Integer Quantum Hall States Research Articles

Topologically distinct critical theories emerging from the bulk entanglement spectrum of integer quantum Hall states on a lattice

The critical theories for the topological phase transitions of integer quantum Hall states to a trivial insulating state with the same symmetry can be obtained by calculating the ground state entanglement spectrum under a symmetric checkerboard bipartition. In contrast to the gapless edge excitations under the left-right bipartition, a quantum network with bulk gapless excitations naturally emerges at the Brillouin zone center without fine tuning. On a large finite lattice, the resulting critical theory for the $\nu =1$ state is the (2+1) dimensional relativistic quantum field theory characterized by a \textit{single} Dirac cone spectrum and a pair of \textit{fractionalized} zero-energy states, while for the $\nu =2$ state the critical theory exhibits a parabolic spectrum and no sign of fractionalization in the zero-energy states. A triangular correspondence is established among the bulk topological theory, gapless edge theory, and the critical theory via the ground state entanglement spectrum.

Inhomogeneous and nonstationary Hall states of the CDW with quantized normal carriers

We suggest a theory for a deformable and sliding charge density wave (CDW) in the Hall bar geometry for the quantum limit when the carriers in remnant small pockets are concentrated at lowest Landau levels (LL) forming a fractionally (ν<1) filled quantum Hall state. The gigantic polarizability of the CDW allows for a strong redistribution of electronic densities up to a complete charge segregation when all carriers occupy, with the maximum filling, a fraction ν of the chain length – thus forming the integer quantum Hall state, while leaving the fraction (1−ν) of the chain length unoccupied. The electric field in charged regions easily exceeds the pinning threshold of the CDW, then the depinning propagates into the nominally pinned central region via sharp domain walls. Resulting picture is that of compensated collective and normal pulsing counter-currents driven by the Hall voltage. This scenario is illustrated by numerical modeling for nonstationary distributions of the current and the electric field. This picture can interpret experiments in mesa-junctions showing depinning by the Hall voltage and the generation of voltage-controlled high frequency oscillations (Yu.I. Latyshev, P. Monceau, A.A. Sinchenko, et al., Presented at ECRYS-2011, unpublished [1]).

Anomalous sequence of quantum Hall liquids revealing a tunable Lifshitz transition in bilayer graphene.

Bilayer graphene is a unique system where both the Fermi energy and the low-energy electron dispersion can be tuned. This is brought about by an interplay between trigonal warping and the band gap opened by a transverse electric field. Here, we drive the Lifshitz transition in bilayer graphene to experimentally controllable carrier densities by applying a large transverse electric field to a h-BN-encapsulated bilayer graphene structure. We perform magnetotransport measurements and investigate the different degeneracies in the Landau level spectrum. At low magnetic fields, the observation of filling factors -3 and -6 quantum Hall states reflects the existence of three maxima at the top of the valence-band dispersion. At high magnetic fields, all integer quantum Hall states are observed, indicating that deeper in the valence band the constant energy contours are singly connected. The fact that we observe ferromagnetic quantum Hall states at odd-integer filling factors testifies to the high quality of our sample. This enables us to identify several phase transitions between correlated quantum Hall states at intermediate magnetic fields, in agreement with the calculated evolution of the Landau level spectrum. The observed evolution of the degeneracies, therefore, reveals the presence of a Lifshitz transition in our system.

Bulk entanglement spectrum reveals quantum criticality within a topological state.

A quantum phase transition is usually achieved by tuning physical parameters in a Hamiltonian at zero temperature. Here, we show that the ground state of a topological phase itself encodes critical properties of its transition to a trivial phase. To extract this information, we introduce an extensive partition of the system into two subsystems both of which extend throughout the bulk in all directions. The resulting bulk entanglement spectrum has a low-lying part that resembles the excitation spectrum of a bulk Hamiltonian, which allows us to probe a topological phase transition from a single wave function by tuning either the geometry of the partition or the entanglement temperature. As an example, this remarkable correspondence between the topological phase transition and the entanglement criticality is rigorously established for integer quantum Hall states.

