24 research outputs found
Stripes in Quantum Hall Double Layer Systems
We present results of a study of double layer quantum Hall systems in which
each layer has a high-index Landau level that is half-filled. Hartree-Fock
calculations indicate that, above a critical layer separation, the system
becomes unstable to the formation of a unidirectional coherent charge density
wave (UCCDW), which is related to stripe states in single layer systems. The
UCCDW state supports a quantized Hall effect when there is tunneling between
layers, and is {\it always} stable against formation of an isotropic Wigner
crystal for Landau indices . The state does become unstable to the
formation of modulations within the stripes at large enough layer separation.
The UCCDW state supports low-energy modes associated with interlayer coherence.
The coherence allows the formation of charged soliton excitations, which become
gapless in the limit of vanishing tunneling. We argue that this may result in a
novel {\it ``critical Hall state''}, characterized by a power law in
tunneling experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures include
Dynamics of quantum Hall stripes in double-quantum-well systems
The collective modes of stripes in double layer quantum Hall systems are
computed using the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation. It is found that,
when the system possesses spontaneous interlayer coherence, there are two
gapless modes, one a phonon associated with broken translational invariance,
the other a pseudospin-wave associated with a broken U(1) symmetry. For large
layer separations the modes disperse weakly for wavevectors perpendicular to
the stripe orientation, indicating the system becomes akin to an array of
weakly coupled one-dimensional XY systems. At higher wavevectors the collective
modes develop a roton minimum associated with a transition out of the coherent
state with further increasing layer separation. A spin wave model of the system
is developed, and it is shown that the collective modes may be described as
those of a system with helimagnetic ordering.Comment: 16 pages including 7 postscript figure
Role of disorder in half-filled high Landau levels
We study the effects of disorder on the quantum Hall stripe phases in
half-filled high Landau levels using exact numerical diagonalization. We show
that, in the presence of weak disorder, a compressible, striped charge density
wave, becomes the true ground state. The projected electron density profile
resembles that of a smectic liquid. With increasing disorder strength W, we
find that there exists a critical value, W_c \sim 0.12 e^2/\epsilon l, where a
transition/crossover to an isotropic phase with strong local electron density
fluctuations takes place. The many-body density of states are qualitatively
distinguishable in these two phases and help elucidate the nature of the
transition.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Hartree-Fock Theory of Hole Stripe States
We report on Hartree-Fock theory results for stripe states of two-dimensional
hole systems in quantum wells grown on GaAs (311)A substrates. We find that the
stripe orientation energy has a rich dependence on hole density, and on
in-plane field magnitude and orientation. Unlike the electron case, the
orientation energy is non-zero for zero in-plane field, and the ground state
orientation can be either parallel or perpendicular to a finite in-plane field.
We predict an orientation reversal transition in in-plane fields applied along
the direction.Comment: 5 pages including 4 figure
An Investigation of Orientational Symmetry-Breaking Mechanisms in High Landau Levels
The principal axes of the recently discovered anisotropic phases of 2D
electron systems at high Landau level occupancy are consistently oriented
relative to the crystal axes of the host semiconductor. The nature of the
native rotational symmetry breaking field responsible for this preferential
orientation remains unknown. Here we report on experiments designed to
investigate the origin and magnitude of this symmetry breaking field. Our
results suggest that neither micron-scale surface roughness features nor the
precise symmetry of the quantum well potential confining the 2D system are
important factors. By combining tilted field transport measurements with
detailed self-consistent calculations we estimate that the native anisotropy
energy, whatever its origin, is typically ~ 1 mK per electron.Comment: Reference added, minor notational changes; final published versio
New collective states of 2D electrons in high Landau levels
A brief summary of the emerging evidence for a new class of collective states
of two-dimensional electrons in partially occupied excited Landau levels is
presented. Among the most dramatic phenomena described are the large
anisotropies of the resistivity observed at very low temperatures near
half-filling of the third and higher Landau levels and the non-linear character
