Quantum Magnetotransport Research Articles

Signatures of Quantum Transport Steps in Bi2Se3 Single Crystal

We report signatures of quantum magneto transport steps in a Bi2Se3 single crystal. The Bi2Se3 crystal is grown by self-flux method through solid-state reaction. Details of its structural analysis along with physical properties in terms of low temperature and high field transport, thermal (heat capacity), Raman, X-ray photo electron and angle resolved photo electron spectroscopy were reported earlier (J. Sup. Novel. Mag. 30, 2031 2017). In a present short letter, we show the details of its 2 K and up to 14 Tesla magneto transport, exhibiting quantum transport (QT) like steps above say 11 Tesla field. The possible QT steps cannot be modelled with the SdH (Shubnikov-de Haas) or other possible quantum oscillations. The observed QT like steps are possibly the result of the mixed out-of-plane Rxy(H) and in-plane Rxx(H) contributions from the misaligned [00l] planes of the studied crystal and this may happen with other studied topological insulator (TI) crystals as well. Our careful assessment of crystal XRD data shows the same.

Band structure of a hybridized electron-hole system at a single broken-gap type II heterointerface

The authors studied the features of planar and vertical quantum magnetotransport in the broken-gap type II p-GaInAsSb/p-InAs heterostructure. This study reveals the structure of the hybridized energy spectrum of a two-dimensional semi-metallic channel at a single broken-gap type II heterointerface. It is demonstrated that an energy diagram of Landau levels can be visualized for a hybridized electron-hole system taking into account their spin splitting and mutual intersections.

Quantum magnetotransport and de Haas–van Alphen measurements in the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Pb0.83Sn0.17Se

Magnetoresistance (MR), Hall resistance and magnetization of the Pb0.83Sn0.17Se crystals have been measured in magnetic field up to 15 T and 5 T, respectively, and temperatures from 1.7 K up to 300 K. A large linear and temperature dependent MR is observed in magnetic field up to 15 T. The de Haas–van Alphen (dHvA) and Shubnikov de Haas effects (SdH) of Pb0.83Sn0.17Se crystals have been clearly seen in the temperature range from 30 K down to 1.7 K and magnetic field as low as 2 T. The dHvA and SdH oscillations reveal single frequency of around 8 T which confirms the existence of a single Fermi surface cross section. Influence of isothermal annealing of Pb0.83Sn0.17Se crystals in Se vapours has been investigated. By increasing the annealing temperature from 433 °C up to 440 °C, transition from n to p-type conductivity has been observed. The dHvA and SdH effects clearly reflect the existence of a nontrivial Berry’s phase owing to the linear band dispersion which is the signature of a three-dimensional Dirac fermion in the Pb0.83Sn0.17Se crystals [1].

Experimental evidence for topological surface states wrapping around a bulk SnTe crystal

We demonstrate that the metallic topological surface states wrap on all sides the 3D topological crystalline insulator SnTe. This is achieved by studying oscillatory quantum magneto-transport and magnetization at tilted magnetic fields which enables us to observe simultaneous contributions from neighbouring sample sides. Taking into account pinning of the Fermi energy by the SnTe reservoir we successfully describe theoretically the de Haas-van Alphen oscillations of magnetization. The determined \pi-Berry phase of surface states confirms their Dirac fermion character. We independently observe oscillatory contributions of magneto-transport and magnetization originating from the bulk SnTe reservoir of high hole density. It is concluded that the bulk and surface Landau states exist in parallel. Our main result that the bulk reservoir is surrounded on all sides by the topological surface states has an universal character.

Magnetic field suppression of Andreev conductance at superconductor–graphene interface

Studying the interplay between superconductivity and quantum magnetotransport in 2D materials has been a topic of interest in recent years. Towards such a goal it is important to understand the impact of magnetic field on the charge transport at the superconductor-normal channel (SN) interface. Here we carried out a comprehensive study of Andreev conductance under weak magnetic fields using diffusive superconductor- graphene Josephson weak links. We observe that the Andreev conductance is suppressed even in magnetic fields far below the upper critical field of the superconductor. The suppression of Andreev conductance depends on and can be minimized by controlling the ramping of the magnetic field. We identify that the key factor behind this suppression is the reduction of the superconducting gap due to the piling of vortices on the superconducting contacts. In devices where superconducting gap at the superconductor–graphene interface is heavily reduced by proximity effect, the enlarged vortex cores overlap quickly with increasing magnetic field, resulting in a rapid decrease of the interfacial gap. However, in weak links with relatively large effective superconducting gap the AR conductance persists up to the upper critical field. Our results provide guidance to the study of quantum material-superconductor systems in presence of magnetic field, where ‘survival’ of induced superconductivity is critical.

