Composite Fermions Research Articles

Fractional Chern Insulators in Twisted Bilayer MoTe_{2}: A Composite Fermion Perspective.

The discovery of fractional Chern insulators (FCIs) in twisted bilayer MoTe_{2} has sparked significant interest in fractional topological matter without external magnetic fields. Unlike the flat dispersion of Landau levels, moiré electronic states are influenced by lattice effects within a nanometer-scale superlattice. This Letter examines the impact of these lattice effects on the topological phases in twisted bilayer MoTe_{2}, uncovering a family of FCIs with Abelian anyonic quasiparticles. Using a composite fermion approach, we identify a sequence of FCIs with fractional Hall conductivities σ_{xy}=[C/(2C+1)](e^{2}/h) linked to partial filling ν_{h} of holes of the topmost moiré valence band. These states emerge from incompressible composite fermion bands of Chern number C within a complex Hofstadter spectrum. This approach explains FCIs with Hall conductivities σ_{xy}=(2/3)e^{2}/h and σ_{xy}=(3/5)e^{2}/h at fractional fillings ν_{h}=2/3 and ν_{h}=3/5 observed in experiments, and uncovers other fractal FCI states. The Hofstadter spectrum reveals new phenomena, distinct from Landau levels, including a higher-order Van Hove singularity (HOVHS) at half-filling, leading to novel quantum phase transitions. This Letter offers a comprehensive framework for understanding FCIs in transition metal dichalcogenide moiré systems and highlights mechanisms for topological quantum criticality.

Dualities of Paired Quantum Hall Bilayer States at ν_{T}=1/2+1/2.

Density-balanced, widely separated quantum Hall bilayers at ν_{T}=1 can be described as two copies of composite Fermi liquids (CFLs). The two CFLs have interlayer weak-coupling Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer instabilities mediated by gauge fluctuations, the resulting pairing symmetry of which depends on the CFL hypothesis used. If both layers are described by the conventional Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory-based composite electron liquid (CEL), the dominant pairing instability is in the p+ip channel; whereas if one layer is described by CEL and the other by a composite hole liquid (CHL, in the sense of anti-HLR), the dominant pairing instability occurs in the s-wave channel. Using the Dirac composite fermion (CF) picture, we show that these two pairing channels can be mapped onto each other by particle-hole (PH) transformation. Furthermore, we derive the CHL theory as the nonrelativistic limit of the PH-transformed massive Dirac CF theory. Finally, we prove that an effective topological field theory for the paired CEL-CHL in the weak-coupling limit is equivalent to the exciton condensate phase in the strong-coupling limit.

Floquet engineering of a dynamical Z2 lattice gauge field with ultracold atoms

Abstract Gauge field theory is a fundamental concept in modern physics, attracting many theoretical and experimental efforts towards its simulation. In this paper we propose that a simple model, in which fermions coupled to a dynamical lattice gauge field, can be engineered via the Floquet approach. The model possesses both an independent Maxwell term and local Z 2 gauge symmetry. Our proposal relies on a species-dependent optical lattice, and can be achieved in one, two or three dimensions. By a unitary transformation, this model can be mapped into a non-interacting composite fermion system with fluctuating background charge. With the help of this composite fermion picture, two characteristic observations are predicted. One is radio-frequency spectroscopy, which exhibits no dispersion in all parameter regimes. The second is dynamical localization, which depends on the structure of the initial states.

Explanation of puzzling FQHE at the filling fraction 3/4 in a band-hole 2D system in GaAs

A recent experiment revealed an unexpected FQHE at filling fraction 3/4 in a GaAs 2D hole system, which contradicts the composite fermion model prediction and the observation of a compressible Hall metal-type state in a twin 2D electron system in GaAs at the same filling fraction 3/4 at almost same other conditions. This finding challenges conventional effective single-quasiparticle model for FQHE exposing its limitations. We explain this experimental observation within a multiparticle approach based on a topological cyclotron commensurability criterion. This allows to generalize Laughlin function for filling fractions from the complete FQHE hierarchy including observable FQHE states at even denominator fractions. The topological multiparticle approach helps to decipher a structure of composite fermions and provides their generalization for so-called enigmatic states including even denominator filling fractions, and also for quantum fractional Hall-type behavior in Chern topological insulators without a magnetic field.

Unusual Quasiparticles and Tunneling Conductance in Quantum Point Contacts in ν=2/3 Fractional Quantum Hall Systems.

