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As new members of the two-dimensional materials family, MoSi2N4 and WSi2N4 exhibit unique physical properties. However, their optical properties in consideration of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) have not been discussed. In this work, the excited-state properties of MoSi2N4 and WSi2N4 monolayers are studied by means of many-body perturbation theory in combination with first-principles calculations. We find that the quasiparticle correction leads to a large band gap renormalization of more than 1 eV for MoSi2N4 and WSi2N4 monolayers. Because of the SOC, characteristic A and B excitons form with large binding energies of about 1 eV. The excitation energy difference of A and B excitons can be used to well address the spin–valley splitting. MoSi2N4 shows more abundant excitons (A′, B′ and C excitons), turning out to be a promising candidate to explore intra- and inter-exciton transitions. The exciton wave function indicates that the low-energy excitons in MoSi2N4 and WSi2N4 monolayers are confined in the middle MoN2/WN2 layer, which is unfavorable for excitonic photocatalysis. On the other hand, the valley states based on excitons can be protected by SiN layers from both sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the photoluminescence (PL) properties of AlInAsSb digital alloy samples with different periods grown on GaSb (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Temperature-dependent S-shape behavior is observed and explained using a thermally activated redistribution model within a Gaussian distribution of localized states. There are two different mechanisms for the origin of the PL intensity quenching for the AlInAsSb digital alloy. The high-temperature activation energy E 1 is positively correlated with the interface thickness, whereas the low-temperature activation energy E 2 is negatively correlated with the interface thickness. A quantitative high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) study shows that the interface quality improves as the interface thickness increases. Our results confirm that E 1 comes from carrier trapping at a state in the InSb interface layer, while E 2 originates from the exciton binding energy due to the roughness of the AlAs interface layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical fine-tunable layer-hybridized Moiré excitons are highly in demand for emerging many-body states in two-dimensional semiconductors. We report naturally confined layer-hybridized bright Moiré excitons with long lifetimes in twisted hexagonal GaTe bilayers, using ab initio many-body perturbation theory and the Bethe–Salpeter equation. Due to the hybridization of electrons and holes between layers, which enhances the brightness of excitons, the twisted bilayer system becomes attractive for optical applications. We find that in both R and H-type stacking Moiré superlattices, more than 200 meV lateral quantum confinements occur on exciton energies, which results in two scenarios: (1) The ground state bright excitons XA are found to be trapped at two high-symmetry points, with opposite electric dipoles in the R-stacking Moiré supercell, forming a honeycomb superlattice of nearest-neighbor dipolar attraction. (2) For H-stacking case, the XA is found to be trapped at only one high-symmetry point exhibiting a triangular superlattice. Our results suggest that twisted h-GaTe bilayer is one of the promising systems for optical fine-tunable excitonic devices and provide an ideal platform for realizing strong correlated Bose–Hubbard physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The envelope theory (ET) is a reliable and easy to implement method to solve time independent Schrödinger-like equations (eigenvalues and eigenvectors). It is particularly useful to solve many-body systems since the computational cost is independent from the number of particles. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we want to make known a method that is probably too little used. Second, we also want to show that this method can be used as a pedagogical tool, thanks to its simplicity and the reliable results that can be obtained. To reach these goals, the ET is applied to a simple problem in one dimension, the soft-Coulomb potential − k / x 2 + d 2 , characterised by a bias distance d. Such interaction is used for the study of excitons, electron–hole bound pairs where the two charges are kept separated in two different one-dimensional regions (quantum wires). In addition to its physical interest, this system has never been treated with the ET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitons in solid state are bosons generated by electron-hole pairs as the Coulomb screening is sufficiently reduced. The exciton condensation can result in exotic physics such as super-fluidity and insulating state. In charge density wave (CDW) state, 1T-TiSe2 is one of the candidates that may host the exciton condensation. However, to envision its excitonic effect is still challenging, particularly at the two-dimensional limit, which is applicable to future devices. Here, we realize the epitaxial 1T-TiSe2 bilayer, the two-dimensional limit for its 2 × 2 × 2 CDW order, to explore the exciton-associated effect. By means of high-resolution scanning tunneling spectroscopy and quasiparticle interference, we discover an unexpected state residing below the conduction band and right within the CDW gap region. As corroborated by our theoretical analysis, this mysterious phenomenon is in good agreement with the electron-exciton coupling. Our study provides a material platform to explore exciton-based electronics and opto-electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The layered hybrid double perovskites emerged as excellent semiconductor materials owing to their environment compatibility and stability. However, these materials are weakly luminescent, and their photoluminescence (PL) properties can be modulated via doping. While Mn2+ doping in perovskites is well known, but to the best of our knowledge the doping of Mn2+ in layered double perovskites (LDPs) is yet to be explored. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate the doping of Mn2+ in hybrid inorganic-organic two-dimensional (2D) LDPs, (BA)4AgBiBr8 (BAÂ =Â n-butyl amine) via a simple solid-state mechanochemical route. The powder x-ray diffraction pattern, and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis confirm the successful incorporation of Mn2+ ions inside (BA)4AgBiBr8 lattice. The Mn2+ doped 2D LDP shows energy transfer from host excitons to d-electrons of Mn2+ ions, which results in red-shifted broad Mn2+ emission band centered at 625 nm, attributed to the spin-forbidden 4T1 to 6A1 internal transition. This work opens up new possibilities to dope metal ions in 2D LDPs to tune the optical as well as magnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between quantum emitters and photons in the strong coupling regime has received much attention in recent years due to its important position in fundamental and applied physics. