Cloaking Core-Shell Nanoparticles from Conducting Electrons in Solids

Abstract

In this Letter, we aim at making nanoparticles embedded in a host semiconductor with a size comparable to electronic wavelengths “invisible” to the electron transport. Inspired by the recent progress made in optics and working within the framework of the expansion of partial waves, we demonstrate that the opposite effects imposed by potential barriers and wells of a core-shell nanoparticle on the phase shifts associated with the scattered electron wave could make the scattering cross section of the first two partial waves vanish simultaneously. We show that this is sufficient to cloak the nanoparticle from being detected by electrons with specific energy in the sense that a total scattering cross section smaller than 0.01% of the physical cross section can be obtained and a 4 orders of magnitude difference in the total scattering cross section can be presented within an energy range of only 40 meV, indicating possible applications of the “electron cloaks” as novel electronic switches and sensors, and in efficient energy harvesting and conversion technologies.