We show that graphene-dielectric multilayers give rise to an unusual tunability of the Casimir-Lifshitz forces and allow to easily realize completely different regimes within the same structure. Concerning thermal effects, graphene-dielectric multilayers take advantage of the anomalous features predicted for isolated suspended graphene sheets, even though they are considerably affected by the presence of the dielectric substrate. They can also achieve the anomalous nonmonotonic thermal metallic behavior by increasing the graphene sheets density and their Fermi level. In addition to a strong thermal modulation occurring at short separations, in a region where the force is orders of magnitude larger than the one occurring at large distances, the force can be also adjusted by varying the number of graphene layers as well as their Fermi levels, allowing for relevant force amplifications which can be tuned, very rapidly and in situ, by simply applying an electric potential. Our predictions can be relevant for both Casimir experiments and micro- or nanoelectromechanical systems and in new devices for technological applications.

Nowadays powerful X-ray sources like synchrotrons and free-electron lasers are considered as ultimate tools for probing microscopic properties in materials. However, the correct interpretation of such experiments requires a good understanding on how the beam affects the properties of the sample, knowledge that is currently lacking for intense X-rays. Here we use X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to probe static and dynamic properties of oxide and metallic glasses. We find that although the structure does not depend on the flux, strong fluxes do induce a non-trivial microscopic motion in oxide glasses, whereas no such dependence is found for metallic glasses. These results show that high fluxes can alter dynamical properties in hard materials, an effect that needs to be considered in the analysis of X-ray data but which also gives novel possibilities to study materials properties since the beam can not only be used to probe the dynamics but also to pump it.

The effects of quantum interferences on the excitation dependence of the intensity of G modes have beeninvestigated on single-walled carbon nanotubes [Duque et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 117404 (2012)]. In this work,by combining optical absorption spectroscopy and Raman scattering on individual index identified double-walledcarbon nanotubes, we examine the experimental excitation dependence of the intensity of longitudinal opticaland transverse optical G modes of the constituent inner and outer single-walled carbon nanotubes. The observedstriking dependencies are understood in terms of quantum interference effects. Considering such effects, the excitation dependence of the different components of the G modes permits us to unambiguously assign each ofthem as originating from the longitudinal or transverse G modes of inner and outer tubes.

We numerically analyse the density field of three-dimensional randomly jammed packings of monodisperse soft frictionles spherical particles, paying special attention to fluctuations occurring at large lengthscales. We study in detail the two-point static structure factor at low wavevectors in Fourier space. We also analyse the nature of the density field in real space by studying the large-distance behavior of the two-point pair correlation function, of density fluctuations in subsystems of increasing sizes, and of the direct correlation function. We show that such real space analysis can be greatly improved by introducing a coarse-grained density field to disentangle genuine large-scale correlations from purely local effects. Our results confirm that both Fourier and real space signatures of vanishing density fluctuations at large scale are absent, indicating that randomly jammed packings are not hyperuniform. In addition, we establish that the pair correlation function displays a surprisingly complex structure at large distances, which is however not compatible with the long-range negative correlation of hyperuniform systems but fully compatible with an analytic form for the structure factor. This implies that the direct correlation function is short-ranged, as we also demonstrate directly. Our results reveal that density fluctuations in jammed packings do not follow the behavior expected for random hyperuniform materials, but display instead a more complex behavior.

The Hall hole density pH and Hall mobility µH in highly aluminum-doped 4H-SiC have been investi-gated in the wide temperature range between 100 K and 900 K. After an overview of the literature data related to the analysis of electrical transport experiments, a model taking into account the two upper-most valence bands of heavy and lights holes, one single acceptor energy EA and the empirical Hall factor rHexp has been discussed in details. The limits of the applied model as a function of temperature and acceptor concentration have been considered. For each analyzed sample, the acceptor density NA and the compensation ratio ND/NA have been experimentally assessed by capacitance-voltage and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements. Finally, the Hall carrier concentration vs doping level NA-ND as well as ionization energy of acceptor EA vs acceptor concentration NA in 4H-SiC have been discussed.

Silicon carbide (SiC) sublimation is the most promising option to achieve transfer-free graphene at the wafer-scale. We investigated the initial growth stages from the buffer layer to monolayer graphene on SiC(0001) as a function of annealing temperature at low argon pressure (10 mbar). A buffer layer, fully covering the SiC substrate, forms when the substrate is annealed at 1600°C. Graphene formation starts from the step edges of the SiC substrate at higher temperature (1700°C). The spatial homogeneity of the monolayer graphene was observed at 1750°C, as characterized by Raman spectroscopy and magneto-transport. Raman spectroscopy mapping indicated an AG-graphene/AG-HOPG ratio of around 3.3%, which is very close to the experimental value reported for a graphene monolayer. Transport measurements fromroom temperature down to 1.7 K indicated slightly p-doped samples (p~10^10cm-2) and confirmed both continuity and thickness of the monolayer graphene film. Successive growth processes have confirmed the reproducibility and homogeneity of these monolayer films.