Quantum magnetotransport properties of Floquet topological insulators

A theoretical realization of the quantum magnetotransport properties for the surface states of ultrathin Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) is presented. Their band structure in the presence of an external perpendicular magnetic field is derived and discussed. Further, the longitudinal and Hall conductivities are evaluated using linear response theory. A new quantum Hall state of matter has been found in FTIs under the application of a magnetic field where the n=0 Landau level undergoes a quantum phase transition from a trivial insulator state to a Hall insulator state. In the former state the Hall conductivity is zero at zero Fermi energy (EF=0) while in the latter the Hall conductivity is equal to e2/h. The proposed effects are accessible to experiments which open new possibilities to study FTIs for the realization of (i) non trivial quantum phase transitions, (ii) exchange of surface states, and (iii) unusual quantum Hall plateaus.

Manipulating the quantum interference effect and magnetotransport of ZnO nanowires through interfacial doping.

We carefully prepared interfacial Al-doped (IAD) and interfacial natively-doped (IND) ZnO nanowires (NWs) by introducing atomic-layer interfacial Δ-doping between the two steps of CVD growth. Variable-temperature electron transport as well as magnetotransport behaviours of these NWs were systematically investigated. By virtue of the unique architecture and the quality-guaranteed growth technique, a series of quantum interference effects were clearly observed in the IAD ZnO NWs, including weak localization, universal conductance fluctuation and Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak oscillations. The phase-coherence length (Lφ) of electrons exceeds 100 nm in the IAD ZnO NWs, much longer than those in the IND ones and most conventionally doped ZnO NWs. This ability to efficiently manipulate a variety of quantum interference effects in ZnO NWs is very desirable for applications in nano-optoelectronics, nano- & quantum-electronics and solid-state quantum computing.

Direct Observation of a Long-Range Field Effect from Gate Tuning of Nonlocal Conductivity.

We report the direct observation of a long-range field effect in WTe_{2} devices, leading to large gate-induced changes of transport through crystals much thicker than the electrostatic screening length. The phenomenon-which manifests itself very differently from the conventional field effect-originates from the nonlocal nature of transport in the devices that are thinner than the carrier mean free path. We reproduce theoretically the gate dependence of the measured classical and quantum magnetotransport, and show that the phenomenon is caused by the gate tuning of the bulk carrier mobility by changing the scattering at the surface. Our results demonstrate experimentally the possibility to gate tune the electronic properties deep in the interior of conducting materials, avoiding limitations imposed by electrostatic screening.

Strain induced novel quantum magnetotransport properties of topological insulators

Recent theoretical and experimental researches have revealed that the strained bulk HgTe can be regarded as a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI). Motivated by this, we explore the strain effects on the transport properties of the HgTe surface states, which are modulated by a weak 1D in-plane electrostatic periodic potential in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We analytically derive the zero frequency (dc) diffusion conductivity for the case of quasielastic scattering in the Kubo formalism, and find that, in strong magnetic field regime, the Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations are superimposed on top of the Weiss oscillations due to the electric modulation for null and finite strain. Furthermore, the strain is shown to remove the degeneracy in inversion symmetric Dirac cones on the top and bottom surfaces. This accordingly gives rise to the splitting and mixture of Landau levels, and the asymmetric spectrum of the dc conductivity. These phenomena, not known in a conventional 2D electron gas and even in a strainless TI and graphene, are a consequence of the anomalous spectrum of surface states in a fully stained TI. These results should be valuable for electronic and spintronic applications of TIs, and thus we fully expect to see them in the further experiment.

Topologically induced fractional Hall steps in the integer quantum Hall regime of MoS2

The quantum magnetotransport properties of a monolayer of molybdenum disulfide are derived using linear response theory. In particular, the effect of topological terms on longitudinal and Hall conductivity is analyzed. The Hall conductivity exhibits fractional steps in the integer quantum Hall regime. Further complete spin and valley polarization of the longitudinal conductivitity is seen in presence of these topological terms. Finally, the Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations are suppressed or enhanced contingent on the sign of these topological terms.