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have become ideal candidates for the study of strong light-matter interactions due to the formation of in-plane excitons exhibiting giant oscillator strength with narrow-band, well-pronounced optical transitions, which can be readily coupled to various optical excitations. The study of TMD-based strong coupling are leading to striking discoveries in many applications such as polariton condensation, lasing, all-optical switches and quantum information processing. This review summarizes the recent advances in strong coupling of TMD excitons with different types of nanostructures including traditional optical cavities, plasmonic nanocavities and all-dielectric nanoresonators. We finally discuss the future perspectives and possible directions on the TMD-based strong excitonâ€"photon interactions in strong coupling regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While excitonic insulators (EIs) have been intensively studied, proper platforms of them with stable lattice and non-cryogenic T C are rare. By analysing their Bardeenâ€"Cooperâ€"Schieffer-like gap equation, we propose that high T C EIs can exist in small indirect band gap 2D materials. After screening 2D transition-metal dichalcogenides from existing computational works, we select 2 H -TiTe2 and 1 T -PdTe2, and show that their T C can be as high as 150 to 200 K under strains. A transition of their condensate EI state from that composed by Wannier excitons to that composed by plasmonic ones exists, even if negligible changes are reflected by the EI band structures, demonstrating the rich quantum feature of these systems. The high T C also implies that they are ideal platforms for the demonstration and applications of EIs and their related quantum states in non-cryogenic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission of silicon crystals irradiated by 24 GeV/c protons and reactor neutrons has been measured for photon energies, E Îł , between 0.95 and 1.3 eV. From the transmission data the absorption coefficient α is calculated, and from α (E Îł ) the fluence dependence of the band-gap energy, E gap, and the energy of transverse optical phonons, E ph, determined. It is found that within the experimental uncertainties of about 1 meV neither E gap nor E ph depend on fluence up to the maximum fluence of 1 Ă— 1017 cmâˆ'2 of the measurements. The value of E gap agrees within about 1 meV with the generally accepted value, if an exciton-binding energy of 15 meV is assumed. A similar agreement is found for E ph. For the extraction of E gap and E ph the second derivative of α ( E Îł ) smoothed with a Gaussian kernel has been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have synthesized CdS(1.3 nm)/CdSe(1.7 nm)/CdS(3.4 nm) spherical quantum wells (SQWs) with a diameter of 13 nm and demonstrated the first photon-antibunching from their emission, labelling them as single-photon sources. Antibunching survives even at high excitation intensities, ruling-out strong emission from the bi-exciton. For the largest intensities, antibunching coupled to spectral measurements reveal the signature of a blue-shifted emission, associated to an irreversible photo-aging effect. A statistical analysis over 26 SQWs demonstrates a moderate correlation between the energy of the main and the blue-shifted emission. Intensity-timetraces recorded on 28 single SQWs show weak blinking, with a median time spent in the bright state of 89%. Their emission decay reveals a complex dynamic with either three or four exponential components. We assigned three of them to the neutral and singly-charged excitons and the slowest to defect emission. While SQWs have been initially designed for laser-oriented applications, we demonstrate that they can serve as efficient single-photon sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the wide spectral absorption and ultrafast electron dynamical response under optical excitation, topological insulator (TI) was proposed to have appealing application in next-generation photonic and optoelectronic devices. Whereas, the bandgap-free speciality of Dirac surface states usually leads to a quick relaxation of photoexcited carriers, making the transient excitons difficult to manipulate in isolated TIs. Growth of TI Bi2Te3/Ge heterostructures can promote the specific lifetime and quantity of long-lived excitons, offering the possibility of designing original near-infrared optoelectronic devices, however, the construction of TI Bi2Te3/Ge heterostructures has yet to be investigated. Herein, the high-quality Bi2Te3/Ge heterojunction with clear interface was prepared by physical vapor deposition strategy. A significant photoluminescence quenching behaviour was observed by experiments, which was attributed to the spontaneous excitation transfer of electrons at heterointerface via theoretical analysis. Then, a self-powered heterostructure photodetector was fabricated, which demonstrated a maximal detectivity of 1.3 × 1011 Jones, an optical responsivity of 0.97 A Wâˆ'1, and ultrafast photoresponse speed (12.1 ÎĽ s) under 1064 nm light illumination. This study offers a fundamental understanding of the spontaneous interfacial exciton transfer of TI-based heterostructures, and the as-fabricated photodetectors with excellent performance provided an important step to meet the increasing demand for novel optoelectronic applications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by recent progress in the two-dimensional (2D) materials of group VI elements and their experimental fabrication, we have investigated the stability, optoelectronic and thermal properties of Janus α -Te2S monolayer using first-principles calculations. The phonon dispersion and MD simulations confirm its dynamical and thermal stability. The moderate band gap (∼1.5 eV), ultrahigh carrier mobility (∼103 cm2 Vâˆ'1 sâˆ'1), small exciton binding energy (0.26 eV), broad optical absorption range and charge carrier separation ability due to potential difference (Î" V  = 1.07 eV) on two surfaces of Janus α -Te2S monolayer makes it a promising candidate for solar energy conversion. We propose various type-II heterostructures consisting of Janus α -Te2S and other transition metal dichalcogenides for solar cell applications. The calculated power conversion efficiencies of the proposed heterostructures, i.e. α -Te2S/T-PdS2, α -Te2S/BP and α -Te2S/H-MoS2 are ∼21%, ∼19% and 18%, respectively. Also, the ultralow value of lattice thermal conductivity (1.16 W mâˆ'1 Kâˆ'1) of Janus α -Te2S makes it a promising material for the fabrication of next-generation thermal energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides favor the formation of a variety of excitonic quasiparticles, and can serve as an ideal material for exploring room-temperature many-body effects in two-dimensional systems. Here, using mechanically exfoliated monolayer WS2 and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, exciton emission peaks are confirmed through temperature-dependent and electric-field-tuned PL spectroscopy. The dependence of exciton concentration on the excitation power density at room temperature is quantitatively analyzed. Exciton concentrations covering four orders of magnitude are divided into three stages. Within the low carrier concentration stage, the system is dominated by excitons, with a small fraction of trions and localized excitons. At the high carrier concentration stage, the localized exciton emission from defects coincides with the emission peak position of trions, resulting in broad spectral characteristics at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steady-state valley polarization caused by polarized photoexcitation at various excitation energies reveals intravalley scattering from B excitons to A excitons in a monolayer of MoS2. When the excitation energy of circularly polarized light is increased from near the level of excitation of the A exciton, the valley polarization detected in the A exciton decreases monotonously and is completely suppressed