Quantum Hall Systems Research Articles

Topological Contextuality and Anyonic Statistics of Photonic-Encoded Parafermions

Quasiparticle poisoning, expected to arise during the measurement of Majorana zero mode state, poses a fundamental problem towards the realization of Majorana-based quantum computation. Parafermions, a natural generalization of Majorana fermions, can encode topological qudits immune to quasiparticle poisoning. While parafermions are expected to emerge in superconducting fractional quantum Hall systems, they are not yet attainable with current technology. To bypass this problem, we employ a photonic quantum simulator to experimentally demonstrate the key components of parafermion-based universal quantum computation. Our contributions in this article are twofold. First, by manipulating the photonic states, we realize Clifford operator Berry phases that correspond to braiding statistics of parafermions. Second, we investigate the quantum contextuality in a topological system for the first time by demonstrating the contextuality of parafermion encoded qudit states. Importantly, we find that the topologically-encoded contextuality opens the way to magic state distillation, while both the contextuality and the braiding-induced Clifford gates are resilient against local noise. By introducing contextuality, our photonic quantum simulation provides the first step towards a physically robust methodology for realizing topological quantum computation.

Active topolectrical circuits

The transfer of topological concepts from the quantum world to classical mechanical and electronic systems has opened fundamentally different approaches to protected information transmission and wave guidance. A particularly promising emergent technology is based on recently discovered topolectrical circuits that achieve robust electric signal transduction by mimicking edge currents in quantum Hall systems. In parallel, modern active matter research has shown how autonomous units driven by internal energy reservoirs can spontaneously self-organize into collective coherent dynamics. Here, we unify key ideas from these two previously disparate fields to develop design principles for active topolectrical circuits (ATCs) that can self-excite topologically protected global signal patterns. Realizing autonomous active units through nonlinear Chua diode circuits, we theoretically predict and experimentally confirm the emergence of self-organized protected edge oscillations in one- and two-dimensional ATCs. The close agreement between theory, simulations, and experiments implies that nonlinear ATCs provide a robust and versatile platform for developing high-dimensional autonomous electrical circuits with topologically protected functionalities.

Field-Tunable One-Sided Higher-Order Topological Hinge States in Dirac Semimetals.

Recently, higher-order topological matter and 3D quantum Hall effects have attracted a great amount of attention. The Fermi-arc mechanism of the 3D quantum Hall effect proposed to exist in Weyl semimetals is characterized by the one-sided hinge states, which do not exist in all the previous quantum Hall systems, and more importantly, pose a realistic example of the higher-order topological matter. The experimental effort so far is in the Dirac semimetal Cd_{3}As_{2}, where, however, time-reversal symmetry leads to hinge states on both sides of the top and bottom surfaces, instead of the aspired one-sided hinge states. We propose that under a tilted magnetic field, the hinge states in Cd_{3}As_{2}-like Dirac semimetals can be one sided, highly tunable by field direction and Fermi energy, and robust against weak disorder. Furthermore, we propose a scanning tunneling Hall measurement to detect the one-sided hinge states. Our results will be insightful for exploring not only the quantum Hall effects beyond two dimensions, but also other higher-order topological insulators in the future.

Continuum limit of lattice quasielectron wavefunctions

Trial states describing anyonic quasiholes in the Laughlin state were found early on, and it is therefore natural to expect that one should also be able to create anyonic quasielectrons. Nevertheless, the existing trial wavefunctions for quasielectrons show behaviors that are not compatible with the expected topological properties or their construction involves ad hoc elements. It was shown, however, that for lattice fractional quantum Hall systems, it is possible to find a relatively simple quasielectron wavefunction that has all the expected properties (2018 New J. Phys. 20 033029). This naturally poses the question: what happens to this wavefunction in the continuum limit? Here we demonstrate that, although one obtains a finite continuum wavefunction when the quasielectron is on top of a lattice site, such a limit of the lattice quasielectron does not exist in general. In particular, if the quasielectron is put anywhere else than on a lattice site, the lattice wavefunction diverges when the continuum limit is approached. The divergence can be removed by projecting the state on the lowest Landau level, but we find that the projected state does also not have the properties expected for anyonic quasielectrons. We hence conclude that the lattice quasielectron wavefunction does not solve the difficulty of finding trial states for anyonic quasielectrons in the continuum.

