No Arabic abstract
We propose an intrinsic 3D Fabry-Perot type interferometer, coined higher-order interferometer, that utilizes the chiral hinge states of second-order topological insulators and cannot be equivalently mapped to 2D space because of higher-order topology. Quantum interference patterns in the two-terminal conductance of this interferometer are controllable not only by tuning the strength but also, particularly, by rotating the direction of the magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the transport direction. Remarkably, the conductance exhibits a characteristic beating pattern with multiple frequencies with respect to field strength or direction. Our novel interferometer provides feasible and robust magneto-transport signatures to probe the particular hinge states of higher-order topological insulators.
Recently, higher-order topological matter and 3D quantum Hall effects have attracted great attention. The Fermi-arc mechanism of the 3D quantum Hall effect proposed in Weyl semimetals is characterized by the one-sided hinge states, which do not exist in all the previous quantum Hall systems and more importantly pose a realistic example of the higher-order topological matter. The experimental effort so far is in the Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$, where however time-reversal symmetry leads to hinge states on both sides of the top/bottom surfaces, instead of the aspired one-sided hinge states. We propose that under a tilted magnetic field, the hinge states in Cd$_3$As$_2$-like Dirac semimetals can be one-sided, highly tunable by field direction and Fermi energy, and robust against weak disorder. Furthermore, we propose a scanning tunneling Hall measurement to detect the one-sided hinge states. Our results will be insightful for exploring not only the quantum Hall effects beyond two dimensions, but also other higher-order topological insulators in the future.
The discovery of topologically protected boundary states in topological insulators opens a new avenue toward exploring novel transport phenomena. The one-way feature of boundary states against disorders and impurities prospects great potential in applications of electronic and classical wave devices. Particularly, for the 3D higher-order topological insulators, it can host hinge states, which allow the energy to transport along the hinge channels. However, the hinge states haveonly been observed along a single hinge, and a natural question arises: whether the hinge states can exist simultaneously on all the three independent directions of one sample? Here we theoretically predict and experimentally observe the hinge states on three different directions of a higher-order topological phononic crystal, and demonstrate their robust one-way transport from hinge to hinge. Therefore, 3D topological hinge transport is successfully achieved. The novel sound transport may serve as the basis for acoustic devices of unconventional functions.
The advent of few-layer graphenes has given rise to a new family of two-dimensional systems with emergent electronic properties governed by relativistic quantum mechanics. The multiple carbon sublattices endow the electronic wavefunctions with pseudospin, a lattice analog of the relativistic electron spin, while the multilayer structure leads to electric field effect tunable electronic bands. Here we use these properties to realize giant conductance oscillations in ballistic trilayer graphene Fabry-Perot interferometers, which result from phase coherent transport through resonant bound states beneath an electrostatic barrier. We cloak these states by selectively decoupling them from the leads, resulting in transport via non-resonant states and suppression of the giant oscillations. Cloaking is achieved both classically, by manipulating quasiparticle momenta with a magnetic field, and quantum mechanically, by locally varying the pseudospin character of the carrier wavefunctions. Our results illustrate the unique potential of trilayer graphene as a versatile platform for electron optics and pseudospintronics.
A fabrication method for electronic quantum Hall Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI) is presented. Our method uses a combination of e-beam lithography and low-damage dry-etching to produce the FPIs and minimize the excitation of charged traps or deposition of impurities near the device. Optimization of the quantum point contacts (QPC) is achieved via systematically varying the etch depth and monitoring the device resistance between segmented etching sessions. The etching is stopped when a desired value of resistance is obtained. Finer control of interference trajectories is obtained by the gate metallized inside the etched area by e-beam evaporation. Our approach allows for a control of the delicate potential bending near the quantum well by tuning the confining potential of the quantum point contacts.
We investigate nonlinear transport in electronic Fabry-Perot interferometers in the integer quantum Hall regime. For interferometers sufficiently large that Coulomb blockade effects are absent, a checkerboard-like pattern of conductance oscillations as a function of dc bias and perpendicular magnetic field is observed. Edge-state velocities extracted from the checkerboard data are compared to model calculations and found to be consistent with a crossover from skipping orbits at low fields to E x B drift at high fields. Suppression of visibility as a function of bias and magnetic field is accounted for by including energy- and field-dependent dephasing of edge electrons.