Quantum Valley Hall Effect Research Articles

Topological valley transport at bilayer graphene domain walls.

Electron valley, a degree of freedom that is analogous to spin, can lead to novel topological phases in bilayer graphene. A tunable bandgap can be induced in bilayer graphene by an external electric field, and such gapped bilayer graphene is predicted to be a topological insulating phase protected by no-valley mixing symmetry, featuring quantum valley Hall effects and chiral edge states. Observation of such chiral edge states, however, is challenging because inter-valley scattering is induced by atomic-scale defects at real bilayer graphene edges. Recent theoretical work has shown that domain walls between AB- and BA-stacked bilayer graphene can support protected chiral edge states of quantum valley Hall insulators. Here we report an experimental observation of ballistic (that is, with no scattering of electrons) conducting channels at bilayer graphene domain walls. We employ near-field infrared nanometre-scale microscopy (nanoscopy) to image in situ bilayer graphene layer-stacking domain walls on device substrates, and we fabricate dual-gated field effect transistors based on the domain walls. Unlike single-domain bilayer graphene, which shows gapped insulating behaviour under a vertical electrical field, bilayer graphene domain walls feature one-dimensional valley-polarized conducting channels with a ballistic length of about 400 nanometres at 4 kelvin. Such topologically protected one-dimensional chiral states at bilayer graphene domain walls open up opportunities for exploring unique topological phases and valley physics in graphene.

Interaction Induced Quantum Valley Hall Effect in Graphene

We use pseudo-quantum electrodynamics in order to describe the full electromagnetic interaction of the p electrons in graphene in a consistent 2D formulation. We first consider the effect of this interaction in the vacuum polarization tensor or, equivalently, in the current correlator. This allows us to obtain the T→0 conductivity after a smooth zero-frequency limit is taken in Kubo’s formula. Thereby, we obtain the usual expression for the minimal conductivity plus corrections due to the interaction that bring it closer to the experimental value. We then predict the onset of an interaction-driven spontaneous quantum valley Hall effect below an activation temperature of the order of 2 K. The transverse (Hall) valley conductivity is evaluated exactly and shown to coincide with the one in the usual quantum Hall effect. Finally, by considering the effects of pseudo-quantum electrodynamics, we show that the electron self-energy is such that a set of P- and T-symmetric gapped electron energy eigenstates are dynamically generated, in association with the quantum valley Hall effect.Received 8 October 2013DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.5.011040This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical Society

Competing ordered states with filling factor two in bilayer graphene.

The quantum Hall effect, in which a two-dimensional sample's Hall conductivities become quantized, is a remarkable transport anomaly commonly observed at strong magnetic fields. However, it may also appear at zero magnetic field if time-reversal symmetry is broken. Charge-neutral bilayer graphene is unstable to a variety of competing and closely related broken symmetry states, some of which have non-zero quantized Hall conductivities. Here we explore those states by stabilizing them with external fields. Transport spectroscopy measurements reveal two distinct states that have two quantum units of Hall conductivity, stabilized by large magnetic and electric fields, respectively. The majority spins of both phases form a quantum anomalous Hall state, and the minority spins constitute a Kekulé state with spontaneous valley coherence for phase I and a quantum valley Hall state for phase II. Our results shed light on the rich set of competing ordered states in bilayer graphene.

Detecting the Anomalous Quantum Hall phase under magnetic field

Abstract Detecting the charming topological phase has been an ongoing topic. In this work, we take the square lattice as an example and try to detect the anomalous quantum Hall (AQH) phase under magnetic field. We analyze the topological energy levels of the system, the quantum Hall effect and quantum valley Hall effect, and the number of scattered electrons after a laser pulse, from which the unambiguous signals to characterize the AQH phases can be obtained. Meanwhile the corresponding valley polarizations of electrons are investigated. Our study opens new perspectives for the applications of valleytronics in the future.

Valley-Polarized Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Silicene

We find theoretically a new quantum state of matter-the valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall state in silicene. In the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and an exchange field, silicene hosts a quantum anomalous Hall state with Chern number C=2. We show that through tuning the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, a topological phase transition results in a valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall state, i.e., a quantum state that exhibits the electronic properties of both the quantum valley Hall state (valley Chern number Cv=3) and quantum anomalous Hall state with C=-1. This finding provides a platform for designing dissipationless valleytronics in a more robust manner.

Topological domain walls and quantum valley Hall effects in silicene

Silicene is a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice made of silicon atoms, which is considered to be a new Dirac fermion system. Based on first-principles calculations, we examine the possibility of the formation of solitonlike topological domain walls (DWs) in silicene. We show that the DWs between regions of distinct ground states of the buckled geometry should bind electrons when a uniform electric field is applied in the perpendicular direction to the sheet. The topological origin of the electron confinement is demonstrated based on numerical calculations of the valley-specific Hall conductivities, and possible experimental signatures of the quantum valley Hall effects are discussed using simulated scanning tunneling microscopy images. Our results strongly suggest that silicene could be an ideal host for the quantum valley Hall effect, thus providing a pathway to the valleytronics in silicon-based technology.