of the re-entrant integer quantized Hall states in the flanks of the same
levels. The degree to which these findings support recent theoretical
predictions of charge density wave ground states is discussed and a preliminary
comparison to recent transport theories is made.Comment: To be published in Physica E, as part of the proceedings of the 11th
International Winterschool on New Developments in Solid State Physics held in
Mauterndorf, Austria, February, 2000. 25 pages and 9 figures in a single pdf
fil
From High to Low Temperature The Revival of Sodium Beta Alumina for Sodium Solid State Batteries
Sodium based batteries are promising post lithium ion technologies because sodium offers a specific capacity of 1166 amp; 8197;mAh amp; 8201;g amp; 8722;1 and a potential of amp; 8722;2.71 amp; 8197;V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode. The solid electrolyte sodium beta alumina shows a unique combination of properties because it exhibits high ionic conductivity, as well as mechanical stability and chemical stability against sodium. Pairing a sodium negative electrode and sodium beta alumina with Na ion type positive electrodes, therefore, results in a promising solid state cell concept. This review highlights the opportunities and challenges of using sodium beta alumina in batteries operating from medium to low temperatures 200 amp; 8201; C 20 amp; 8201; C . Firstly, the recent progress in sodium beta alumina fabrication and doping methods are summarized. We discuss strategies for modifying the interfaces between sodium beta alumina and both the positive and negative electrodes. Secondly, recent achievements in designing full cells with sodium beta alumina are summarized and compared. The review concludes with an outlook on future research directions. Overall, this review shows the promising prospects of using sodium beta alumina for the development of solid state batterie
New insulating phases of two-dimensional electrons in high Landau levels: observation of sharp thresholds to conduction
The intriguing re-entrant integer quantized Hall states recently discovered
in high Landau levels of high-mobility 2D electron systems are found to exhibit
extremely non-linear transport. At small currents these states reflect
insulating behavior of the electrons in the uppermost Landau level. At larger
currents, however, a discontinuous and hysteretic transition to a conducting
state is observed. These phenomena, found only in very narrow magnetic field
ranges, are suggestive of the depinning of a charge density wave state, but
other explanations can also be constructed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Topological Defects, Orientational Order, and Depinning of the Electron Solid in a Random Potential
We report on the results of molecular dynamics simulation (MD) studies of the
classical two-dimensional electron crystal in the presence disorder. Our study
is motivated by recent experiments on this system in modulation doped
semiconductor systems in very strong magnetic fields, where the magnetic length
is much smaller than the average interelectron spacing , as well as by
recent studies of electrons on the surface of helium. We investigate the low
temperature state of this system using a simulated annealing method. We find
that the low temperature state of the system always has isolated dislocations,
even at the weakest disorder levels investigated. We also find evidence for a
transition from a hexatic glass to an isotropic glass as the disorder is
increased. The former is characterized by quasi-long range orientational order,
and the absence of disclination defects in the low temperature state, and the
latter by short range orientational order and the presence of these defects.
The threshold electric field is also studied as a function of the disorder
strength, and is shown to have a characteristic signature of the transition.
Finally, the qualitative behavior of the electron flow in the depinned state is
shown to change continuously from an elastic flow to a channel-like, plastic
flow as the disorder strength is increased.Comment: 31 pages, RevTex 3.0, 15 figures upon request, accepted for
publication in Phys. Rev. B., HAF94MD
Theory of the Quantum Hall Smectic Phase II: Microscopic Theory
We present a microscopic derivation of the hydrodynamic theory of the Quantum
Hall smectic or stripe phase of a two-dimensional electron gas in a large
magnetic field. The effective action of the low energy is derived here from a
microscopic picture by integrating out high energy excitations with a scale of
the order the cyclotron energy.The remaining low-energy theory can be expressed
in terms of two canonically conjugate sets of degrees of freedom: the
displacement field, that describes the fluctuations of the shapes of the
stripes, and the local charge fluctuations on each stripe.Comment: 20 pages, RevTex, 3 figures, second part of cond-mat/0105448 New and
improved Introduction. Final version as it will appear in Physical Review