Understanding topological matter in the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect requires identifying the nature of edge state quasiparticles. FQH edge state at the filling factor ν=2/3 in the spin-polarized and unpolarized phases is represented by the two modes of composite fermions (CF) with the parallel or opposite spins described by the chiral Luttinger liquids. Tunneling through a quantum point contact (QPC) between different or similar spin phases is solved exactly. With the increase of the applied voltage, the QPC conductance grows from zero and saturates at e^{2}/2h while a weak electron tunneling between the edge modes with the same spin transforms into a backscattering carried by the charge q=e/2 quasiparticles. These unusual quasiparticles and conductance plateau emerge when one or two CF spin-polarized modes in the QPC tunnel into a single mode. We propose experiments on the applied voltage and temperature dependence of the QPC conductance and noise that can shed light on the nature of edge states and FQH transport.

Fingerprints of composite fermion Lambda levels in scanning tunneling microscopy

A composite fermion (CF) is a topological quasiparticle that emerges from a nonperturbative attachment of vortices to electrons in strongly correlated two-dimensional materials. Similar to noninteracting fermions that form Landau levels in a magnetic field, CFs can fill analogous “Lambda” levels, giving rise to the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect of electrons. Here, we show that Lambda levels can be directly visualized through the characteristic peak structure in the signal obtained via spectroscopy with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on a FQH state. Complementary to transport, which probes the low-energy properties of CFs, we show that features in STM spectra can be interpreted in terms of Lambda levels. We numerically demonstrate that STM spectra can be accurately modeled using Jain's CF theory. Our results show that STM provides a powerful tool for revealing the anatomy of FQH states and identifying physics beyond the noninteracting CF paradigm. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Numerical demonstration of Abelian fractional statistics of composite fermion excitations in the spherical geometry

Numerical demonstration of Abelian fractional statistics of composite fermion excitations in the spherical geometry

Quantum mechanics of composite fermions

We establish the quantum mechanics of composite fermions based on the dipole picture initially proposed by Read. It comprises three complimentary components: a wave equation for determining the wave functions of a composite fermion in ideal fractional quantum Hall states and when subjected to external perturbations, a wave-function for mapping a many-body wave function of composite fermions to a physical wave function of electrons, and a microscopic approach for determining the effective Hamiltonian of the composite fermion. The wave equation resembles the ordinary Schrödinger equation but has drift velocity corrections that are not present in the Halperin-Lee-Read theory. The wave-function constructs a physical wave function of electrons by projecting a state of composite fermions onto a half-filled bosonic Laughlin state of vortices. Remarkably, Jain's wave-function can be reinterpreted as the new in an alternative wave-function representation of composite fermions. The dipole picture and the effective Hamiltonian can be derived from the microscopic model of interacting electrons confined in a Landau level, with all parameters determined. In this framework, we can construct the physical wave function of a fractional quantum Hall state deductively by solving the wave equation and applying the wave-function , based on the effective Hamiltonian derived from first principles, rather than relying on intuition or educated guesses. For ideal fractional quantum Hall states in the lowest Landau level, the approach reproduces the well-established results of the standard theory of composite fermions. We further demonstrate that the reformulated theory of composite fermions can be easily generalized for flat Chern bands. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Matrix product study of spin fractionalization in the one-dimensional Kondo insulator

The Kondo lattice is one of the classic examples of strongly correlated electronic systems. We conduct a controlled study of the Kondo lattice in one dimension, highlighting the role of excitations created by the composite fermion operator. Using time-dependent matrix product state methods, we compute various correlation functions and contrast them with both large-N mean-field theory and the strong-coupling expansion. We show that the composite fermion operator creates long-lived, charge-e and spin-1/2 excitations, which cover the low-lying single-particle excitation spectrum of the system. Furthermore, spin excitations can be thought to be composed of such fractionalized quasiparticles with a residual interaction which tend to disappear at weak Kondo coupling. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Conformal field theory approach to parton fractional quantum Hall trial wave functions

