function, with excluded-volume e…
▽ More
Excluded-volume effects can play an important role in determining transport properties in diffusion of particles. Here, the diffusion of finite-sized hard-core interacting particles in two or three dimensions is considered systematically using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The result is a nonlinear diffusion equation for the one-particle distribution function, with excluded-volume effects enhancing the overall collective diffusion rate. An expression for the effective (collective) diffusion coefficient is obtained. Stochastic simulations of the full particle system are shown to compare well with the solution of this equation for two examples.
△ Less
Submitted 4 January, 2012; v1 submitted 13 December, 2010;
originally announced December 2010.
-
Observation of Raman G-band splitting in top-doped few-layer graphene
Authors:
M. Bruna,
S. Borini
Abstract:
An experimental study of Raman scattering in N-layer graphene as a function of the top layer doping is reported. At high doping level, achieved by a CHF_3 plasma treatment, we observe a splitting of the $G$ band in the spectra of bilayer and 4-layer graphene (N even), whereas the splitting is not visible in case of monolayer and trilayer graphene (N odd). The different behaviors are related to d…
▽ More
An experimental study of Raman scattering in N-layer graphene as a function of the top layer doping is reported. At high doping level, achieved by a CHF_3 plasma treatment, we observe a splitting of the $G$ band in the spectra of bilayer and 4-layer graphene (N even), whereas the splitting is not visible in case of monolayer and trilayer graphene (N odd). The different behaviors are related to distinct electron-phonon interactions, which are affected by symmetry breaking and Fermi level position in different ways in the various N-layer graphenes. In trilayer graphene, a weakening of the electron-phonon coupling as a function of the Fermi energy induces a hardening of all zone-center in-plane optical phonon modes, like in monolayer graphene. On the other hand, in 4-layer graphene two distinct trends are observed in the G band as a function of doping, suggesting the presence of two different groups of electron-phonon interactions, like in bilayer graphene.
△ Less
Submitted 26 February, 2010;
originally announced February 2010.