Tuesday, 8th of May 2012, Campus Belvaux, Room F011

Talk by Dr. Gabriel Bester, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart

Frontiers in the atomistic modeling of semiconductor nanostructures

Semiconductor nanostructures exhibit a range of interesting properties with potential technological applications. This situation has fueled a large international effort and a rapid progress in different disciplines (optics, transport, epitaxial growth, nanochemistry,…). Fortunately, for a theorist, these structures also conceal a multiplicity of fundamental questions about « confined matter ». I will describe the methodological advances we have made to properly connect experimental evidence with ab-initio theory. This involves the calculation not only of ground state properties but also of excitations (optics, transport, vibrations) for structures that often contain many thousands of atoms. I will discuss intrinsic effects such as the atomistic symmetry, spin-orbit interaction, piezoelectric effects and also extrinsic effects such as the consequence of external pressure or electric fields on electronic and optical properties.

Next Physics Seminars
• Tuesday, 15th May 2012 Prof. Joseph Indeken, Limpertsberg, 16h15 Progress on infinite-order wetting
• Wednesday, 23rd May 2012 Prof. Paul van der Schoot, Limpertsberg, 16h15 To be precised

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