We show that all lowest Landau-level projected and unprojected chiral parton type fractional quantum Hall ground and edge-state trial wave functions, which take the form of products of integer quantum Hall wave functions, can be expressed as conformal field theory (CFT) correlation functions, where we can associate a chiral algebra to each parton state such that the CFT defined by the algebra is the “smallest” such CFT that can generate the corresponding ground and edge-state trial wave functions (assuming that the corresponding chiral algebra does indeed define a physically “sensible” CFT). A field-theoretic generalization of Laughlin's plasma analogy, known as generalized screening, is formulated for these states. If this holds, along with an additional assumption, we argue that the inner products of edge-state trial wave functions, for parton states where the “densest” trial wave function is unique, can be expressed as matrix elements of an exponentiated local action operator of the CFT, generalizing the result of Dubail [], which implies the equality between edge-state and entanglement level counting to state counting in the corresponding CFT. We numerically test this result in the case of the unprojected ν=2/5 composite fermion state and the bosonic ν=1ϕ22 parton state. We discuss how Read's arguments [] still apply, implying that conformal blocks of the CFT defined by the corresponding chiral algebra are valid quasihole trial wave functions, with the adiabatic braiding statistics given by the monodromy of these functions, assuming the existence of a quasiparticle trapping Hamiltonian. Generalizations of these constructions are discussed, with particular attention given to simple current constructions. It is shown that all chiral composite fermion wave functions can be expressed as CFT correlation functions without explicit symmetrization or antisymmetrization and that the ground, edge, and certain quasihole trial wave functions of the ϕnm parton states can be expressed as the conformal blocks of the U(1)⊗SU(n)m WZW models. Finally, we discuss the relation of the ϕ2k series with the Read-Rezayi series, where several examples of quasihole braiding statistics calculations are given. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Chern-Simons Modified RPA-Eliashberg Theory of the ν=1/2+1/2 Quantum Hall Bilayer.

The ν=1/2+1/2 quantum Hall bilayer has been previsously modeled using Chern-Simons-RPA-Eliashberg (CSRPAE) theory to describe pairing between the two layers. However, these approaches are troubled by a number of divergences and ambiguities. By using a "modified" RPA approximation to account for mass renormalization, we can work in a limit where the cyclotron frequency is taken to infinity, effectively projecting to a single Landau level. This, surprisingly, controls the important divergences and removes ambiguities found in prior attempts at CSRPAE. Examining BCS pairing of composite fermions we find that the angular momentum channel l=+1 dominates for all distances d between layers and at all frequency scales. Examining BCS pairing of composite fermion electrons in one layer with composite fermion holes in the opposite layer, we find the l=0 pairing channel dominates for all d and all frequencies. The strength of the pairing in these two different descriptions of the same phase of matter is found to be almost identical. This agrees well with our understanding that these are two different but dual descriptions of the same phase of matter.

Near-field heat transfer and drag resistance in bilayers of composite fermions

Near-field heat transfer and drag resistance in bilayers of composite fermions

Signatures of Correlated Defects in an Ultraclean Wigner Crystal in the Extreme Quantum Limit.

Low-disorder two-dimensional electron systems in the presence of a strong, perpendicular magnetic field terminate at very small Landau level filling factors in a Wigner crystal (WC), where the electrons form an ordered array to minimize the Coulomb repulsion. The nature of this exotic, many-body, quantum phase is yet to be fully understood and experimentally revealed. Here we probe one of WC's most fundamental parameters, namely, the energy gap that determines its low-temperature conductivity, in record mobility, ultrahigh-purity, two-dimensional electrons confined to GaAs quantum wells. The WC domains in these samples contain ≃1000 electrons. The measured gaps are a factor of three larger than previously reported for lower quality samples, and agree remarkably well with values predicted for the lowest-energy, intrinsic, hypercorrelated bubble defects in a WC made of flux-electron composite fermions, rather than bare electrons. The agreement is particularly noteworthy, given that the calculations are done for disorder-free composite fermion WCs, and there are no adjustable parameters. The results reflect the exceptionally high quality of the samples, and suggest that composite fermion WCs are indeed more stable compared to their electron counterparts.

Anomalies and persistent order in the chiral Gross-Neveu model

We study the 2d chiral Gross-Neveu model at finite temperature T and chemical potential μ. The analysis is performed by relating the theory to a SU(N) × U(1) Wess-Zumino-Witten model with appropriate levels and global identifications necessary to keep track of the fermion spin structures. At μ = 0 we show that a certain ℤ2-valued ’t Hooft anomaly forbids the system to be trivially gapped when fermions are periodic along the thermal circle for any N and any T > 0. We also study the two-point function of a certain composite fermion operator which allows us to determine the remnants for T > 0 of the inhomogeneous chiral phase configuration found at T = 0 for any N and any μ. The inhomogeneous configuration decays exponentially at large distances for anti-periodic fermions while it persists for T > 0 and any μ for periodic fermions, as expected from anomaly considerations. A large N analysis confirms the above findings.