due to phonon-mediated scattering. However, excitation to levels greater than the B-exciton energy recovers the valley polarization in the A exciton. By considering the suppressed valley coherence and the sign of the valley polarization, together with the higher energy shift of the recovered peak polarization of B-exciton resonance, we find that the polarization recovery originates from the phonon-mediated intravalley scattering from B excitons to A excitons in the same valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnTe/CdSe/(Zn, Mg)Te core/double-shell nanowires are grown by molecular beam epitaxy by employing the vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism assisted with gold catalysts. A photoluminescence study of these structures reveals the presence of an optical emission in the near infrared. We assign this emission to the spatially indirect exciton recombination at the ZnTe/CdSe type II interface. This conclusion is confirmed by the observation of a significant blue-shift of the emission energy with an increasing excitation fluence induced by the electron–hole separation at the interface. Cathodoluminescence measurements reveal that the optical emission in the near infrared originates from nanowires and not from two-dimensional residual deposits between them. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the emission energy in the near infrared depends on the average CdSe shell thickness and the average Mg concentration within the (Zn, Mg)Te shell. The main mechanism responsible for these changes is associated with the strain induced by the (Zn, Mg)Te shell in the entire core/shell nanowire heterostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiexcitons generation is a process of generating electron–hole pairs in nanostructured semiconductors by absorbing a single high-energy photon. The multiexciton process is essential for the performance of optoelectronic devices based on perovskite nanomaterials. In this paper, ultrafast time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy is used to study the ultrafast dynamics of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. It is found that the multiexcitons Auger recombination lifetime increases with the decrease of pump fluence, while it is on the contrary for the hot carrier cooling time. The increase in the number of photons absorbed by each nanocrystal under high pump fluence slows down the relaxation of hot carriers to the band edge. The hot carrier cooling lifetime increases from 0.25 to 0.85 ps when the pump fluence increases from 6 to 127 μJ cm−2. Temperature-dependent transient absorption spectroscopy exhibits that the relaxation process of hot carriers slows down sharply when the lattice temperature decreases from 280 to 80 K. Moreover, the exciton binding energy 46 meV of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals is obtained by temperature-dependent steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy. These findings provide insights for applications such as solar cells and light-emitting devices based on CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, problems of parasitic emissions have been ubiquitously encountered in nearly all deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs). In this work, 450 nm parasitic peaks in 275 nm AlGaN DUV-LEDs have been studied in details. Upon careful comparisons and analyses on the electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectra at various injection levels and different temperatures, we have discovered a mechanism of exciton-assisted radiative recombination, namely, the reinforcement on radiative recombination via other impurity-trap levels (ITLs) by excitons that are generated in the midst of the band gap. For DUV-LED samples under investigation herein, a system of radiative ITLs within the band gap cannot be neglected. It includes two types of impurities located at two different energy levels, 3.80 eV and 2.75 eV, respectively. The former, establishing a sub-band edge, which behaves like an energy entrance to this system, contains a series of hydrogen-like excitons at a temperature lower than 100 K, which behaves like an energy entrance to this system. On the one hand, these excitons absorb carriers from band-edge and reduce the band-edge recombination. On the other hand they transfer the energy to lower impurity levels, enhancing the radiative recombination and giving rise to the 450 nm parasitic peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very long lifetime exciton emission with non-single exponential decay characteristics has been reported for single InA-s/GaAs quantum dot (QD) samples, in which there exists a long-lived metastable state in the wetting layer (WL) through radiative field coupling between the exciton emissions in the WL and the dipole field of metal islands. In this article we have proposed a new three-level model to simulate the exciton emission decay curve. In this model, assuming that the excitons in a metastable state will diffuse and be trapped by QDs, and then emit fluorescence in QDs, a stretched-like exponential decay formula is derived as I(t) = A tβ – 1 e−(rt)β, which can describe well the long lifetime decay curve with an analytical expression of average lifetime where Γ is the Gamma function. Furthermore, based on the proposed three-level model, an expression of the second-order auto-correlation function g2(t) which can fit the measured g2(t) curve well, is also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between excitons with different energies are significant in device application, particularly in the emission of intense terahertz (THz) waves caused by difference frequency mixing. In this paper, the interactions of excitons generated by two resonant continuous-wave laser beams are assessed via the change in reflectivity. While calculations suggest that the reflectivity change depends on the exciton number, experimental results measured for various excitation powers, probe powers, and excitation energies (heavy-hole (HH) and light-hole (LH) excitons) show different profiles. Furthermore, the signals probed at a HH exciton differ from those at a LH exciton. These results indicate the importance of careful control of excitation levels for THz wave generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the large exciton binding energy, two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) provide an ideal platform for studying excitonic states and related photonics and optoelectronics. Polarization states lead to distinct light-matter interactions which are of great importance for device applications. In this work, we study polarized photoluminescence spectra from intralayer exciton and indirect exciton in WS2 and WSe2 atomic layers, and interlayer exciton in WS2/WSe2 heterostructures by radially and azimuthally polarized cylindrical vector laser beams. We demonstrated the same in-plane and out-of-plane polarization behavior from the intralayer and indirect exciton. Moreover, with these two laser modes, we obtained interlayer exciton in WS2/WSe2 heterostructures with stronger out-of-plane polarization, due to the formation of vertical electric dipole moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate how collective behaviors of vibrations such as cooperativity and interference can enhance energy transfer in a nontrivial way, focusing on an example of a donor–bridge–acceptor trimeric chromophore system coupled to two vibrational degrees of freedom. Employing parameters selected to provide an overall uphill energy transfer