No Arabic abstract
The fractional quantum Hall effect, where plateaus in the Hall resistance at values of coexist with zeros in the longitudinal resistance, results from electron correlations in two dimensions under a strong magnetic field. Current flows along the edges carried by charged excitations (quasi particles) whose charge is a fraction of the electron charge. While earlier research concentrated on odd denominator fractional values of $ u$, the observation of the even denominator $ u=5/2$ state sparked a vast interest. This state is conjectured to be characterized by quasiparticles of charge e/4, whose statistics is non-abelian. In other words, interchanging of two quasi particles may modify the state of the system to an orthogonal one, and does not just add a phase as in for fermions or bosons. As such, these quasiparticles may be useful for the construction of a topological quantum computer. Here we report data of shot noise generated by partitioning edge currents in the $ u=5/2$ state, consistent with the charge of the quasiparticle being e/4, and inconsistent with other potentially possible values, such as e/2 and e. While not proving the non-abelian nature of the $ u=5/2$ state, this observation is the first step toward a full understanding of these new fractional charges.
We analyze charge-$e/4$ quasiparticle tunneling between the edges of a point contact in a non-Abelian model of the $ u=5/2$ quantum Hall state. We map this problem to resonant tunneling between attractive Luttinger liquids and use the time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method to compute the current through the point contact in the presence of a {it finite voltage difference} between the two edges. We confirm that, as the voltage is decreases, the system is broken into two pieces coupled by electron hopping. In the limits of small and large voltage, we recover the results expected from perturbation theory about the infrared and ultraviolet fixed points. We test our methods by finding the analogous non-equilibrium current through a point contact in a $ u=1/3$ quantum Hall state, confirming the Bethe ansatz solution of the problem.
Several topological orders have been proposed to explain the quantum Hall plateau at $ u=5/2$. The observation of an upstream neutral mode on the sample edge [Bid et al., Nature (London) 466, 585 (2010)] supports the non-Abelian anti-Pfaffian state. On the other hand, the tunneling experiments [Radu et al., Science 320, 899 (2008); Lin et al., Phys. Rev. B 85, 165321 (2012); Baer et al., arXiv:1405.0428] favor the Halperin 331 state which exhibits no upstream modes. We find a topological order, compatible with the results of both types of experiments. That order allows both finite and zero spin polarizations. It is Abelian but its signatures in Aharonov-Bohm interferometry can be similar to those of the Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian states.
We report on results of numerical studies of the spin polarization of the half filled second Landau level, which corresponds to the fractional quantum Hall state at filling factor $ u=5/2$. Our studies are performed using both exact diagonalization and Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG) on the sphere. We find that for the Coulomb interaction the exact finite-system ground state is fully polarized, for shifts corresponding to both the Moore-Read Pfaffian state and its particle-hole conjugate (anti-Pfaffian). This result is found to be robust against small variations of the interaction. The low-energy excitation spectrum is consistent with spin-wave excitations of a fully-magnetized ferromagnet.
The evolution of the fractional quantum Hall state at filling 5/2 is studied in density tunable two-dimensional electron systems formed in wide wells in which it is possible to induce a transition from single to two subband occupancy. In 80 and 60 nm wells, the quantum Hall state at 5/2 filling of the lowest subband is observed even when the second subband is occupied. In a 50 nm well the 5/2 state vanishes upon second subband population. We attribute this distinct behavior to the width dependence of the capacitive energy for intersubband charge transfer and of the overlap of the subband probability densities.
We discuss the implications of approximate particle-hole symmetry in a half-filled Landau level in which a paired quantum Hall state forms. We note that the Pfaffian state is not particle-hole symmetric. Therefore, in the limit of vanishing Landau level mixing, in which particle-hole transformation is an exact symmetry, the Pfaffian spontaneously breaks this symmetry. There is a particle-hole conjugate state, which we call the anti-Pfaffian, which is degenerate with the Pfaffian in this limit. We observe that strong Landau level mixing should favor the Pfaffian, but it is an open problem which state is favored for the moderate Landau level mixing which is present in experiments. We discuss the bulk and edge physics of the anti-Pfaffian. We analyze a simplified model in which transitions between analogs of the two states can be studied in detail. Finally, we discuss experimental implications.