Partially split Hall bar: Tunneling in the bosonic integer quantum Hall effect

We study point-contact tunneling in the integer quantum Hall state of bosons. This symmetry-protected topological state has electrical Hall conductivity equal to $2 e^2/h$ and vanishing thermal Hall conductivity. In contrast to the integer quantum Hall state of fermions, a point contact can have a dramatic effect on the low energy physics. In the absence of disorder, a point contact generically leads to a partially-split Hall bar geometry. We describe the resulting intermediate fixed point via the two-terminal electrical (Hall) conductance of the edge modes. Disorder along the edge, however, both restores the universality of the two-terminal conductance and helps preserve the integrity of the Hall bar within the relevant parameter regime.

High Electron Mobility in Epitaxial Graphene on 4H-SiC(0001) via post-growth annealing under hydrogen

We investigate the magneto-transport properties of epitaxial graphene single-layer on 4H-SiC(0001), grown by atmospheric pressure graphitization in Ar, followed by H2 intercalation. We directly demonstrate the importance of saturating the Si dangling bonds at the graphene/SiC(0001) interface to achieve high carrier mobility. Upon successful Si dangling bonds elimination, carrier mobility increases from 3 000 cm2V−1s−1 to >11 000 cm2V−1s−1 at 0.3 K. Additionally, graphene electron concentration tends to decrease from a few 1012 cm−2 to less than 1012 cm−2. For a typical large (30 × 280 μm2) Hall bar, we report the observation of the integer quantum Hall states at 0.3 K with well developed transversal resistance plateaus at Landau level filling factors of ν = 2, 6, 10, 14… 42 and Shubnikov de Haas oscillation of the longitudinal resistivity observed from about 1 T. In such a device, the Hall state quantization at ν = 2, at 19 T and 0.3 K, can be very robust: the dissipation in electronic transport can stay very low, with the longitudinal resistivity lower than 5 mΩ, for measurement currents as high as 250 μA. This is very promising in the view of an application in metrology.

Bulk-edge correspondence in (2 + 1)-dimensional Abelian topological phases

The same bulk two-dimensional topological phase can have multiple distinct, fully-chiral edge phases. We show that this can occur in the integer quantum Hall states at $\nu=8$ and 12, with experimentally-testable consequences. We show that this can occur in Abelian fractional quantum Hall states as well, with the simplest examples being at $\nu=8/7, 12/11, 8/15, 16/5$. We give a general criterion for the existence of multiple distinct chiral edge phases for the same bulk phase and discuss experimental consequences. Edge phases correspond to lattices while bulk phases correspond to genera of lattices. Since there are typically multiple lattices in a genus, the bulk-edge correspondence is typically one-to-many; there are usually many stable fully chiral edge phases corresponding to the same bulk. We explain these correspondences using the theory of integral quadratic forms. We show that fermionic systems can have edge phases with only bosonic low-energy excitations and discuss a fermionic generalization of the relation between bulk topological spins and the central charge. The latter follows from our demonstration that every fermionic topological phase can be represented as a bosonic topological phase, together with some number of filled Landau levels. Our analysis shows that every Abelian topological phase can be decomposed into a tensor product of theories associated with prime numbers $p$ in which every quasiparticle has a topological spin that is a $p^n$-th root of unity for some $n$. It also leads to a simple demonstration that all Abelian topological phases can be represented by $U(1)^N$ Chern-Simons theory parameterized by a K-matrix.

Interplay of fractional quantum Hall states and localization in quantum point contacts

We investigate integer and fractional quantum Hall states in quantum point contacts (QPCs) of different geometries, defined in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures employing different doping and screening techniques. We find that even in the highest mobility samples, interference and localization strongly influence the transport properties. We propose microscopic models for these effects, based on single- and many-electron physics. For integer quantum Hall states, transport is modulated due to the self-consistent formation of compressible regions of enhanced or reduced density in the incompressible region of the constriction. In the fractional quantum Hall regime, we observe the localization of fractionally charged quasiparticles in the constriction and an interplay of single- and many-electron physics. At low electron densities and in comparatively weak magnetic fields, single-electron interference dominates transport. Utilizing optimized growth and gating techniques, the $\ensuremath{\nu}=5/2$ state can be observed in a QPC, conserving the bulk properties in an unprecedented quality. Our results might improve the understanding of the influence of localization on the transmission properties of QPCs, which is necessary for the interpretation of interference experiments employing QPCs, especially at $\ensuremath{\nu}=5/2$.