from donor to acceptor, we use numerical calculations of dynamics in a coupled exciton–vibration basis, together with perturbation-based analytics and calculation of vibronic spectra, to identify clear spectral features of single- and multi-phonon vibrationally-assisted energy transfer (VAET) dynamics, where the latter include up to six-phonon contributions. We identify signatures of vibrational cooperation and interference that provide enhancement of energy transfer relative to that obtained from VAET with a single vibrational mode. We observe a phononic analogue of two-photon absorption, as well as a novel heteroexcitation mechanism in which a single phonon gives rise to simultaneous excitation of both the trimeric system and the vibrational degrees of freedom. The impacts of vibrations and of the one- and two-phonon VAET processes on the energy transfer are seen to be quite different in the weak and strong site–vibration coupling regimes. In the weak coupling regime, two-phonon processes dominate, whereas in the strong coupling regime up to six-phonon VAET processes can be induced. The VAET features are seen to be enhanced with increasing temperature and site–vibration coupling strength, and are reduced in the presence of dissipation. We analyze the dependence of these phenomena on the explicit form of the chromophore–vibration couplings, with comparison of VAET spectra for local and non-local couplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the light coupling efficiency of large-area monolayer molybdenum disulfide (1L-MoS2) is one of the major challenges for its successful applications in optoelectronics and photonics. Herein, we demonstrate a dramatically enhanced photoluminescence (PL) emission from direct chemical vapor deposited monolayer MoS2 on a fluorine-doped TiO2/Au nanoparticle plasmonic substrate, where the PL intensity is enhanced by nearly three orders of magnitude, highest among the reported values. The formation of TiO2/Au/1L-MoS2 ternary core–shell heterojunction is evidenced by the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman analyses. Localized surface plasmon resonance induced enhanced absorption and improved light coupling in the system was revealed from the UV–vis absorption and Raman spectroscopy analyzes. Our studies reveal that the observed giant PL enhancement in 1L-MoS2 results from two major aspects: firstly, the heavy p-doping of the MoS2 lattice is caused by the transfer of the excess electrons from the MoS2 to TiO2 at the interface, which enhances the neutral exciton emissions and restrains the trion formation. Secondly, the localized surface plasmon in Au NPs underneath the 1L-MoS2 film initiates exciton-plasmon coupling between excitons of the 1L-MoS2 and surface plasmons of the Au NPs at the MoS2/Au interface. The PL and Raman analyses further confirm the p-doping effect. We isolate the contributions of plasmon enhancement from the theoretical calculation of the field enhancement factor using the effective medium approximation of plasmonic heterostructure, which is in excellent agreement with the experimental data. This work paves a way for the rational design of the plasmonic heterostructure for the effective improvement in the light emission efficiency of 1L-MoS2, and may enable engineering the different contributions to enhance the optoelectronic performance of 2D heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), being valley selectively, are an ideal system hosting excitons. Stacking TMDs together to form heterostructure offers an exciting platform to engineer new optical and electronic properties in solid-state systems. However, due to the limited accuracy and repetitiveness of sample preparation, the effects of interlayer coupling on the electronic and excitonic properties have not been systematically investigated. In this report, we study the photoluminescence spectra of bilayer-bilayer MoS2/WS2 heterostructure with a type II band alignment. We demonstrate that thermal annealing can increase interlayer coupling in the van der Waals heterostructures, and after thermally induced band hybridization such heterostructure behaves more like an artificial new solid, rather than just the combination of two individual TMD components. We also carry out experimental and theoretical studies of the electric controllable direct and indirect infrared interlayer excitons in such system. Our study reveals the impact of interlayer coupling on interlayer excitons and will shed light on the understanding and engineering of layer-controlled spin-valley configuration in twisted van der Waals heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exciton Stark shift and polarization in hemispherical quantum dots (HQDs) each as a function of strength and orientation of applied electric field are theoretically investigated by an exact diagonalization method. A highly anisotropic Stark redshift of exciton energy is found. As the electric field is rotated from Voigt to Faraday geometry, the redshift of exciton energy monotonically decreases. This is because the asymmetric geometric shape of the hemispherical quantum dot restrains the displacement of the wave function to the higher orbital state in response to electric field along Faraday geometry. A redshift of hole energy is found all the time while a transition of electron energy from this redshift to a blueshift is found as the field is rotated from Voigt to Faraday geometry. Taking advantage of the diminishing of Stark effect along Faraday geometry, the hemispherical shapes can be used to improve significantly the radiative recombination efficiency of the polar optoelectronic devices if the strong internal polarized electric field is along Faraday geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on three-level exciton model, the enhanced photonic microwave signal generation by using a sole excited-state (ES) emitting quantum dot (QD) laser under both optical injection and optical feedback is numerically studied. Within the range of period-one (P1) dynamics caused by the optical injection, the variations of microwave frequency and microwave intensity with the parameters of frequency detuning and injection strength are demonstrated. It is found that the microwave frequency can be continuously tuned by adjusting the injection parameters, and the microwave intensity can be enhanced by changing the injection strength. Moreover, considering that the generated microwave has a wide linewidth, an optical feedback loop is further employed to compress the linewidth, and the effect of feedback parameters on the linewidth is investigated. It is found that with the increase of feedback strength or delay time, the linewidth is evidently decreased due to the locking effect. However, for the relatively large feedback strength or delay time, the linewidth compression effect becomes worse due to the gradually destroyed P1 dynamics. Besides, through optimizing the feedback parameters, the linewidth can be reduced by up to more than one order of magnitude for different microwave frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, lead chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) have attracted attention as a new system with a strong quantum confinement effect. In this paper, the hot-excitons cooling and Auger recombination of multiexcitons in PbS QDs are investigated by the femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The results show that the excitons dynamics in PbS QDs are closely related to the pump-photon energy and pump-pulse energy. Multiexcitons generate when the