Related papers: Surface Phase Transitions Induced by Electron Medi…
Potential structural modifications of graphene exposed to gaseous tritium are important for membrane-based hydrogen isotope separation. Such modifications cannot be explained by electron irradiation alone. Instead, tritiation, caused by the…
We use a random gap model to describe a metal-insulator transition in three-dimensional semiconductors due to doping and find a conventional phase transition, where the effective scattering rate is the order parameter. Spontaneous symmetry…
Using spin-assisted ab-initio random structure searches, we explore an exhaustive quantum phase diagram of archetypal interfaced Mott insulators, i.e. lanthanum-iron and lanthanum-titanium oxides. In particular, we report that the charge…
As a prototypical one-dimensional electron system, self-assembled indium (In) nanowires on the Si(111) surface have been believed to drive a metal-insulator transition by a charge-density-wave (CDW) formation due to electron-phonon…
Pressure not only provides a powerful way to tune the crystal structure of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) but also promotes the discovery of exotic electronic states and intriguing phenomena. Structural transitions from the…
Artificial crystals synthesized by atomic-scale epitaxy provides the ability to control the dimensions of the quantum phases and associated phase transitions via precise thickness modulation. In particular, reduction in dimensionality via…
We discuss the triple-$\vec{q}^X$ structures for the ordered cubic phase of NpO$_2$, which are $Pn{\bar 3}m$ and $Pa{\bar 3}$. A special care should be taken to discriminate between these two cases. We analyze the relevant structure-factor…
We study the scattering of electromagnetic waves in anisotropic energetic materials. Nonlinear light-matter interactions in molecular crystals result in frequency-conversion and polarization changes. Applied electromagnetic fields of…
It is well-known that the electric field can induce phase transitions between superconducting, metallic and insulating states in thin-film materials due to its control of the charge carrier density. Since a similar effect on the charge…
Energetic particle irradiation of solids can cause surface ultra-smoothening, self-organized nanoscale pattern formation, or degradation of the structural integrity of nuclear reactor components. Periodic patterns including high-aspect…
Investigating atom-surface interactions is the key to an in-depth understanding of chemical processes at interfaces, which are of central importance in many fields -- from heterogeneous catalysis to corrosion. In this work, we present a…
Optically induced ultrafast electronic excitations with sufficiently long lifetimes may cause strong effects on phase transitions like structural and nonmetal to metal ones. Examples are transitions diamond to graphite, graphite to…
Density functional calculations are carried out to study the symmetry and substitution-driven electronic phase transition in BaPb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$O$_3$. Two end members BaSnO$_3$ and BaPbO$_3$, are found to be insulating and metallic,…
Silicon telluride (Si2Te3) is a two-dimensional semiconductor with unique structural properties due to the size contrast between Si and Te atoms. A recent experiment shows that the material turns metallic under hydrostatic pressure, while…
In this paper, the effect of Ar+ bombardment of SrTiO3:Nb surface layers is investigated on the macro- and nanoscale using surface-sensitive methods. After bombardment, the stoichiometry and electronic structure are changed distinctly…
We report additional experimental evidences about the presence of an universal behavior in the Field-Temperature Phase Diagram of Type II Superconductors. This behavior is characterized by a phase transition in the vortex matter between the…
The Superconductor-to-Insulator Transition (SIT) in two-dimensional superconductors occurs due to a competition between superconductivity, quantum interferences, Coulomb interactions and disorder. Despite extensive theoretical and…
Grain boundaries facet due to anisotropic grain boundary energies: While the faceted boundary has a larger area than the corresponding straight boundary, a significantly lower energy of the facets compared to a straight segment can drive…
The Kosterlitz-Thouless and the Hexatic phase transitions are celebrated examples of dipole (vortex, dislocation) induced transitions in condensed matter physics. For very clear reasons, these important ``topological" transitions are…
Resistivity measurements are widely exploited to uncover electronic excitations and phase transitions in metallic solids. While single crystals are preferably studied to explore crystalline anisotropies, these usually cancel out in…