A note on broken dilatation symmetry in planar noncommutative theory

A riveting study of Ward-Takahashi identities is presented for a broken dilatation or scale symmetry in a generalized quantum Hall system. On using the “Peierls substitution” scheme, it is shown that noncommutativity between spatial coordinates emerges naturally at a large magnetic field limit. Thereafter, we derive a path-integral action for the corresponding noncommutative quantum system and discuss the equivalence between the considered noncommutative system and the generalized Landau problem thus rendering an effective commmutative description. We then derive an expression for the unintegrated scale or dilatation anomaly for the generalized Landau system using Fujikawa's method and is subsequently renormalised. In fact, we identify the Ward-Takahashi identities associated with broken dilatation symmetry to be anomalous which is a purely quantum effect induced from the noncommutative structure between spatial coordinates and therefore non-intuitive in nature.

Electron vortex beams in nonuniform magnetic fields

We consider the quantum theory of paraxial nonrelativistic electron beams in nonuniform magnetic fields, such as the Glaser field. We find the wave function of an electron from such a beam and show that it is a joint eigenstate of two ($z$-dependent) commuting gauge-independent operators. This generalized Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beam has a phase that is shown to consist of two parts, each being proportional to the eigenvalue of one of the two conserved operators and each having different symmetries. We also describe the dynamics of the angular momentum and cross-sectional area of any mode and how a varying magnetic field can split a mode into a superposition of modes. By a suitable change in the frame of reference, all of our analysis also applies to an electron in a quantum Hall system with a time-dependent magnetic field.

Enhancement in tunneling density of states in a Luttinger liquid: Role of nonlocal interaction

Power law suppression of local electronic tunneling density of states (TDOS) in the zero-energy limit is a hallmark of Luttinger liquid (LL) phase of the interacting 1-D electron system. We present a theoretical model which hosts LL state with the surprising feature of enhancement rather than suppression in local TDOS originating from non-local and repulsive density-density interactions. Importantly, we find enhancement of TDOS in the manifold of parameter space where the system is stable in the renormalization group (RG) sense. We argue that enhancement of TDOS along with RG stability is possible only when the system has broken parity symmetry about the position of local TDOS enhancement. Such a model could be realized on the edge states of a bi-layer quantum Hall system where both intra-layer and inter-layer density-density interactions are present mimicking the role of local and non-local interactions respectively.

Valley-dependent electronic transport in quantum Hall systems of α-T3 model

We study the quantum transport in α-T3 model lattice in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. It is found that valley pseudospin is also a very important degree of freedom for electrons in α-T3 model lattice, which can be modulated by the magnetic field. When a perpendicular magnetic field is applied to α-T3 model lattice, the electrons in the two valleys have different responses to the magnetic field. We found that the continuous subbands of α-T3 model lattice are splitted into discrete Landau levels by the perpendicular magnetic fields, and the Landau levels for the two valleys are different, which leads to high valley polarization. Our results may stimulate further experimental studies of the realization of valleytronic devices.

Preparation of the 1/2 Laughlin state with atoms in a rotating trap

Fractional quantum Hall systems are among the most exciting strongly correlated systems. Accessing them microscopically via quantum simulations with ultracold atoms would be an important achievement toward a better understanding of this strongly correlated state of matter. A promising approach is to confine a small number of bosonic atoms in a quasi-two-dimensional rotating trap, which mimics the magnetic field. For rotation frequencies close to the in-plane trapping frequency, the ground state is predicted to be a bosonic analog of the Laughlin state. Here, we study the problem of the adiabatic preparation of the Laughlin state by ramping the rotation frequency and controlling the ellipticity of the trapping potential. By employing adapted ramping speeds for rotation frequency and ellipticity, and large trap deformations, we improve the preparation time for high-fidelity Laughlin states by a factor of ten in comparison to previous studies. With this improvement of the adiabatic protocol the Laughlin state can be prepared with current experimental technology.

Optical flux pump in the quantum Hall regime

A seminal gedankenexperiment by Laughlin describes the charge transport in quantum Hall systems via the pumping of flux. Here, we propose an optical scheme which probes and manipulates quantum Hall systems in a similar way: When light containing orbital angular momentum interacts with electronic Landau levels, it acts as a flux pump which radially moves the electrons through the sample. We investigate this effect for a graphene system with Corbino geometry, and calculate the radial current in the absence of any electric potential bias. Remarkably, the current is robust against the disorder which is consistent with the lattice symmetry, and in the weak excitation limit, the current shows a power-law scaling with intensity characterized by the novel exponent 2/3.

