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At least 19 records

Geometric quench in the fractional quantum Hall effect: Exact solution in quantum Hall matrix models and comparison with bimetric theory

In this work, we investigate the recently introduced geometric quench protocol for fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states within the framework of exactly solvable quantum Hall matrix models. In the geometric quench protocol, a FQH state is subjected to a sudden change in the ambient geometry, which introduces anisotropy into the system. We formulate this quench in the matrix models and then we solve exactly for the postquench dynamics of the system and the quantum fidelity (Loschmidt echo) of the postquench state. Next, we explain how to define a spin-2 collective variable g ' a b ( t ) in the matrix models, and we show that for a weak quench (small anisotropy), the dynamics of g ' a b ( t ) agrees with the dynamics of the intrinsic metric governed by the recently discussed bimetric theory of FQH states. We also find a modification of the bimetric theory such that the predictions of the modified bimetric theory agree with those of the matrix model for arbitrarily strong quenches. Finally, we introduce a class of higher-spin collective variables for the matrix model, which are related to generators of the W ∞ algebra, and we show that the geometric quench induces nontrivial dynamics for these variables.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Origin of the $ν$ = 1/2 fractional quantum Hall effect in wide quantum wells

The nature of the fractional quantum Hall effect at ν = 1/2, observed in wide quantum wells al- most three decades ago, is still under debate. Previous studies have investigated it by the variational Monte Carlo method, which assumes that the transverse wave function and the gap between the symmetric and antisymmetric subbands obtained in a local density approximation at zero magnetic field remain valid even at high perpendicular magnetic fields; this method also ignores the effect of Landau level mixing. We develop in this work a three-dimensional fixed phase diffusion Monte Carlo method, which gives, in a single framework, the total energies of various candidate states in a finite width quantum well, including Landau level mixing, directly in a large magnetic field. This method can be applied to one-component states, and also to two-component states in the limit where the symmetric and antisymmetric bands are nearly degenerate. Our three-dimensional fixed-phase diffusion Monte Carlo calculations find that the one-component composite-fermion Fermi sea and the one-component Pfaffian states are very close in energy for a range of quantum well widths and densities, suggesting that the observed 1/2 fractional quantum Hall state in wide quantum wells is likely to be the one-component Pfaffian state. Furthermore, we hope that this will motivate further experimental studies of this state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

SU(N) fractional quantum Hall effect in topological flat bands

We study N-component interacting particles (hardcore bosons and fermions) loaded in topological lattice models with SU(N)-invariant interactions based on exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group method. By tuning the interplay of interspecies and intraspecies interactions, we demonstrate that a class of SU(N) fractional quantum Hall states can emerge at fractional filling factors nu=N/(N+1) for bosons [nu=N/(2N+1) for fermions] in the lowest Chern band, characterized by the nontrivial fractional Hall responses and the fractional charge pumping. Moreover, we establish a topological characterization based on the K matrix and discuss the close relationship to the fractional quantum Hall physics in topological flat bands with Chern number N.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Probing the low-temperature limit of the quantum anomalous Hall effect

Quantum anomalous Hall effect has been observed in magnetically doped topological insulators. However, full quantization, up until now, is limited within the sub–1 K temperature regime, although the material’s magnetic ordering temperature can go beyond 100 K. Here, we study the temperature limiting factors of the effect in Cr-doped (BiSb)2Te3 systems using both transport and magneto-optical methods. By deliberate control of the thin-film thickness and doping profile, we revealed that the low occurring temperature of quantum anomalous Hall effect in current material system is a combined result of weak ferromagnetism and trivial band involvement. Our findings may provide important insights into the search for high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall insulator and other topologically related phenomena.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The quantum Hall effect helicity

The quantum Hall effect in semiconductor heterostructures is explained by two signs in the angular momentum j=l±s and g=(2j+1)/(2l+1) along with the Landau factor (n+1/2). These modifications in the existing theories explain all of the fractional charges. The helicity which is the sign of the product of the linear momentum with the spin p.s plays an important role for the understanding of the data at high magnetic fields. In particular it is found that particles with positive sign in the spin move in one direction and those with negative sign move in another direction which explains the up and down stream motion of the particles.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Fractionally charged skyrmions in fractional quantum Hall effect

The fractional quantum Hall effect has inspired searches for exotic emergent topological particles, such as fractionally charged excitations, composite fermions, abelian and nonabelian anyons and Majorana fermions. Fractionally charged skyrmions, which support both topological charge and topological vortex-like spin structure, have also been predicted to occur in the vicinity of 1/3 filling of the lowest Landau level. The fractional skyrmions, however, are anticipated to be exceedingly fragile, suppressed by very small Zeeman energies. Here we show that, slightly away from 1/3 filling, the smallest manifestations of the fractional skyrmion exist in the excitation spectrum for a broad range of Zeeman energies, and appear in resonant inelastic light scattering experiments as well-defined resonances slightly below the long wavelength spin wave mode. The spectroscopy of these exotic bound states serves as a sensitive tool for investigating the residual interaction between composite fermions, responsible for delicate new fractional quantum Hall states in this filling factor region.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum Hall effect in semiconductor systems with quantum dots and antidots