Magnetostatic wave analog of integer quantum Hall state in patterned magnetic films

A magnetostatic spin wave analog of integer quantum Hall (IQH) state is proposed in realistic patterned ferromagnetic thin films. Due to magnetic shape anisotropy, magnetic moments in a thin film lie within the plane, while all spin-wave excitations are fully gapped. Under an out-of-plane magnetic field, the film acquires a finite magnetization, where some of the gapped magnons become significantly softened near a saturation field. It is shown that, owing to a spin-orbit locking nature of the magnetic dipolar interaction, these soft spin-wave volume-mode bands become chiral volume-mode bands with finite topological Chern integers. A bulk-edge correspondence in IQH physics suggests that such volume-mode bands are accompanied by a chiral magnetostatic spin-wave edge mode. The existence of the edge mode is justified both by micromagnetic simulations and by band calculations based on a linearized Landau-Lifshitz equation. Employing intuitive physical arguments, we introduce proper tight-binding models for these soft volume-mode bands. Based on the tight-binding models, we further discuss possible applications to other systems such as magnetic ultrathin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA).

Magnetic-Field-Tuned Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations and Evidence for Non-Abelian Anyons atν=5/2

We show that the resistance of the ν = 5/2 quantum Hall state, confined to an interferometer, oscillates with the magnetic field consistent with an Ising-type non-Abelian state. In three quantum Hall interferometers of different sizes, resistance oscillations at ν = 7/3 and integer filling factors have the magnetic field period expected if the number of quasiparticles contained within the interferometer changes so as to keep the area and the total charge within the interferometer constant. Under these conditions, an Abelian state such as the (3, 3, 1) state would show oscillations with the same period as at an integer quantum Hall state. However, in an Ising-type non-Abelian state there would be a rapid oscillation associated with the "even-odd effect" and a slower one associated with the accumulated Abelian phase due to both the Aharonov-Bohm effect and the Abelian part of the quasiparticle braiding statistics. Our measurements at ν = 5/2 are consistent with the latter.

Microscopic model for the boson integer quantum Hall effect

In two dimensions strongly interacting bosons in a magnetic field can form an integer quantum Hall state. This state has a bulk gap, no fractional charges or topological order in the bulk but nevertheless has quantized Hall transport and symmetry protected edge excitations. Here we study a simple microscopic model for such a state in a system of two component bosons in a strong orbital magnetic field. We show through exact diagonalization calculations that the model supports the boson integer quantum Hall ground state in a range of parameters.

Integer Quantum Hall State in Two-Component Bose Gases in a Synthetic Magnetic Field

We study two-component (or pseudospin-1/2) Bose gases in a strong synthetic magnetic field. Using exact diagonalization, we show that a bosonic analog of an integer quantum Hall state with no intrinsic topological order appears at the total filling factor ν=1+1 when the strengths of intracomponent and intercomponent interactions are comparable with each other. This provides a prime example of a symmetry-protected topological phase in a controlled setting of quantum gases. The real-space entanglement spectrum of this state is found to be comprised of counterpropagating chiral modes consistent with the edge theory derived from an effective Chern-Simons theory.

Giant D5 brane holographic Hall state

We find a new holographic description of strongly coupled defect field theories using probe D5 branes. We consider a system where a large number of probe branes, which are asymptotically D5 branes, blow up into a D7 brane suspended in the bulk of anti-de Sitter space. For a particular ratio of charge density to external magnetic field, so that the Landau level filling fraction per color is equal to one, the D7 brane exhibits an incompressible charge-gapped state with one unit of integer quantized Hall conductivity. The detailed configuration as well as ungapped, compressible configurations for a range of parameters near the gapped one are found by solving the D5 and D7 brane embedding equations numerically and the D7 is shown to be preferred over the D5 by comparing their energies. We then find integer quantum Hall states with higher filling fractions as a stack of D5 branes which blow up to multiple D7 branes where each D7 brane has filling fraction one. We find indications that the n D7 branes describing the filling fraction n state are coincident with a residual SU(n) symmetry when n is a divisor of the total number of D5 branes. We examine the issue of stability of the larger filling fraction Hall states. We argue that, in the D7 brane phase, chiral symmetry restoration could be a first order phase transition.