Chiral edge modes in Helmholtz-Onsager vortex systems

Vortices play a fundamental role in the physics of two-dimensional (2D) fluids across a range of length scales, from quantum superfluids to geophysical flows. Despite a history dating back to Helmholtz, point vortices in a 2D fluid continue to pose interesting theoretical problems, owing to their unusual statistical mechanics. Here we show that the strongly interacting Helmholtz-Onsager vortex systems can form statistical edge modes at low energies, extending a previously identified analogy between vortex matter and quantum Hall systems. Through dynamical simulations, Monte-Carlo sampling, and mean-field theory, we demonstrate that these edge modes are associated with the formation of dipoles of real and image vortices at boundaries. The edge modes are robust, persisting in nonconvex domains, and are in quantitative agreement with the mean-field predictions.1 MoreReceived 1 March 2021Accepted 11 June 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.6.064702©2021 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasVortex flowsVortices in superfluidsPhysical SystemsClassical fluidsHamiltonian systemsQuantum fluids & solidsFluid DynamicsStatistical Physics

Controllable quantum point junction on the surface of an antiferromagnetic topological insulator

Engineering and manipulation of unidirectional channels has been achieved in quantum Hall systems, leading to the construction of electron interferometers and proposals for low-power electronics and quantum information science applications. However, to fully control the mixing and interference of edge-state wave functions, one needs stable and tunable junctions. Encouraged by recent material candidates, here we propose to achieve this using an antiferromagnetic topological insulator that supports two distinct types of gapless unidirectional channels, one from antiferromagnetic domain walls and the other from single-height steps. Their distinct geometric nature allows them to intersect robustly to form quantum point junctions, which then enables their control by magnetic and electrostatic local probes. We show how the existence of stable and tunable junctions, the intrinsic magnetism and the potential for higher-temperature performance make antiferromagnetic topological insulators a promising platform for electron quantum optics and microelectronic applications.

Thermoelectric Hall conductivity of fractional quantum Hall systems on a disk

For the fractional quantum Hall states on a finite disc, we study the thermoelectric transport properties under the influence of an edge and its reconstruction. In a recent study on a torus [Phys. Rev. B 101, 241101 (2020)], Sheng and Fu found a universal non-Fermi liquid power-law scaling of the thermoelectric conductivity $\alpha_{xy} \propto T^{\eta}$ for the gapless composite Fermi-liquid state. The exponent $\eta \sim 0.5$ appears an independence of the filling factors and the details of the interactions. In the presence of an edge, we find the properties of the edge spectrum dominants the low-temperature behaviors and breaks the universal scaling law of the thermoelectric conductivity. In order to consider individually the effects of the edge states, the entanglement spectrum in real space is employed and tuned by varying the area of subsystem. In non-Abelian Moore-Read state, the Majorana neutral edge mode is found to have more significant effect than that of the charge mode in the low temperature.

Hall and Spin Hall Viscosity in 2d Topological Systems

We study responses to metric perturbation in topological insulator models. In this paper we introduce a novel quantity, Hall viscosity to particle density ratio, which is analogous to the viscosity to entropy ratio suggested by AdS/CFT correspondence. This quantity corresponds to the filling fraction which characterizes the quantum Hall states, and hence it could be discussed in Haldane's zero-field quantum Hall system. We also consider dissipationless viscosity in the time reversal invariant quantum spin Hall system, which is related to a spin current.

Composite particle construction of the Fibonacci fractional quantum Hall state

The Fibonacci topological order is the simplest platform for a universal topological quantum computer, consisting of a single type of non-Abelian anyon, $\tau$, with fusion rule $\tau\times\tau=1+\tau$. While it has been proposed that the anyon spectrum of the $\nu=12/5$ fractional quantum Hall state includes a Fibonacci sector, a dynamical picture of how a pure Fibonacci state may emerge in a quantum Hall system has been lacking. Here we use recently proposed non-Abelian dualities to construct a Fibonacci state of bosons at filling $\nu=2$ starting from a trilayer of integer quantum Hall states. Our parent theory consists of bosonic "composite vortices" coupled to fluctuating $U(2)$ gauge fields, which is related to the standard theory of Laughlin quasiparticles by duality. The Fibonacci state is obtained by clustering the composite vortices between the layers, along with flux attachment, a procedure reminiscent of the clustering picture of the Read-Rezayi states. We further use this framework to motivate a wave function for the Fibonacci fractional quantum Hall state.

Charge density waves and their transitions in anisotropic quantum Hall systems

In recent experiments, external anisotropy has been a useful tool to tune different phases and study their competitions. In this paper, we look at the quantum Hall charge density wave states in the N = 2 Landau level. Without anisotropy, there are two first-order phase transitions between the Wigner crystal, the 2-electron bubble phase, and the stripe phase. By adding mass anisotropy, our analytical and numerical studies show that the 2-electron bubble phase disappears and the stripe phase significantly enlarges its domain in the phase diagram. Meanwhile, a regime of stripe crystals that may be observed experimentally is unveiled after the bubble phase gets out. Upon increase of the anisotropy, the energy of the phases at the transitions becomes progressively smooth as a function of the filling. We conclude that all first-order phase transitions are replaced by continuous phase transitions, providing a possible realisation of continuous quantum crystalline phase transitions.