excess energy of the absorbed photons is larger than the bandgap energy in PbS QDs. The hot-excitons cooling lifetime increases but the Auger recombination lifetime decreases as the pump-photon energy and the pump-pulse energy increase. Besides, there is a competitive relation between multiple-excitons generation and hot-excitons cooling. The dynamics results of the formation and relaxation of multiexcitons in PbS QDs would shed light on the further understanding of the interaction between excitons and photons in the optoelectronic application based on PbS QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality van der Waals heterostructures assembled from hBN-encapsulated monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides enable observations of subtle optical and spin-valley properties whose identification was beyond the reach of structures exfoliated directly on standard SiO2/Si substrates. Here, we describe different van der Waals heterostructures based on uncapped single-layer MoS2 stacked onto hBN layers of different thicknesses and hBN-encapsulated monolayers. Depending on the doping level, they reveal the fine structure of excitonic complexes, i.e. neutral and charged excitons. In the emission spectra of a particular MoS2/hBN heterostructure without an hBN cap we resolve two trion peaks, T1 and T2, energetically split by about 10 meV, resembling the pair of singlet and triplet trion peaks (TS and TT) in tungsten-based materials. The existence of these trion features suggests that monolayer MoS2 has a dark excitonic ground state, despite having a 'bright' single-particle arrangement of spin-polarized conduction bands. In addition, we show that the effective excitonic g-factor significantly depends on the electron concentration and reaches the lowest value of −2.47 for hBN-encapsulated structures, which reveals a nearly neutral doping regime. In the uncapped MoS2 structures, the excitonic g-factor varies from −1.15 to −1.39 depending on the thickness of the bottom hBN layer and decreases as a function of rising temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During synthesis, device processes, and applications of perovskite nanocrystals (NCs), there are usually inevitable interactions between perovskite NCs and polar solvents. To elaborately control the properties of perovskite NCs, investigating the effects of solvent polarity on perovskite NCs is thus highly important. Herein, fluorescent variations induced by different solvents into CsPbBr3 NCs solution are systematically studied. In this report, it is found that when CsPbBr3 NCs are treated with polar solvents, the fluorescence intensity decreases with a general redshift of fluorescence peak position. Moreover, the fluorescence quenching and peak position shift amplitude monotonously increase with the solvent polarity. Absorption spectra and fluorescent lifetime suggest that, with addition of polar solvents, the surface of NCs are destroyed and defect states are generated, leading to the fluorescent variations. Besides, dielectric constant of the solvent also increases with polarity, which may weaken the quantum confinement effect and decrease the exciton binding energy. We find the fluorescence may slightly blue shift if the emission of free carrier is strong enough with certain solvents, such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). We also find the fluorescence intensity generally deceases to a stable state in 2 min, indicating quick interactions between CsPbBr3 NCs and solvents. However, water continuously quenches the fluorescence of CsPbBr3 NCs up to 72 h due to the poor miscibility between water and n-hexane. This work not only provides a comprehensive understanding on the fluorescent dynamics of CsPbBr3 NCs in polar solvents but also affords a potential fluorescent indicator for solvent polarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear carbon-based materials such as polyyne and cumulene oligomers provide a versatile platform for nano-physics and engineering. Direct gap quasi-1D polyyne structures are promising for the observation of strong and unusual excitonic effects arising due to the two-dimensional quantum confinement. Recently, we reported on the observation of sharp exciton peaks in low temperature photoluminescence spectra of polyyne chains (Kutrovskaya S et al 2020 Nano Lett. 20 6502–9). Here, we analyze the time-resolved optical response of this system. We extend the non-local dielectric response theory to predict the exciton radiative lifetime dependence on the band-gap value and on the length of the chain. A good agreement between the experiment and the theory is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic excitons in diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) have varied formats due to the inhomogeneous phases out of doping concentration and/or structural relaxations or defects. Here the high quality cobalt-doped zinc blende ZnSe nanoribbons (NRs) were synthesized, showing bright and color-variable emissions from blue, yellow to a little mixed white colors. Their power and temperature dependent micro-photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been obtained in which two emission bands, one magnetic exciton band near the band-edge and a Co2+ high-level d–d transition emission band at 550 nm out of their ferromagnetic (FM) coupled aggregates in ZnSe lattice, both bands could also be reflected by a nonlinear optical absorption enhancement. The easy formed stacking fault defects in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown ZnSe zincblende NR took part in the above optical processes out of magnetic polaronic excitons (PXs). The femtosecond (fs) laser pulse pumping on single ZnSe:Co NR produces obvious lasing behavior but with profile of a complicated magnetic exciton interactions with indication of a crossover from collective exciton magnetic polarons (EMP) to bound magnetic polaron (BMP) scattering in Co doped ZnSe NR. These findings indicate the complication of the magnetic coupling natures in varied DMS structures, whose optical properties have been found to be highly nonlinear, due to the involvement of the spin–spin, spin–exciton and spin–phonon interactions, verified by the theoretic calculation in Yang X-T et al (2019 Interstitial Zn-modulated ferromagnetism in Co-doped ZnSe Mater. Res. Express 6 106121). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme to generate and stabilize one- and two-dimensional dark, bright, dark-like, bright-like solitons, and vortices with m = 1 and m = 2 in a nonresonantly incoherent pumped exciton–polariton condensate. A spatially modulating pumping is introduced, which can compensate (counteract) the loss (gain) originated from the nonlinear excitation of the stable homogeneous polariton. The numerical simulations show that the balance between the gain and loss in this scheme can support and stabilize various nonlinear modes, not just stable dark solitons which have been found in the previous studies. Our proposal may provide a way to generate, stabilize, and control nonlinear modes in the nonresonantly pumped exciton–polariton system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the resistivity in each phase of the high-Tc cuprates is a special case of a general expression derived from the Kubo formula. We obtain, in particular, the T-linear behavior in the strange metal and upper pseudogap phases, the pure T2 Fermi liquid behavior observed in the strongly overdoped regime as well as in the mid-pseudogap phase. We also describe the behavior that interpolates