Quantum magnetotransport properties of aMoS2monolayer

We study transport properties of a ${\text{MoS}}_{2}$ monolayer in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field $B$. We derive and discuss its band structure and take into account spin and valley Zeeman effects. Compared to a conventional two-dimensional electron gas, these effects lead to new quantum Hall plateaus and new peaks in the longitudinal resistivity as functions of the magnetic field. The field $B$ leads to a significant enhancement of the spin splitting in the conduction band, to a beating of the Shubnikov--de Haas (SdH) oscillations in the low-field regime, and to their splitting in the high-field regime. The Zeeman fields suppress significantly the beating of the SdH oscillations in the low-field regime and strongly enhance their splitting at high fields. The spin and valley polarizations show a similar beating pattern at low fields and are clearly separated at high fields in which they attain a value higher than $90%$.

Photoinduced quantum magnetotransport properties of silicene and germanene

Silicene and germanene have remarkable electronic properties due to strong spin orbit coupling and buckled single layer structures. We derive and analyze the band structures of these materials in the presence of perpendicular electric and magnetic fields taking into account the effects of off-resonant light. Using linear response theory, analytical expressions are derived and evaluated for the Hall and longitudinal conductivities. Contrary to graphene, we show that the light leads to a single Dirac cone state and thus to unusual plateaus and magnetotransport properties, which are desirable for electronic applications.

Mechanical strain induced valley-dependent quantum magnetotransport of Dirac particles in graphene

We have explored the mechanical strain effects on the magnetotransport in graphene with a 1D electrostatic periodic potential in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We find that, in a strong magnetic field regime, the conductivity exhibits a superposition of the Shubnikov–de Haas and Weiss oscillations in each valley due to the electrical modulation. Especially, the strain removes the valley degeneracy of Landau levels in inversion symmetric Dirac cones. Accordingly, this causes the valley-dependence of the conductivity. These phenomena, absent in a freestanding graphene, are a consequence of the anomalous spectrum of carriers in a fully stained graphene.

Transport signatures of Fermi surface topology change in BiTeI

We report a quantum magnetotransport signature of a change in the Fermi surface topology in the Rashba semiconductor BiTeI with a systematic tuning of the Fermi level ${E}_{F}$. Beyond the quantum limit, we observe a marked increase (decrease) in electrical resistivity when ${E}_{F}$ is above (below) the Dirac node that we show originates from the Fermi surface topology. This effect represents a measurement of the electron distribution on low-index $(n=0,\ensuremath{-}1)$ Landau levels and is uniquely enabled by the finite bulk ${k}_{z}$ dispersion along the $c$ axis and strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling strength of the system. The Dirac node is independently identified by Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations as a vanishing Fermi surface cross section at ${k}_{z}=0$. Additionally, we find that the violation of Kohler's rule allows a distinct insight into the temperature evolution of the observed quantum magnetoresistance effects.

Quantum magnetotransport inn-InGaAs/GaAs structures with electron density changes caused by infrared radiation

An experimental study of the longitudinal ρxx(B, T) and Hall ρxy (B, T) magnetoresistance as a function of the n-InGaAs/GaAs nanostructure transverse magnetic field, with single or double tightly-coupled quantum wells, depending on the width of the well, for magnetic field B = 0–12 T and temperature T = 0.05–100 K ranges, before and after low-temperature illumination by infrared radiation. Before illumination, a change in the samples' temperature dependence of zero-field resistivity ρ(T) was detected, from “dielectric” (dρ/dT < 0) to “metallic” (dρ/dT > 0). It is shown that the temperature dependence of resistivity is set by the mobility temperature dependence μ(T), the “dielectric” portion of which is related to the quantum corrections to conductivity in the diffusion and ballistic regimes, whereas the “metallic” portion is associated to the scattering of the carriers by acoustic and optic phonons. A slight change in the magnetic-field dependence of the longitudinal magnetoresistance ρxx(B, T) was observed with temperature, near the induction value corresponding to μB = 1. We also found unusual temperature dependence for conductivity components σxx(B, T) and σxy (B, T), at μB = 1. The σxx(B, T) curve has an observable temperature-independent point, whereas σxy (B, T) strongly depends on T at μB = 1. It is established that this regularity is caused by the nature of the temperature dependence of the charge carrier mobility μ(T), in both the diffusion and ballistic regimes. After IR illumination, positive persistent photoconductivity is observed in all samples, associated with a twofold increase in the charge carrier concentration. Resistivity in a zero-magnetic field ρ(T) for such samples also transitions from “dielectric” to “metallic” conductivity, at temperatures lower than before illumination. It is shown that the particularities of the transport after illumination are related to the manifestation of charge carrier concentration temperature dependence.

