Overview

The research conducted in the Max Planck Research Group (Max Planck Forschergruppe) Theory of semiconductor nanostructures (Bester) has its main focus on the theory of semiconductor nanostructures. Our special interest resides in quantum mechanical effects that become apparent when the carriers of charge and magnetic moment &ndash electrons or holes &ndash are confined into space regions with dimensions in the nanometer range. Our aim is to develop theoretical concepts and implement them into computational methods using an atomistic description. At one end of the size scale, when the confining region encompasses only dozens of atoms, we are in direct contact with the chemical world of molecules. At the other end of the length scale we address the fast growing and expanding research field of artificially structured solids, such as quantum wells, quantum wires and quantum dots. We work in close collaboration with experimentalists to benchmark our theory and offer predictions for the properties of many-body quantum states in reach of experimentalists.

Logo on the top left: State density of the bonding electron state of two vertically stacked self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots (quantum dot molecule) calculated with the atomistic empirical pseudopotential method. The quantum dots have the shape of a truncated cone with 25 nm diameter and a vertical separation of 5 nm. The two translucent red isosurfaces enclose 75% and 40% of the total state density. The physical dot dimensions are shown in blue.