The integer quantum Hall effect in systems of semiconductor quantum dots and antidots is studied theoretically as a factor of temperature. It is established that the conditions for carrier localization in quantum-dot systems favor the observation of the quantum Hall effect at higher temperatures than in quantum-well systems. The obtained numerical results show that the fundamental plateau corresponding to the transition between the ground and first excited Landau levels can be retained up to a temperature of T ∼ 50 K, which is an order of magnitude higher than in the case of quantum wells. Implementation of the quantum Hall effect at such temperatures requires quantum-dot systems with controllable characteristics, including the optimal size and concentration and moderate geometrical and composition fluctuations. In addition, ordered arrangement is desirable, hence quantum antidots are preferable.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic modulation doping in topological insulators toward higher-temperature quantum anomalous Hall effect

Quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), which generates dissipation-less edge current without external magnetic field, is observed in magnetic-ion doped topological insulators (TIs) such as Cr- and V-doped (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3}. The QAHE emerges when the Fermi level is inside the magnetically induced gap around the original Dirac point of the TI surface state. Although the size of gap is reported to be about 50 meV, the observable temperature of QAHE has been limited below 300 mK. We attempt magnetic-Cr modulation doping into topological insulator (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3} films to increase the observable temperature of QAHE. By introducing the rich-Cr-doped thin (1 nm) layers at the vicinity of both the surfaces based on non-Cr-doped (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3} films, we have succeeded in observing the QAHE up to 2 K. The improvement in the observable temperature achieved by this modulation-doping appears to be originating from the suppression of the disorder in the surface state interacting with the rich magnetic moments. Such a superlattice designing of the stabilized QAHE may pave a way to dissipation-less electronics based on the higher-temperature and zero magnetic-field quantum conduction.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

In-plane electric fields and the 𝜈 = $\frac{5}{2}$ fractional quantum Hall effect in a disk geometry

The 𝜈 = $\frac{5}{2}$ fractional quantum Hall effect is of experimental and theoretical interest due to the possible non-Abelian statistics of the excitations in the electron liquid. A small voltage difference across a sample applied in experiments to probe the system is often ignored in theoretical studies due to the Galilean invariance in the thermodynamic limit. No experimental sample, however, is Galilean invariant. In this Rapid Communication, we explore the effects of the probe electric fields in a disk geometry with finite thickness. We find that weak probe fields enhance the Moore-Read Pfaffian state, but sufficiently strong electric fields destroy the incompressible state. In a disk geometry, the behavior of the system depends on the polarity of the applied radial field, which can potentially be observed in experiments using a Corbino disk configuration. Finally, our simulation also shows that the application of such a field enhances the coherence length of quasiholes propagating through the edge channels.

exact diagonalization↗

Ordering the topological order in the fractional quantum Hall effect

Here, we discuss the possible topological order/topological quantum field theory of different quantum Hall systems. Given the value of the Hall conductivity, we constrain the global symmetry of the low-energy theory and its anomaly. Specifically, the one-form global symmetry and its anomaly are presented as the organizing principle of these systems. This information is powerful enough to lead to a unique minimal topological order (or a small number of minimal topological orders). Almost all of the known experimentally discovered topological orders are these minimal theories. Since this work is interdisciplinary, we made a special effort to relate to researchers with different backgrounds by providing translations between different perspectives.

Anyons↗

Disorder-Driven Transition in the ν = 5 / 2 Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

The fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect at the filling number ν = 5/2 is a primary candidate for non-Abelian topological order, while the fate of such a state in the presence of random disorder has not been resolved. We address this open question by implementing an unbiased diagnosis based on numerical exact diagonalization. Here, we calculate the disorder averaged Hall conductance and the associated statistical distribution of the topological invariant Chern number, which unambiguously characterize the disorder-driven collapse of the FQH state. As the disorder strength increases towards a critical value, a continuous phase transition is detected based on the disorder configuration averaged wave function fidelity and the entanglement entropy. In the strong disorder regime, we identify a composite Fermi liquid phase with fluctuating Chern numbers, in striking contrast to the well-known ν = 1/3 case where an Anderson insulator appears. Interestingly, the lowest Landau level projected a local density profile, the wave function overlap, and the entanglement entropy as a function of disorder strength simultaneously signal an intermediate phase, which may be relevant to the recent proposal of a particle-hole Pfaffian state or Pfaffian–anti-Pfaffian puddle state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Temperature scaling in the quantum-Hall-effect regime in a HgTe quantum well with an inverted energy spectrum

