Quantum and low dimensional materials

M. Rontani, D. Varsano, D. Prezzi, A. Bertoni, A. Ferretti, V. Bellini, A. Calzolari, A. Catellani, P. D’Amico, C. Cardoso, A. Ruini.

The theoretical and computational activity of Cnr Nano is focused on the study of low-dimensional systems and devices, which host electronic interactions where strength and radius can be varied and controlled by the dielectric environment, charge doping, application of stress and pressure.

We are interested in (1) understanding the electronic properties and fundamental excitations in strongly correlated low-electron / hole systems, (2) the study of quantum transport and coherent dynamics in nanostructures, (3) the analysis of exotic phases of many-body matter, such as Bose-Einstein condensates of equilibrium excitons (excitonic insulators) and strongly correlated systems (e.g. Mott insulators, Wigner crystals), (4) study of transition-metal and rare earth single atoms magnets.

The physical systems considered are of different nature: quantum dots, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, two-dimensional systems (such as graphene and topological insulators), Josephson nanocircuits and sensors, hybrid heterostructures containing metals, both conventional and topological superconductors, ferromagnets, semiconductors and insulators. Among the most recently launched activities we point out the study of topological and / or excitonic quantum matter, including topological and excitonic insulators, and topological superconductors. 

Selected Publications

A monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide as a topological excitonic insulator
D. Varsano, M. Palummo, E. Molinari, and M. Rontani,
Nat Nanotechnol 15, 367-372 (2020); doi: 10.1038/s41565-020-0650-4

Bright Electroluminescence from Single Graphene Nanoribbon Junctions,
M.C. Chong, N. Afshar-Imani, F. Scheurer, C. Cardoso, A. Ferretti, D. Prezzi, and G. Schull,
Nano Lett (18), 175-181 (2018); doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03797

Evidence of ideal excitonic insulator in bulk MoS2 under pressure
S.S. Ataei , D. Varsano, E. Molinari, and M. Rontani,
PNAS 118 (2021); doi: 10.1073/pnas.2010110118

Anisotropy of the spin-orbit coupling driven by a magnetic field in InAs nanowires
P. Wojcik, A. Bertoni, and G. Goldoni,
Phys Rev B 103, 085434 (2021); doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.103.085434

Magnetic 3d adatoms on free-standing and Ni(111)-supported graphene,
F. Ellinger, C. Franchini, and V. Bellini,
Phys. Rev. Materials 5, 014406 (2021); doi: 10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.5.014406