21,363 research outputs found
Evidence for A Two-dimensional Quantum Wigner Solid in Zero Magnetic Field
We report the first experimental observation of a characteristic nonlinear
threshold behavior from dc dynamical response as an evidence for a Wigner
crystallization in high-purity GaAs 2D hole systems in zero magnetic field. The
system under increasing current drive exhibits voltage oscillations with
negative differential resistance. They confirm the coexistence of a moving
crystal along with striped edge states as observed for electrons on helium
surfaces. However, the threshold is well below the typical classical levels due
to a different pinning and depinning mechanism that is possibly related to a
quantum process
Multiquantum well structure with an average electron mobility of 4.0×10^6 cm^2/V s
We report a modulation-doped multiquantum well structure which suppresses the usual ambient light effect associated with modulation doping. Ten GaAs quantum wells 300-Å wide are symmetrically modulation doped using Si δ doping at the center of 3600-Å-wide Al0.1Ga0.9As barriers. The low field mobility of each well is 4.0×10^6 cm/V s at a density of 6.4×10^10 cm^−2 measured at 0.3 K either in the dark, or during, or after, exposure to light. This mobility is an order of magnitude improvement over previous work on multiwells
Cascade of Quantum Phase Transitions in Tunnel-Coupled Edge States
We report on the cascade of quantum phase transitions exhibited by
tunnel-coupled edge states across a quantum Hall line junction. We identify a
series of quantum critical points between successive strong and weak tunneling
regimes in the zero-bias conductance. Scaling analysis shows that the
conductance near the critical magnetic fields is a function of a single
scaling argument , where the exponent .
This puzzling resemblance to a quantum Hall-insulator transition points to
importance of interedge correlation between the coupled edge states.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Probing the Melting of a Two-dimensional Quantum Wigner Crystal via its Screening Efficiency
One of the most fundamental and yet elusive collective phases of an
interacting electron system is the quantum Wigner crystal (WC), an ordered
array of electrons expected to form when the electrons' Coulomb repulsion
energy eclipses their kinetic (Fermi) energy. In low-disorder, two-dimensional
(2D) electron systems, the quantum WC is known to be favored at very low
temperatures () and small Landau level filling factors (), near the
termination of the fractional quantum Hall states. This WC phase exhibits an
insulating behavior, reflecting its pinning by the small but finite disorder
potential. An experimental determination of a vs phase diagram for
the melting of the WC, however, has proved to be challenging. Here we use
capacitance measurements to probe the 2D WC through its effective screening as
a function of and . We find that, as expected, the screening
efficiency of the pinned WC is very poor at very low and improves at higher
once the WC melts. Surprisingly, however, rather than monotonically
changing with increasing , the screening efficiency shows a well-defined
maximum at a which is close to the previously-reported melting temperature
of the WC. Our experimental results suggest a new method to map out a vs
phase diagram of the magnetic-field-induced WC precisely.Comment: The formal version is published on Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 116601
(2019
Surface segregation and the Al problem in GaAs quantum wells
Low-defect two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) are essential for studies
of fragile many-body interactions that only emerge in nearly-ideal systems. As
a result, numerous efforts have been made to improve the quality of
modulation-doped AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wells (QWs), with an emphasis
on purifying the source material of the QW itself or achieving better vacuum in
the deposition chamber. However, this approach overlooks another crucial
component that comprises such QWs, the AlGaAs barrier. Here we show
that having a clean Al source and hence a clean barrier is instrumental to
obtain a high-quality GaAs 2DES in a QW. We observe that the mobility of the
2DES in GaAs QWs declines as the thickness or Al content of the
AlGaAs barrier beneath the QW is increased, which we attribute to
the surface segregation of Oxygen atoms that originate from the Al source. This
conjecture is supported by the improved mobility in the GaAs QWs as the Al cell
is cleaned out by baking
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