The longitudinal and Hall magnetoresistances of HgTe/HgCdTe heterostructures with an inverted energy spectrum (the HgTe quantum well width is d = 20.3 nm) are measured in the quantum-Hall-effect regime at T = 2–50 K in magnetic fields up to B = 9 T. Analysis of the temperature dependences of conductivity in the transition region between the first and second plateaus of the quantum Hall effect shows the feasibility of the scaling regime for a plateau–plateau quantum phase transition in 2D-structures on the basis of mercury telluride.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Integer quantum Hall effect and enhanced g factor in quantum-confined Cd 3 As 2 films

Here, we investigate the integer quantum Hall effect in Cd 3 ⁢As 2 thin films under conditions of strong to moderate quantum confinement (thicknesses of 10, 12, and 15 nm). In all the films, we observe the integer quantum Hall effect in the spin-polarized lowest Landau level (filling factor v = 1) and at spin-degenerate higher index Landau levels with even filling factors (v = 2,4,6). With increasing quantum confinement, we also observe a lifting of the Landau-level spin degeneracy at v = 3, manifest as the emergence of an anomaly in the longitudinal and Hall resistivities. Tight-binding calculations show that the enhanced g factor likely arises from a combination of quantum confinement and corrections from nearby subbands.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Landau-Level Mixing and Particle-Hole Symmetry Breaking for Spin Transitions in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

Here, the spin transitions in the fractional quantum Hall effect provide a direct measure of the tiny energy differences between differently spin-polarized states, and thereby serve as an extremely sen- sitive test of the quantitative accuracy of the theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect, and, in particular, of the role of Landau-level mixing in lifting the particle-hole symmetry. We report on an accurate quantitative study of this physics, evaluating the effect of Landau-level mixing in a nonperturbative manner using a fixed-phase diffusion Monte Carlo method. We find excellent agree- ment between our calculated critical Zeeman energies and the experimentally measured values. In particular, we find, as also do experiments, that the critical Zeeman energies for fractional quantum Hall states at filling factors ν = 2–n/(2n±1) are significantly higher than those for ν = n/(2n±1), a quantitative signature of the lifting of particle-hole symmetry due to Landau-level mixing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Electron-electron interaction and the universality of critical indices for quantum Hall effect plateau-plateau transitions in n-InGaAs/GaAs nanostructures with double quantum wells

The dependences of the longitudinal and Hall resistances on a magnetic field in the integer quantum Hall effect regime in n-InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with a double quantum well are measured in the range of magnetic fields B = 0–16 T and temperatures T = 0.05–4.2 K, before and after infrared illumination. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the width of transitions between plateaus of the quantum Hall effect is performed in the scope of the scaling hypothesis allowing for electron-electron interaction effects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Parafermions, induced edge states, and domain walls in fractional quantum Hall effect spin transitions

Search for parafermions and Fibonacci anyons, which are excitations obeying non-Abelian statistics, is driven both by the quest for deeper understanding of nature and prospects for universal topological quantum computation. However, physical systems that can host these exotic excitations are rare and hard to realize in experiments. Here we study the domain walls and the edge states formed in spin transitions in the fractional quantum Hall effect. Effective theory approach and exact diagonalization in a disk and torus geometries proves the existence of the counterpropagating edge modes with opposite spin polarizations at the boundary between the two neighboring regions of the two-dimensional electron liquid in spin-polarized and spin-unpolarized phases. By analytical and numerical analysis, we argue that these systems can host parafermions when coupled to an 𝑠-wave superconductor and are experimentally feasible. We investigate settings based on 𝜈 = 2/3, 4/3, and 5/3 spin transitions and analyze spin-flipping interactions that hybridize counterpropagating modes. Lastly, we discuss spin-orbit interactions of composite fermions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nonequilibrium chemical potential in a two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum-Hall-effect regime

The nonequilibrium state of a two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum-Hall-effect regime is studied in Hall bars equipped with additional inner contacts situated within the bar. The magnetic-field dependence of the voltage drop between different contact pairs are studied at various temperatures. It was found that the voltage between the inner and outer contacts exhibits peaks of significant amplitude in narrow magnetic-field intervals near integer filling factors. Furthermore, the magnetic-field dependence of the voltage in these intervals exhibits a hysteresis, whereas the voltage between the outer contacts remains zero in the entire magnetic-field range. The appearance of the observed voltage peaks and their hysteretic behavior can be explained by an imbalance between the chemical potentials of edge and bulk states, resulting from nonequilibrium charge redistribution between the edge and bulk states when the magnetic field sweeps under conditions of the quantum Hall effect. The results of the study significantly complement the conventional picture of the quantum Hall effect, explicitly indicating the existence of a significant imbalance at the edge of the two-dimensional electron gas: the experimentally observed difference between the electrochemical potentials of the edge and bulk exceeds the distance between Landau levels by tens of times.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