Anisotropy in a high Landau level due to effective electron-electron interactions

Quantization of Hall resistivity in strongly correlated two-dimensional electronic systems at high magnetic fields generally indicates the stabilization of novel electronic quantum liquid phases of matter. This is the nature of the integer and fractional quantum Hall states that stabilize at integer and fractional odd-denominator (not always, though) filling factors of the Landau level. Away from certain filling factors that represent quantum Hall liquid states, different phases, some of them with unusually high magneto-transport anisotropy have been known to stabilize specially in high Landau levels. In this work, we try to understand this anisotropic behaviour in terms of effective electron-electron interaction potentials. To this effect, we implement a full projection of the original Coulomb interaction potential in the suitable Landau level. We find out that, in high Landau levels, thus for relatively weak magnetic fields, a semi-classical description of the interaction potential between electrons appear to be an adequate choice. The features of this semi-classical interaction potential in this limit suggest ways how the energetic balance between density waves and/or liquid crystalline phases might be sensitively affected.

Magneto-photoluminescence of charged excitons from MgxZn1−xO/ZnO heterojunctions

We report on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of Mg${}_{x}$Zn${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$O/ZnO heterojunctions grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. Influence of the applied magnetic field ($B$) on the radiative recombination of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is investigated up to 54 T. An increase in magnetic field in the range of $B$ \ensuremath{\le} 20 T results in a redshift in the PL. Abrupt lineshape changes in the PL spectra are observed at higher magnetic fields, in correlation with the integer quantum Hall states. We attempt to interpret these features using the conventional model for the 2DEG-related PL based on the transition between the 2DEG and a hole as well as a model taking a bound state effect into account, i.e., a charged exciton. The comparison about the adequateness of these models was made, being in favor of the charged exciton model.

Quantum phase transition between integer quantum Hall states of bosons

Bosonic integer quantum Hall (IQH) phases are a class of symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases that, similar to the fermionic IQH states, support a quantized Hall conductance. They, however, require interactions for their realization. Here, we study quantum Hall plateau transitions between a trivial insulator and a bosonic IQH phase, in a clean system. Generically, we find an intervening superfluid phase. The presence of additional symmetries, however, can potentially lead to a direct transition between these phases. We employ a fermionic parton description that captures both the insulating phases as well as the transition between them. The critical theory is massless QED-3 with ${N}_{f}=2$ fermion flavors. The fermions have a surprisingly simple interpretation: they are vortices of the superfluid. Therefore, the universal conductivity at the transition, assuming it is continuous, equals the universal resistivity of Dirac fermions in QED-3. We also briefly comment on sigma model descriptions of the transition and the surface states of related three-dimensional SPT phases.

Integer quantum Hall effect for bosons.

A simple physical realization of an integer quantum Hall state of interacting two dimensional bosons is provided. This is an example of a symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase which is a generalization of the concept of topological insulators to systems of interacting bosons or fermions. Universal physical properties of the boson integer quantum Hall state are described and shown to correspond with those expected from general classifications of SPT phases.

Chaotic quantum transport near the charge neutrality point in inverted type-II InAs/GaSb field-effect transistors

We present here our recent quantum transport results around the charge neutrality point (CNP) in a type-II InAs/GaSb field-effect transistor. At zero magnetic field, a conductance minimum close to 4e2/h develops at the CNP and it follows semi-logarithmic temperature dependence. In quantized magnetic (B) fields and at low temperatures, well developed integer quantum Hall states are observed in the electron as well as hole regimes. Charged carrier (electron and hole) transport shows noisy behavior around the CNP at extremely high B fields. When the diagonal conductivity σxx is plotted against the Hall conductivity σxy, an unexpected conductivity circle law is observed.

Contrasting energy scales of reentrant integer quantum Hall states

We report drastically different onset temperatures of the reentrant integer quantum Hall states in the second and third Landau level. This finding is in quantitative disagreement with the Hartree-Fock theory of the bubble phases which is thought to describe these reentrant states. Our results indicate that the number of electrons per bubble in either the second or the third Landau level is likely different than predicted.

Breakdown of the integer and fractional quantum Hall states in a quantum point contact

The integer and fractional quantum Hall states are known to breakdown at high dc bias, exhibiting deviation from the ideal incompressible behavior. We measure breakdown of the ν=2, 3, 4, 5 integer and the ν=4/3 and 5/3 fractional states in a quantum point contact (QPC) of lithographic width ∼600nm. Dependence of the critical current on magnetic field, QPC gate voltage, and QPC width are presented. Of particular interest, the critical current of the 4/3 and 5/3 fractional states shows the opposite dependence on QPC width compared to the integer states. This previously unobserved result is not explained by current theories of breakdown.