Related papers: Quantum confinement theory of the heat capacity of…
The thermal properties of solids under nanoscale confinement are currently not understood at the atomic level. Recent numerical studies have highlighted the presence of a minimum in the thermal conductivity as a function of thickness for…
The miniaturization of electronic devices has led to the prominence, in technological applications, of ultra-thin films with a thickness ranging from a few tens of nanometers to just about 1-2 nanometers. While these materials are still…
Atomic vibrations play a vital role in the functions of various physical, chemical, and biological systems. The vibrational properties and the specific heat of crystalline bulk materials are well described by Debye theory, which…
Heat transport in bulk materials is well described using the Debye theory of 3D vibrational modes (phonons) and the acoustic match model. However, in cryogenic nanodevices, phonon wavelengths exceed device dimensions, leading to confinement…
Contrary to the case of solids and gases, where Debye theory and kinetic theory offer a good description for most of the physical properties, a complete theoretical understanding of the vibrational and thermodynamic properties of liquids is…
We experimentally study for the first time the self-heating normal domain in magnetic field using nanowires made of granular NbTiN films with sub-10~nm thicknesses. Specifically, we found that at temperatures below 10 K, the heat capacity…
We present an analytically solvable theory of Bose-Einstein condensation in thin film geometries. Analytical closed-form expressions for the critical temperature are obtained in both the low-to-moderate confinement regime (where the film…
The miniaturization of electronic devices has led to the prominence, in technological applications, of semiconductor thin films that are only a few nanometers thick. In spite of intense research, the thickness-dependent resistivity or…
The effect of confining walls on the fluctuation of a nanoscale thin film's free surface is studied using stochastic thin-film equations (STFEs). Two canonical boundary conditions are employed to reveal the influence of the confinement: (1)…
Thermodynamics dictates that the specific heat of a system is strictly non-negative. However, in finite classical systems there are well known theoretical and experimental cases where this rule is violated, in particular finite atomic…
Self-heating normal domains in thin superconducting NbTiN nanostrips were characterized via steady-state hysteretic current-voltage characteristics measured at different substrate temperatures. The temperature dependence and the magnitude…
We develop a quantum theory of electron confinement in metal nanofilms. The theory is used to compute the nonlinear response of the film to a static or low-frequency external electric field and to investigate the role of boundary conditions…
The Wiedemann-Franz law states that the charge conductance and the electronic contribution to the heat conductance are proportional. This sets stringent constraints on efficiency bounds for thermoelectric applications, which seek for large…
Recent progress in the synthesis and processing of nano-structured materials and systems calls for an improved understanding of thermal properties on small length scales. In this context, the question whether thermodynamics and, in…
In the realm of nanoscience, the dynamic behaviors of liquids at scales beyond the conventional structural relaxation time, $\tau$, unfold a fascinating blend of solid-like characteristics, including the propagation of collective shear…
The dielectric properties of thin films are of paramount important in a variety of technological applications, and of fundamental importance for solid state research. In spite of this, there is currently no theoretical understanding of the…
At the ultra-thin film limit, quantum confinement strongly improves thermoelectric figure of merit in materials such as Sb$_2$Te$_3$ and Bi$_2$Te$_3$. These high quality films have only been realized using well controlled techniques such as…
Quantum confinement in a thin-film geometry offers viable routes for tuning the critical properties of superconductors through modification of both density of states and pairing interaction. Low-density systems like doped strontium titanate…
We study correlation effects and temperature dependencies in the electronic structure of thin ferromagnetic local-moment films. In a first step the Kondo-lattice model is investigated as a candidate for a proper representation of…
The supercurrent field effect is experimentally realized in various nano-scale devices, based on the superconductivity suppression by external electric fields being effective for confined systems. In spite of intense research, a microscopic…