Magnetic control of valley and spin degrees of freedom via magnetotransport in n -type monolayer MoS2

We study the quantum magnetotransport properties at low temperature for n-type monolayer MoS2 under a perpendicular magnetic field within the linear response theory. By using Kubo formula, it is predicted that the valley- and spin-resolved Hall conductance obeys the same rule as that for conventional fermions. However, the first Hall plateau and the longitudinal charge conductance in low energies are fully valley/spin-polarized, which may produce a pure valley/spin current. In the low magnetic field limit, importantly, the resistance as a function of field is in good agreement with the available experiment data. These interesting findings can be tested experimentally and may be useful for valleytronic and spintronic applications.

Extreme and Quantized Magneto-optics with Graphene Meta-atoms and Metasurfaces

Graphene—a naturally occurring two-dimensional material with unique optical and electronic properties—serves as a platform for novel terahertz applications and miniaturized systems with new capabilities. Recent discoveries of unusual quantum magneto-transport and high magneto-optical activity in strong magnetic fields make graphene a potential candidate for nonreciprocal photonics. Here we propose a paradigm of a flatland graphene-based metasurface in which an extraordinary and quantized magneto-optical activity at terahertz and infrared is attained at low, on-chip-compatible, magnetizations (∼0.2–0.3 T). The proposed system essentially breaks the tight linkage between the strength of the magnetic biasing and the resulting magneto-optical response. We design a system extremely sensitive to the quantized spectrum of graphene Landau levels and predict up to 90° of Faraday rotation with just a single sheet of graphene. We also demonstrate how to resolve the quantum resonances at the macroscopic level in the far-field. Our results not only are of a fundamental interest, but, as we discuss, pave a way to conceptually new capabilities in a range of applications, including sensing, terahertz nanophotonics, and even cryptography.

Beating pattern in quantum magnetotransport coefficients of spin–orbit coupled Dirac fermions in gated silicene

We report a theoretical study of magnetotransport coefficients of spin–orbit coupled gated silicene in the presence and absence of spatial periodic modulation. The combined effect of spin–orbit coupling and perpendicular electric field manifests through the formation of a regular beating pattern in Weiss and SdH oscillations. Analytical results, in addition to the numerical results, of the beating pattern formation are provided. The analytical results yield a beating condition which will be useful to determine the spin–orbit coupling constant by simply counting the number of oscillation between any two successive nodes. Moreover, the numerical results of modulation effect on collisional and Hall conductivities are presented.

Express Optical Analysis of Epitaxial Graphene on SiC: Impact of Morphology on Quantum Transport

We show that inspection with an optical microscope allows surprisingly simple and accurate identification of single and multilayer graphene domains in epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide (SiC/G) and is informative about nanoscopic details of the SiC topography, making it ideal for rapid and noninvasive quality control of as-grown SiC/G. As an illustration of the power of the method, we apply it to demonstrate the correlations between graphene morphology and its electronic properties by quantum magneto-transport.

Quantum magnetotransport for the surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators in the presence of a Zeeman field

We show that the surface states of magnetic topological insulators realize an activated behavior and Shubnikov de Haas oscillations. Applying an external magnetic field perpendicular to the surface of the topological insulator in the presence of Zeeman interaction, we investigate the opening of a gap at the Dirac point, making the surface Dirac fermions massive, and the effects on the transport properties. Analytical expressions are derived for the collisional conductivity for elastic impurity scattering in the first Born approximation. We also calculate the Hall conductivity using the Kubo formalism. Evidence for a transition from gapless to gapped surface states at n = 0 and activated transport is found from the temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the collisional and Hall conductivities.