Pairing and pair breaking by gauge fluctuations in bilayer composite fermion metals

Pairing and pair breaking by gauge fluctuations in bilayer composite fermion metals

Evidence for Topological Protection Derived from Six-Flux Composite Fermions

The composite fermion theory opened a new chapter in understanding many-body correlations through the formation of emergent particles. The formation of two-flux and four-flux composite fermions is well established. While there are limited data linked to the formation of six-flux composite fermions, topological protection associated with them is conspicuously lacking. Here we report evidence for the formation of a quantized and gapped fractional quantum Hall state at the filling factor ν = 9/11, which we associate with the formation of six-flux composite fermions. Our result provides evidence for the most intricate composite fermion with six fluxes and expands the already diverse family of highly correlated topological phases with a new member that cannot be characterized by correlations present in other known members. Our observations pave the way towards the study of higher order correlations in the fractional quantum Hall regime.

Fractional Quantum Hall State at Filling Factor ν=1/4 in Ultra-High-Quality GaAs Two-Dimensional Hole Systems.

Single-component fractional quantum Hall states (FQHSs) at even-denominator filling factors may host non-Abelian quasiparticles that are considered to be building blocks of topological quantum computers. Such states, however, are rarely observed in the lowest-energy Landau level, namely at filling factors ν<1. Here, we report evidence for an even-denominator FQHS at ν=1/4 in ultra-high-quality two-dimensional hole systems confined to modulation-doped GaAs quantum wells. We observe a deep minimum in the longitudinal resistance at ν=1/4, superimposed on a highly insulating background, suggesting a close competition between the ν=1/4 FQHS and the magnetic-field-induced, pinned Wigner solid states. Our experimental observations are consistent with the very recent theoretical calculations that predict that substantial Landau level mixing, caused by the large hole effective mass, can induce composite fermion pairing and lead to a non-Abelian FQHS at ν=1/4. Our results demonstrate that Landau level mixing can provide a very potent means for tuning the interaction between composite fermions and creating new non-Abelian FQHSs.

Next-generation even-denominator fractional quantum Hall states of interacting composite fermions.

The discovery of the fractional quantum Hall state (FQHS) in 1982 ushered a new era of research in many-body condensed matter physics. Among the numerous FQHSs, those observed at even-denominator Landau level filling factors are of particular interest as they may host quasiparticles obeying non-Abelian statistics and be of potential use in topological quantum computing. The even-denominator FQHSs, however, are scarce and have been observed predominantly in low-disorder two-dimensional (2D) systems when an excited electron Landau level is half filled. An example is the well-studied FQHS at filling factor [Formula: see text] 5/2 which is believed to be a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer-type, paired state of flux-particle composite fermions (CFs). Here, we report the observation of even-denominator FQHSs at [Formula: see text] 3/10, 3/8, and 3/4 in the lowest Landau level of an ultrahigh-quality GaAs 2D hole system, evinced by deep minima in longitudinal resistance and developing quantized Hall plateaus. Quite remarkably, these states can be interpreted as even-denominator FQHSs of CFs, emerging from pairing of higher-order CFs when a CF Landau level, rather than an electron or a hole Landau level, is half-filled. Our results affirm enhanced interaction between CFs in a hole system with significant Landau level mixing and, more generally, the pairing of CFs as a valid mechanism for even-denominator FQHSs, and suggest the realization of FQHSs with non-Abelian anyons.

Large composite fermion effective mass at filling factor 5/2

The 5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect in the second Landau level of extremely clean two-dimensional electron gases has attracted much attention due to its topological order predicted to host quasiparticles that obey non-Abelian quantum statistics and could serve as a basis for fault-tolerant quantum computations. While previous works have establish the Fermi liquid (FL) nature of its putative composite fermion (CF) normal phase, little is known regarding its thermodynamics properties and as a result its effective mass is entirely unknown. Here, we report on time-resolved specific heat measurements at filling factor 5/2, and we examine the ratio of specific heat to temperature as a function of temperature. Combining these specific heat data with existing longitudinal thermopower data measuring the entropy in the clean limit we find that, unless a phase transition/crossover gives rise to large specific heat anomaly, both datasets point towards a large effective mass in the FL phase of CFs at 5/2. We estimate the effective-to-bare mass ratio m*/me to be ranging from ~ 2 to 4, which is two to three times larger than previously measured values in the first Landau level.

Two-fluid theory of composite bosons and fermions and the quantum Hall proximity effect

Two-fluid theory of composite bosons and fermions and the quantum Hall proximity effect