Optical Responses of Chiral Majorana Edge States in Two-Dimensional Topological Superconductors.

Majorana fermions exist on the boundaries of two-dimensional topological superconductors (TSCs) as charge-neutral quasiparticles. The neutrality makes the detection of such states challenging from both experimental and theoretical points of view. Current methods largely rely on transport measurements in which Majorana fermions manifest themselves by inducing electron-pair tunneling at the lead-contacting point. Here we show that chiral Majorana fermions in TSCs generate enhanced local optical response. The features of local optical conductivity distinguish them not only from trivial superconductors or insulators but also from normal fermion edge states such as those in quantum Hall systems. Our results provide a new applicable method to detect dispersive Majorana fermions and may lead to a novel direction of this research field.

Edge-induced pairing states in a Josephson junction through a spin-polarized quantum anomalous Hall insulator

Despite the robustness of the chiral edge modes of quantum Hall systems against the superconducting proximity effect, Cooper pairs can penetrate into the chiral edge channels and carry the Josephson current in an appropriate setup. In our work, the Josephson junction of a spin-polarized quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) with a Chern number $\nu=1$ connecting conventional superconductors is studied from the perspective of pairing symmetry consistent with the chiral edge mode. Induced pairing states are equal-spin triplet, a combination of the even- and odd-frequency components, nonlocally extended, and have a finite momentum $2k_F$. The signature of the equal-spin triplet pairings is confirmed via the dependence on the interface-magnetization direction, and that of the finite-momentum pairing states via the spatial profile of the anomalous Green's function. In the presence of disorder, the robustness of the chiral edge mode leads to high sensitivity of the critical current and the equilibrium phase difference to disorder configurations, which is resulting from the interference of current-carrying channels. The numerical calculations on a lattice model are also examined by a simplified analytical model.

Physics of the Inverted Harmonic Oscillator: From the lowest Landau level to event horizons

In this work, we present the inverted harmonic oscillator (IHO) Hamiltonian as a paradigm to understand the quantum mechanics of scattering and time-decay in a diverse set of physical systems. As one of the generators of area preserving transformations, the IHO Hamiltonian can be studied as a dilatation generator, squeeze generator, a Lorentz boost generator, or a scattering potential. In establishing these different forms, we demonstrate the physics of the IHO that underlies phenomena as disparate as the Hawking–Unruh effect and scattering in the lowest Landau level (LLL) in quantum Hall systems. We derive the emergence of the IHO Hamiltonian in the LLL in a gauge invariant way and show its exact parallels with the Rindler Hamiltonian that describes quantum mechanics near event horizons. This approach of studying distinct physical systems with symmetries described by isomorphic Lie algebras through the emergent IHO Hamiltonian enables us to reinterpret geometric response in the lowest Landau level in terms of relativistic effects such as Wigner rotation. Further, the analytic scattering matrix of the IHO points to the existence of quasinormal modes (QNMs) in the spectrum, which have quantized time-decay rates. We present a way to access these QNMs through wave packet scattering, thus proposing a novel effect in quantum Hall point contact geometries that parallels those found in black holes.

An Algebraic Approach to Electron Interactions in Quantum Hall Systems

Let m denote the number of quasielectrons (QEs) in a quantum Hall system containing N particles altogether. We show in several general cases that for systems containing m QEs in a single angular momentum shell above N − m Fermions in an incompressible quantum liquid (IQL) state having filling factor ν =1/3 that there always exists a configuration whose symmetric correlation function G is nonzero. This extends recent comparable results concerning the IQL state. As a consequence, one can obtain (explicitly) a configuration having a nonzero G for all N ≤ 8 particle systems containing any number of QEs. To establish our result, we construct a family of multi-graphs on N vertices satisfying certain restraints on the degrees of the vertices and possessing the property that whenever one computes the linear symmetrization of the graph monomial of any member of the family, the result is always nonzero. The nonzero linear symmetrization that is obtained in each case is in fact an example of what is called a relative semi-invariant of a (generic) binary form of degree N. Thus, in addition to providing new correlation functions for systems of interacting Fermions containing QEs, our construction is of potential interest from both the invariant and graph theoretic standpoints.