the linear and quadratic behaviors in the crossover regime. We calculate the coefficients: (a) of T in the linear regime and show that it is proportional to the pseudogap transition temperature T*(x); (b) of the T 2-term in the Fermi Liquid regime, without adjusting any parameter; and (c) of the T1.6 term in the crossover regime, all in excellent agreement with the experimental data. From our model, we are able to infer that the resistivity in cuprates is caused by the scattering of holes by excitons, which naturally form as holes are doped into the electron background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitons in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures exhibit multiple excellent characteristics which in recent years have attracted researchers to make an in-depth exploration. In this review, we briefly introduce vdW heterostructures based on monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides and the emerging exciton characteristics in them, especially the formation of interlayer excitons. Then, we summarize the main results of a recent study about excitons in vdW heterostructures, including a Bose–Einstein condensate state, moiré excitons, and the complex exciton dynamics. The applications of excitons in vdW heterostructures are also mentioned, particularly the valley devices, which have a promising outlook. Finally, we point out some problems that exist at present, and give some future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasmonic nanocavity is an excellent platform for the study of light matter interaction within a sub-diffraction volume under ambient conditions. We design a structure of plasmonic tweezers, which can trap molecular J-aggregates and also serve as a plasmonic cavity with which to investigate strong light matter interaction. The optical response of the cavity is calculated via finite-difference time-domain methods, and the optical force is evaluated based on the Maxwell stress tensor method. With the help of the coupled oscillator model and virtual exciton theory, we investigate the strong coupling progress at the lower level of excitons, finding that a Rabi splitting of 230 meV can be obtained in a single exciton system. We further analyze the relationship between optical force and model volume in the coupling system. The proposed method offers a way to locate molecular J-aggregates in plasmonic tweezers for investigating optical force performance and strong light matter interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stacking sequence of bilayer van der Waals transition metal dichalcogenides determines their electronic and related optical excitations. When the Janus monolayer structure has been taken to construct bilayer TMDs, it would introduce another degree of freedom, the out-of-plane intrinsic dipole moment, to tune the electronic and optical properties. Here we reveal that the electronic band structures and interlayer excitons can be dramatically tuned via the stacking sequence of the bilayer MoSSe with the different intrinsic dipole orientations. Moreover, the lowest energy interlayer excitons exhibit diverse spatial extensions, and the corresponding radiative lifetimes can be tailored within the range of ∼10−8 to ∼10−2 seconds at room temperature, by means of optimizing the dipole orientation and stacking sequence, and when the dipole moment keeps the same orientation for the constituent layer, it will slower the radiative recombination. Our findings shed a light on the applications of the interlayer excitons in Janus MoSSe on optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic topology is generally related to the Berry curvature, which can induce the anomalous Hall effect in time-reversal symmetry breaking systems. Intrinsic monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides possesses two nonequivalent K and K′ valleys, having Berry curvatures with opposite signs, and thus vanishing anomalous Hall effect in this system. Here we report the experimental realization of asymmetrical distribution of Berry curvature in a single valley in monolayer WSe2 via applying uniaxial strain to break C3v symmetry. As a result, although the Berry curvature itself is still opposite in K and K′ valleys, the two valleys would contribute equally to nonzero Berry curvature dipole. Upon applying electric field E , the emergent Berry curvature dipole D would lead to an out-of-plane orbital magnetization M ∝ D ⋅ E , which further induces an anomalous Hall effect with a linear response to E2, known as nonlinear Hall effect. We show the strain modulated transport properties of nonlinear Hall effect in monolayer WSe2 with moderate hole-doping by gating. The second-harmonic Hall signals show quadratic dependence on electric field, and the corresponding orbital magnetization per current density M/J can reach as large as 60. In contrast to the conventional Rashba–Edelstein effect with in-plane spin polarization, such current-induced orbital magnetization is along the out-of-plane direction, thus promising for high-efficient electrical switching of perpendicular magnetization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of the structure consisting of green InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and low indium content InGaN/GaN pre-wells are investigated. Several PL peaks from pre-wells and green InGaN/GaN MQWs are observed. The peak energy values for both pre-wells and green InGaN/GaN MQWs display an S-shaped variation with temperature. In addition, the differences in the carrier localization effect, defect density, and phonon–exciton interaction between the pre-wells and green InGaN/GaN MQWs, and the internal quantum efficiency of the sample are studied. The obtained results elucidate the mechanism of the luminescence characteristics of the sample and demonstrate the significant stress blocking effect of pre-wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate non-autonomous solitons in a general coherently coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CCNLS) system with temporally modulated nonlinearities and with an external harmonic oscillator potential. This general CCNLS system encompasses three distinct types of CCNLS equations that describe the dynamics of beam propagation in an inhomogeneous Kerr-like nonlinear optical medium for different choices of nonlinear polarizations owing to the anisotropy of the medium. We identify a generalized similarity transformation to relate the considered model into the standard integrable homogeneous coupled nonlinear evolution equations with constant nonlinearities, accompanied by a constraint relation expressed in the form of the Riccati equation. With the help of a non-standard Hirota's bilinearization method and exact soliton solutions, we explore the impact of varying nonlinearities and refractive index in the propagation and collisions analytically by reverse engineering. Interestingly, we show the emergence of several modulated solitonic phenomena such as periodic oscillation, amplification, compression, tunneling/cross-over, excitons, as well as their combined effect in the single-soliton propagation and two-soliton collisions with appropriate forms of nonlinearity. Notably, we identify a tool to transform the nature of soliton collisions with certain type of inhomogeneous nonlinearities. The results could be of significant interest to the studies on management of nonlinear waves in the contexts like nonlinear optics and can also be extended to Bose–Einstein condensates and super-fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic recombination of two triplet excitons with opposite spins in the heterojunction structure has been investigated using a nonadiabatic evolution method. We demonstrate that luminous composite states including the excited polaron and the biexciton can be formed efficiently via the triplet exciton–triplet exciton reaction in the heterojunction and therefore this reaction can enhance the electroluminescence efficiency considerably, which is consistent qualitatively with experimental observations. Meanwhile, we find that, although the heterojunctions are beneficial to the generation of luminescent particles, large band offset caused by the heterojunction structure is not helpful to improve the electroluminescence efficiency. In addition, the mechanism of the triplet exciton–triplet exciton reaction in heterojunction is different from that of two similar coupling chains. Our results may deepen the understanding of the electroluminescence mechanism in polymer light-emitting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a microscopic quantum theory which can be used to study circularly polarized light (CPL) induced singlet to triplet conversions in polymer solar cells (PSCs). We demonstrate that by properly adjusting CPL irradiation parameters, the photo-created singlet excitons can be efficiently converted into non radiative triplet excitons. The maximum singlet–triplet conversion ratio might be reached when the incident CPL frequency is chosen in such a way that the resonant optical excitation occurs between singlet and triplet states. In addition, we also illustrate that with varying CPL oscillating strength, the singlet–triplet conversion patterns behave as the Rabi oscillations and the steadily maintained triplet excitons. The electron-lattice coupling leads to the self-trapping of the excitons, which enhances the coherence between the electron's and hole's spin oscillations. This study opens up a novel approach for enhancing and controlling the photovoltaic response of PSCs by an effective all-optical route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the use of the high-resolution spectral data and the broadband imaging obtained with the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory on 2013 June 6, the spectra of three typical photospheric bright points (PBPs) have been analyzed. Based on the Hα and Ca ii 8542 Å line profiles, as well as the TiO continuum emission, for the first time, the non-LTE semiempirical atmospheric models for the PBPs are computed. The attractive characteristic is the temperature enhancement in the lower photosphere. The temperature enhancement is about 200–500 K at the same column mass density as in the atmospheric model of the quiet-Sun. The total excess radiative energy of a typical PBP is estimated to be 1 × 1027–2 × 1027 erg, which can be regarded as the lower limit energy of the PBPs. The radiation flux in the visible continuum for the PBPs is about 5.5 × 1010 erg cm−2 s−1. Our result also indicates that the temperature in the atmosphere above PBPs is close to that of a plage. It gives clear evidence that PBPs may contribute significantly to the heating of the plage atmosphere. Using our semiempirical atmospheric models, we estimate self-consistently the average magnetic flux density B in the PBPs. It is shown that the maximum value is about 1 kG, and it decreases toward both higher and lower layers, reminding us of the structure of a flux tube between photospheric granules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A black hole embedded within a bright, optically thin emitting region imprints a nearly circular "shadow" on its image, corresponding to the observer's line of sight into the black hole. The shadow boundary depends on the black hole's mass and spin, providing an observable signature of both properties via high-resolution images. However, standard expressions for the shadow boundary are most naturally parametrized by Boyer–Lindquist radii rather than by image coordinates. We explore simple, approximate parameterizations for the shadow boundary using ellipses and a family of curves known as limaçons. We demonstrate that these curves provide excellent and efficient approximations for all black hole spins and inclinations. In particular, we show that the two parameters of the limaçon naturally account for the three primary shadow deformations resulting from mass and spin: size, displacement, and asymmetry. These curves are convenient for parametric model fitting directly to interferometric data, they reveal the degeneracies expected when estimating black hole properties from images with practical measurement limitations, and they provide a natural framework for parametric tests of the Kerr metric using black hole images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a model was proposed to analyze the triplet exciton transfer at the heterojunction interface and emission efficiency. The experimental results obtained for four devices with and without exciton blocking layers (EBLs) were analyzed. Although the incorporation of an EBL improved the peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) due to exciton blocking, the efficiency droop behavior became stronger, and the EQE was worse than that of the reference device without an EBL at current densities over 5 mA cm−2. To understand the physical mechanism underlying this observation, a new carrier transport simulation program was developed. This program considered a multi-Gaussian shape density of states, field-dependent mobility, exciton diffusion, triplet–triplet annihilation, triplet–polaron quenching and triplet exciton transfer at the interface. The simulation results showed that although the excitons were blocked at low current density when an EBL was used, the large exciton density generated at the interface and strong annihilation behavior resulted in a strong droop behavior. The other key factor was that the EBL limits hole injection; this resulted in stronger overflow at high current density, which reduced the efficiency and exhibited such switching behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of quantum dot size on the binding energy, radiative lifetime, and optical absorption coefficient of exciton state in both GaN/AlxGa1−xN core/shell and AlxGa1−xN/GaN inverted core/shell quantum dot structures are studied. For the GaN/AlxGa1−xN core/shell structure, the variation trend of binding energy is the same as that of radiation lifetime, both of which increase first and then decrease with the increase of core size. For AlxGa1−xN/GaN inverted core/shell structure, the binding energy decreases first and then increases with core size increasing, and the trends of radiation lifetime varying with core size under different shell sizes are different. For both structures, when the photon energy is approximately equal to the binding energy, the peak value of the absorption coefficient appears, and there will be different peak shifts under different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report observation of dispersion for coupled exciton-polariton in a plate microcavity combining with ZnO/MgZnO multi-quantum well (QW) at room temperature. Benefited from the large exciton binding energy and giant oscillator strength, the room-temperature Rabi splitting energy can be enhanced to be as large as 60 meV. The results of excitonic polariton dispersion can be well described using the coupling wave model. It is demonstrated that mode modification between polariton branches allowing, just by controlling the pumping