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We investigate theoretically the Landau levels (LLs) and magneto-transport properties of phosphorene under a perpendicular magnetic field within the framework of the effective k·p Hamiltonian and tight-binding (TB) model. At low field regime, we find that the LLs linearly depend both on the LL index n and magnetic field B, which is similar with that of conventional semiconductor two-dimensional electron gas. The Landau splittings of conduction and valence band are different and the wavefunctions corresponding to the LLs are strongly anisotropic due to the different anisotropic effective masses. An analytical expression for the LLs in low energy regime is obtained via solving the decoupled Hamiltonian, which agrees well with the numerical calculations. At high magnetic regime, a self-similar Hofstadter butterfly (HB) spectrum is obtained by using the TB model. The HB spectrum is consistent with the LL fan calculated from the effective k·p theory in a wide regime of magnetic fields. We find the LLs of phosphorene nanoribbon depend strongly on the ribbon orientation due to the anisotropic hopping parameters. The Hall and the longitudinal conductances (resistances) clearly reveal the structure of LLs.

A two-dimensional (2D) MoSi2N4 monolayer is an emerging class of air-stable 2D semiconductors possessing exceptional electrical and mechanical properties. Despite intensive recent research effort devoted to uncover the material properties of MoSi2N4, the physics of electrical contacts to MoSi2N4 remains largely unexplored thus far. In this work, we study van der Waals heterostructures composed of MoSi2N4 contacted by graphene and NbS2 monolayers using first-principles density functional theory calculations. We show that the MoSi2N4/NbS2 contact exhibits an ultralow Schottky barrier height (SBH), which is beneficial for nanoelectronics applications. For the MoSi2N4/graphene contact, the SBH can be modulated via the interlayer distance or via external electric fields, thus opening up an opportunity for reconfigurable and tunable nanoelectronic devices. Our findings provide insights into the physics of 2D electrical contacts to MoSi2N4 and shall offer a critical first step toward the design of high-performance electrical contacts to MoSi2N4-based 2D nanodevices.

We present new types of solitary wave solutions for the higher order nonlinear Schrodinger (HNLS) equation describing propagation of femtosecond light pulses in an optical fiber under certain parametric conditions. Unlike the reported solitary wave solutions of the HNLS equation, the novel ones can describe bright and dark solitary wave properties in the same expressions and their amplitude may approach nonzero when the time variable approaches infinity. In addition, such solutions cannot exist in the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Furthermore, we investigate the stability of these solitary waves under some initial pertubations by employing the numerical simulation methods.

The recent discovery of Dirac semimetals represents a new achievement in our fundamental understanding of topological states of matter. Due to their topological surface states, high mobility, and exotic properties associated with bulk Dirac points, these new materials have attracted significant attention and are believed to hold great promise for fabricating novel topological devices. For nanoscale device applications, effects from finite size usually play an important role. In this report, we theoretically investigate the electronic properties of Dirac semimetal nanostructures. Quantum confinement generally opens a bulk band gap at the Dirac points. We find that confinement along different directions shows strong anisotropic effects. In particular, the gap due to confinement along vertical c-axis shows a periodic modulation, which is absent for confinement along horizontal directions. We demonstrate that the topological surface states could be controlled by lateral electrostatic gating. It is possible to generate Rashba-like spin splitting for the surface states and to shift them relative to the confinement-induced bulk gap. These results will not only facilitate our fundamental understanding of Dirac semimetal nanostructures, but also provide useful guidance for designing all-electrical topological spintronics devices.