No Arabic abstract
We study proximity coupling between a superconductor and counter-propagating gapless modes arising on the edges of Abelian fractional quantum Hall liquids with filling fraction $ u=1/m$ (with $m$ an odd integer). This setup can be utilized to create non-Abelian parafermion zero-modes if the coupling to the superconductor opens an energy gap in the counter-propagating modes. However, when the coupling to the superconductor is weak an energy gap is opened only in the presence of sufficiently strong attractive interactions between the edge modes, which do not commonly occur in solid state experimental realizations. We therefore investigate the possibility of obtaining a gapped phase by increasing the strength of the proximity coupling to the superconductor. To this end, we use an effective wire construction model for the quantum Hall liquid and employ renormalization group methods to obtain the phase diagram of the system. Surprisingly, at strong proximity coupling we find a gapped phase which is stabilized for sufficiently strong repulsive interactions in the bulk of the quantum Hall fluids. We furthermore identify a duality transformation that maps between the weak coupling and strong coupling regimes, and use it to show that the gapped phases in both regimes are continuously connected through an intermediate proximity coupling regime.
We study the effect of backward scatterings in the tunneling at a point contact between the edges of a second level hierarchical fractional quantum Hall states. A universal scaling dimension of the tunneling conductance is obtained only when both of the edge channels propagate in the same direction. It is shown that the quasiparticle tunneling picture and the electron tunneling picture give different scaling behaviors of the conductances, which indicates the existence of a crossover between the two pictures. When the direction of two edge-channels are opposite, e.g. in the case of MacDonalds edge construction for the $ u=2/3$ state, the phase diagram is divided into two domains giving different temperature dependence of the conductance.
Interferometry provides direct evidence for anyon statistics. In the fractional quantum Hall effect, interferometers are susceptible to dephasing by neutral modes. The latter support chargeless quasiparticles (neutralons) which propagate upstream along the edge and obey fractional statistics. Here we show that on a suitably engineered bilayer fractional quantum Hall edge, which is an experimentally available platform, the neutral modes can be gapped while leaving the desired charge modes gapless. The gapping mechanism is akin to a four-particle pairing superconductivity. Our considered bilayer structure can be shaped as an anyonic interferometer. We also discuss experimental charge transport signatures of the neutral mode gap.
The interplay between interaction and disorder-induced localization is of fundamental interest. This article addresses localization physics in the fractional quantum Hall state, where both interaction and disorder have nonperturbative consequences. We provide compelling theoretical evidence that the localization of a single quasiparticle of the fractional quantum Hall state at filling factor $ u=n/(2n+1)$ has a striking {it quantitative} correspondence to the localization of a single electron in the $(n+1)$th Landau level. By analogy to the dramatic experimental manifestations of Anderson localization in integer quantum Hall effect, this leads to predictions in the fractional quantum Hall regime regarding the existence of extended states at a critical energy, and the nature of the divergence of the localization length as this energy is approached. Within a mean field approximation these results can be extended to situations where a finite density of quasiparticles is present.
We show that edges of Quantum Spin Hall topological insulators represent a natural platform for realization of exotic supersolid phase. On one hand, fermionic edge modes are helical due to the nontrivial topology of the bulk. On the other hand, a disorder at the edge or magnetic adatoms may produce a dense array of localized spins interacting with the helical electrons. The spin subsystem is magnetically frustrated since the indirect exchange favors formation of helical spin order and the direct one favors (anti)ferromagnetic ordering of the spins. At a moderately strong direct exchange, the competition between these spin interactions results in the spontaneous breaking of parity and in the Ising type order of the $z$-components at zero temperature. If the total spin is conserved the spin order does not pin a collective massless helical mode which supports the ideal transport. In this case, the phase transition converts the helical spin order to the order of a chiral lattice supersolid. This represents a radically new possibility for experimental studies of the elusive supersolidity.
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) are a rich family of two-dimensional materials displaying a multitude of different quantum ground states. In particular, d$^3$ TMDCs are paradigmatic materials hosting a variety of symmetry broken states, including charge density waves, superconductivity, and magnetism. Among this family, NbSe$_2$ is one of the best-studied superconducting materials down to the monolayer limit. Despite its superconducting nature, a variety of results point towards strong electronic repulsions in NbSe$_2$. Here, we control the strength of the interactions experimentally via quantum confinement effects and use low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) to demonstrate that NbSe$_2$ is in strong proximity to a correlated insulating state. This reveals the coexistence of competing interactions in NbSe$_2$, creating a transition from a superconducting to an insulating quantum correlated state by confinement-controlled interactions. Our results demonstrate the dramatic role of interactions in NbSe$_2$, establishing NbSe$_2$ as a correlated superconductor with competing interactions.