Francesc Malet

Electronic structure of few-electron concentric double quantum rings

The ground state structure of few-electron concentric double quantum rings is investigated within the local spin density approximation. Signatures of inter-ring coupling in the addition energy spectrum are identified and discussed. We show that the electronic configurations in these structures can be greatly modulated by the inter-ring distance: At short and long distances the low-lying electron states localize in the inner and outer rings, respectively, and the energy structure is essentially that of an isolated single quantum ring. However, at intermediate distances the electron states localized in the inner and the outer ring become quasidegenerate and a rather entangled, strongly-correlated system is formed.

Spin-orbit effects in GaAs quantum wells: Interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and Zeeman interactions

12 pages.-- PACS numbers: 73.21.Fg, 73.22.Dj, 73.22.Lp.-- Final full-text version of the paper available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.115303.

Wigner localization in quantum dots from Kohn-Sham density functional theory without symmetry breaking

We address low-density two-dimensional circular quantum dots with spin-restricted Kohn-Sham density functional theory. By using an exchange-correlation functional that encodes the effects of the strongly correlated regime (and that becomes exact in the limit of infinite correlation), we are able to reproduce characteristic phenomena such as the formation of ring structures in the electronic total density, preserving the fundamental circular symmetry of the system. The observation of this and other well-known effects in Wigner-localized quantum dots such as the flattening of the addition energy spectra has until now only been within the scope of other, numerically more demanding theoretical approaches.

Rotational properties of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates confined in anisotropic harmonic potentials

We study the rotational properties of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a quasi-two-dimensional anisotropic trap for an arbitrary orientation of the dipoles with respect to their plane of motion. Within the mean-field approximation, we find that the lowest-energy state of the system depends strongly on the relative strength between the dipolar and the contact interactions, as well as on the size and the orientation of the dipoles and the size and the orientation of the deformation of the trapping potential.

Vertically coupled double quantum rings at zero magnetic field

Within local-spin-density functional theory, we have investigated the ‘dissociation’ of fewelectron circular vertical semiconductor double quantum ring artificial molecules at zero magnetic field as a function of inter-ring distance. In a first step, the molecules are constituted by two identical quantum rings. When the rings are quantum mechanically strongly coupled, the electronic states are substantially delocalized, and the addition energy spectra of the artificial molecule resemble those of a single quantum ring in the few-electron limit. When the rings are quantum mechanically weakly coupled, the electronic states in the molecule are substantially localized in one ring or the other, although the rings can be electrostatically coupled. The effect of a slight mismatch introduced in the molecules from nominally identical quantum wells, or from changes in the inner radius of the constituent rings, induces localization by offsetting the energy levels in the quantum rings. This plays a crucial role in the appearance of the addition spectra as a function of coupling strength particularly in the weak coupling limit.

Mixtures of Bose gases confined in concentrically coupled annular traps

A two-component Bose-Einstein condensate confined in an axially symmetric potential with two local minima, resembling two concentric annular traps, is investigated. The system shows a number of phase transitions that result from the competition between phase coexistence and radial-azimuthal phase separation. The ground-state phase diagram, as well as the rotational properties, including the (meta) stability of currents in this system, is analyzed.

Optical response of two-dimensional few-electron concentric double quantum rings : A local-spin-density-functional theory study

4 pages.-- PACS numbers: 73.21.-b, 73.22.-f, 71.15.Mb.-- ArXiv pre-print: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0610841.-- Final full-text version of the paper available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.193309.

Persistent currents in Bose gases confined in annular traps

We examine the problem of stability of persistent currents in a mixture of two Bose gases trapped in an annular potential. We evaluate the critical coupling for metastability in the transition from quasi-one- to two-dimensional motion. We also evaluate the critical coupling for metastability in a mixture of two species as a function of the population imbalance. The stability of the currents is shown to be sensitive to the deviation from one-dimensional motion.

Density-Functional Theory for Strongly Correlated Bosonic and Fermionic Ultracold Dipolar and Ionic Gases

We introduce a density functional formalism to study the ground-state properties of strongly correlated dipolar and ionic ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases, based on the self-consistent combination of the weak and the strong coupling limits. Contrary to conventional density functional approaches, our formalism does not require a previous calculation of the interacting homogeneous gas, and it is thus very suitable to treat systems with tunable long-range interactions. Because of its asymptotic exactness in the regime of strong correlation, the formalism works for systems in which standard mean-field theories fail.

Spin-orbit-enhanced Wigner localization in quantum dots

We investigate quantum dots with Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the strongly-correlated regime. We show that the presence of the Rashba interaction enhances the Wigner localization in these systems, making it achievable for higher densities than those at which it is observed in Rashba-free quantum dots. Recurring shapes in the pair distribution functions of the yrast spectrum, which might be associated with rotational and vibrational modes, are also reported.