Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userGlass Transition in a Two-Dimensional Electron System in Silicon
216
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
Large fluctuations of conductivity with time are observed in a low-mobility two-dimensional electron system in silicon at low electron densities $n_s$ and temperatures. A dramatic increase of the noise power ($propto 1/f^{alpha}$) as $n_s$ is reduced below a certain density $n_g$, and a sharp jump of $alpha$ at $n_sapprox n_g$, are attributed to the freezing of the electron glass at $n_s = n_g$. The data strongly suggest that glassy dynamics persists in the metallic phase.
rate research
Read More
Studies of low-frequency resistance noise show that the glassy freezing of the two-dimensional electron system (2DES) in Si in the vicinity of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) persists in parallel magnetic fields B of up to 9 T. At low B, both the glass transition density $n_g$ and $n_c$, the critical density for the MIT, increase with B such that the width of the metallic glass phase ($n_c<n_s<n_g$) increases with B. At higher B, where the 2DES is spin polarized, $n_c$ and $n_g$ no longer depend on B. Our results demonstrate that charge, as opposed to spin, degrees of freedom are responsible for glassy ordering of the 2DES near the MIT.
The relaxations of conductivity have been studied in a strongly disordered two-dimensional (2D) electron system in Si after excitation far from equilibrium by a rapid change of carrier density n_s at low temperatures T. The dramatic and precise dependence of the relaxations on n_s and T strongly suggests (a) the transition to a glassy phase as T->0, and (b) the Coulomb interactions between 2D electrons play a dominant role in the observed out-of-equilibrium dynamics.
What are the ground states of an interacting, low-density electron system? In the absence of disorder, it has long been expected that as the electron density is lowered, the exchange energy gained by aligning the electron spins should exceed the enhancement in the kinetic (Fermi) energy, leading to a (Bloch) ferromagnetic transition. At even lower densities, another transition to a (Wigner) solid, an ordered array of electrons, should occur. Experimental access to these regimes, however, has been limited because of the absence of a material platform that supports an electron system with very high-quality (low disorder) and low density simultaneously. Here we explore the ground states of interacting electrons in an exceptionally-clean, two-dimensional electron system confined to a modulation-doped AlAs quantum well. The large electron effective mass in this system allows us to reach very large values of the interaction parameter $r_s$, defined as the ratio of the Coulomb to Fermi energies. As we lower the electron density via gate bias, we find a sequence of phases, qualitatively consistent with the above scenario: a paramagnetic phase at large densities, a spontaneous transition to a ferromagnetic state when $r_s$ surpasses 35, and then a phase with strongly non-linear current-voltage characteristics, suggestive of a pinned Wigner solid, when $r_s$ exceeds $simeq 38$. However, our sample makes a transition to an insulating state at $r_ssimeq 27$, preceding the onset of the spontaneous ferromagnetism, implying that, besides interaction, the role of disorder must also be taken into account in understanding the different phases of a realistic dilute electron system.
The time-dependent fluctuations of conductivity sigma have been studied in a two-dimensional electron system in low-mobility, small-size Si inversion layers. The noise power spectrum is ~1/f^{alpha} with alpha exhibiting a sharp jump at a certain electron density n_s=n_g. An enormous increase in the relative variance of sigma is observed as n_s is reduced below n_g, reflecting a dramatic slowing down of the electron dynamics. This is attributed to the freezing of the electron glass. The data strongly suggest that glassy dynamics persists in the metallic phase.
We study a two-dimensional electron system where the electrons occupy two conduction band valleys with anisotropic Fermi contours and strain-tunable occupation. We observe persistent quantum Hall states at filling factors $ u = 1/3$ and 5/3 even at zero strain when the two valleys are degenerate. This is reminiscent of the quantum Hall ferromagnet formed at $ u = 1$ in the same system at zero strain. In the absence of a theory for a system with anisotropic valleys, we compare the energy gaps measured at $ u = 1/3$ and 5/3 to the available theory developed for single-valley, two-spin systems, and find that the gaps and their rates of rise with strain are much smaller than predicted.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