Erratum: Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect and Tunable Topological States in 3d Transition Metals Doped Silicene

Silicene is an intriguing 2D topological material which is closely analogous to graphene but with stronger spin orbit coupling effect and natural compatibility with current silicon-based electronics industry. Here we demonstrate that silicene decorated with certain 3d transition metals (Vanadium) can sustain a stable quantum anomalous Hall effect using both analytical model and first-principles Wannier interpolation. We also predict the quantum valley Hall effect and electrically tunable topological states could be realized in certain transition metal doped silicene where the energy band inversion occurs. Our findings provide new scheme for the realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect and platform for electrically controllable topological states which are highly desirable for future nanoelectronics and spintronics application.

Valley-dependent gauge fields for ultracold atoms in square optical superlattices

We propose an experimental scheme to realize the valley-dependent gauge fields for ultracold fermionic atoms trapped in a state-dependent square optical lattice. Our scheme relies on two sets of Raman laser beams to engineer the hopping between adjacent sites populated by two-component fermionic atoms. One set of Raman beams are used to realize a staggered \pi-flux lattice, where low energy atoms near two inequivalent Dirac points should be described by the Dirac equation for spin-1/2 particles. Another set of laser beams with proper Rabi frequencies are added to further modulate the atomic hopping parameters. The hopping modulation will give rise to effective gauge potentials with opposite signs near the two valleys, mimicking the interesting strain-induced pseudo-gauge fields in graphene. The proposed valley-dependent gauge fields are tunable and provide a new route to realize quantum valley Hall effects and atomic valleytronics.

Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect and Tunable Topological States in 3d Transition Metals Doped Silicene

Silicene is an intriguing 2D topological material which is closely analogous to graphene but with stronger spin orbit coupling effect and natural compatibility with current silicon-based electronics industry. Here we demonstrate that silicene decorated with certain 3d transition metals (Vanadium) can sustain a stable quantum anomalous Hall effect using both analytical model and first-principles Wannier interpolation. We also predict the quantum valley Hall effect and electrically tunable topological states could be realized in certain transition metal doped silicene where the energy band inversion occurs. Our findings provide new scheme for the realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect and platform for electrically controllable topological states which are highly desirable for future nanoelectronics and spintronics application.

Strain and curvature induced evolution of electronic band structures in twisted graphene bilayer

It is well established that strain and geometry could affect the band structure of graphene monolayer dramatically. Here we study the evolution of local electronic properties of a twisted graphene bilayer induced by a strain and a high curvature, which are found to strongly affect the local band structures of the twisted graphene bilayer. The energy difference of the two low-energy van Hove singularities decreases with increasing lattice deformation and the states condensed into well-defined pseudo-Landau levels, which mimic the quantization of massive chiral fermions in a magnetic field of about 100 T, along a graphene wrinkle. The joint effect of strain and out-of-plane distortion in the graphene wrinkle also results in a valley polarization with a significant gap. These results suggest that strained graphene bilayer could be an ideal platform to realize the high-temperature zero-field quantum valley Hall effect.

Quantum spin/valley Hall effect and topological insulator phase transitions in silicene

We present a theoretical realization of quantum spin and quantum valley Hall effects in silicene. We show that combination of an electric field and intrinsic spin-orbit interaction leads to quantum phase transitions at the charge neutrality point. This phase transition from a two dimensional topological insulator to a trivial insulating state is accompanied by a quenching of the quantum spin Hall effect and the onset of a quantum valley Hall effect, providing a tool to experimentally tune the topological state of silicene. In contrast to graphene and other conventional topological insulators, the proposed effects in silicene are accessible to experiments.

Engineering quantum anomalous/valley Hall states in graphene via metal-atom adsorption: Anab-initiostudy

We systematically investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of graphene adsorbed with diluted 3d-transition and noble metal atoms using first principles calculation methods. We find that most transition metal atoms (i.e. Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Fe) favor the hollow adsorption site, and the interaction between magnetic adatoms and \pi-orbital of graphene induces sizable exchange field and Rashba spin-orbit coupling, which together open a nontrivial bulk gap near the Dirac points leading to the quantum-anomalous Hall effect. We also find that the noble metal atoms (i.e. Cu, Ag, Au) prefer the top adsorption site, and the dominant inequality of the AB sublattice potential opens another kind of nontrivial bulk gap exhibiting the quantum-valley Hall effect.

Edge states and enhanced spin-orbit interaction at graphene/graphane interfaces

We study interfaces between graphene and graphane. If the interface is oriented along a zigzag direction, edge states are found which exhibit a strong amplification of effects related to the spin-orbit interaction. The enhanced spin splitting of the edge states allows a conversion between valley polarization and spin polarization at temperatures near one Kelvin. We show that these edge states give rise to quantum spin and/or valley Hall effects.

Quantum valley Hall effect in proximity-induced superconducting graphene: An experimental window for deconfined quantum criticality

We show that when superconductivity is induced in graphene through proximity effect, a superconducting vortex is dressed with an interesting pattern of textured order parameters. Furthermore, passing a supercurrent in a superconducting graphene sample induces accumulation of valley pseudospin quantum number at edges: the ``quantum valley Hall effect'' will be observable in superconducting graphene. These effects reveal a quantum duality between different order parameters that is at heart of the Wess-Zumino-Witten term.