location, to tune the photonic fraction in the different detuning can be investigated comprehensively. Our results present a direct observation of the exciton-polariton dispersions based on two-dimensional oxide semiconductor quantum wells, thus provide a feasible road for coupling of exciton with photon and pave the way for realizing novel polariton-type optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective optical excitations in dipole-coupled nanorings of sub-wavelength spaced quantum emitters exhibit extreme sub-radiance and field confinement facilitating an efficient and low-loss ring-to-ring energy transfer. We show that energy shifts, radiative lifetimes, and emission patterns of excitons and biexcitons in such rings can be tailored via the orientation of the individual dipoles. Tilting the polarization from perpendicular to tangential to the ring dramatically changes the lifetime of the symmetric exciton state from superradiance to subradiance with the radiated field acquiring orbital angular momentum. At a magic tilt angle all excitons are degenerate and the transport fidelity between two rings exhibits a minimum. Further simulations suggest that, for certain parameters, the decay decreases double-exponentially with the emitter's density. Disorder in the rings' structure can even enhance radiative lifetimes. The transport efficiency strongly depends on polarization and size, which we demonstrate by simulating a bio-inspired example of two rings with 9 and 16 dipoles as found in biological light harvesting complexes (LHC). The field distribution in the most superradiant state in a full LHC multi-ring structure shows tight sub-wavelength field confinement in the central ring, while long-lived subradiant states store energy in the outer rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absorption, reflection and photoluminescence spectra of GaSe crystals with different thicknesses (100 nm–1 mm) were investigated in a wide temperature interval (300 K–10 K). Features due to excitonic states in the spectra were recognized. The contours of the excitonic reflection spectra measured at 10 K were calculated by dispersion equations. On the basis of these calculations, the parameters of the observed excitons were determined. Photoluminescence spectra from the cleaved surface and from the uncleaved facet of a sample were measured at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rooted in quantum optics and benefiting from its well-established foundations, strong coupling in nanophotonics has experienced increasing popularity in recent years. With nanophotonics being an experiment-driven field, the absence of appropriate theoretical methods to describe ground-breaking advances has often emerged as an important issue. To address this problem, the temptation to directly transfer and extend concepts already available from quantum optics is strong, even if a rigorous justification is not always available. In this review we discuss situations where, in our view, this strategy has indeed overstepped its bounds. We focus on exciton–plasmon interactions, and particularly on the idea of calculating the number of excitons involved in the coupling. We analyse how, starting from an unfounded interpretation of the term N/V that appears in theoretical descriptions at different levels of complexity, one might be tempted to make independent assumptions for what the number N and the volume V are, and attempt to calculate them separately. Such an approach can lead to different, often contradictory results, depending on the initial assumptions (e.g. through different treatments of V as the—ambiguous in plasmonics—mode volume). We argue that the source of such contradictions is the question itself—How many excitons are coupled?, which disregards the true nature of the coupled components of the system, has no meaning and often not even any practical importance. If one is interested in validating the quantum nature of the system—which appears to be the motivation driving the pursuit of strong coupling with small N—one could instead focus on quantities such as the photon emission rate or the second-order correlation function. While many of the issues discussed here may appear straightforward to specialists, our target audience is predominantly newcomers to the field, either students or scientists specialised in different disciplines. We have thus tried to minimise the occurrence of proofs and overly-technical details, and instead provide a qualitative discussion of analyses that should be avoided, hoping to facilitate further growth of this promising area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report manifested optical, optoelectronic and spin–spin relaxation features of a few layered tungsten disulphide (WS2) nanosheets subjected to energetic γ-photons (∼1.3 MeV) emitted from a Co60 source. Upon intense irradiation (dose = 96 kGy), a slight departure from the pure hexagonal phase was realized with the introduction of the trigonal phase at large. Moreover, in the Raman spectra, as a consequence of the radiation-induced effect, an apparent improvement of the E-to-A mode intensity and a reduction in phonon lifetimes have been realized, with the latter being dependent on the linewidths. The emergence of the new peak (D) maxima observable at ∼406 cm−1 in the Raman spectra and ∼680 nm in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra can be attributed to the introduction of defect centres owing to realization of sulphur vacancies (VS) in the irradiated nanoscale WS2. Additionally, neutral exciton to charged exciton (trion) conversion is anticipated in the overall PL characteristics. The PL decay dynamics, while following bi-exponential trends, have revealed ample improvement in both the fast parameter (0.39 ± 0.01 ns to 1.88 ± 0.03 ns) and the slow parameter (2.36 ± 0.03 ns to 12.1 ± 0.4 ns) after γ-impact. We attribute this to the finite band gap expansion and the incorporation of new localized states within the gap, respectively. A declining exciton annihilation rate is also witnessed. The isotropic nature of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra as a consequence of γ-exposure would essentially characterize a uniform distribution of the paramagnetic species in the system, while predicting a three-fold improvement of relative spin density at 96 kGy. Exploring defect dynamics and spin dynamics in 2D nanoscale systems does not only strengthen fundamental insight but can also offer ample scope for designing suitable components in the areas of miniaturized optoelectronic and spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fascinating Dirac cone in honeycomb graphene, which underlies many unique electronic properties, has inspired the vast endeavors on pursuing new two-dimensional (2D) Dirac materials. Based on the density functional theory method, a 2D material Zn3Si2 of honeycomb transition-metal silicide with intrinsic Dirac cones has been predicted. The Zn3Si2 monolayer is dynamically and thermodynamically stable under ambient conditions. Importantly, the Zn3Si2 monolayer is a room-temperature 2D Dirac material with a spin–orbit coupling energy gap of 1.2 meV, which has an intrinsic Dirac cone arising from the special hexagonal lattice structure. Hole doping leads to the spin polarization of the electron, which results in a Dirac half-metal feature with single-spin Dirac fermion. This novel stable 2D transition-metal-silicon-framework material holds promises for electronic device applications in spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]