Fabry-Perot interferometry with fractional charges

Anomalous Aharonov-Bohm Interference in the Presence of Edge Reconstruction

Interferometry is a vital tool for studying fundamental features in the quantum Hall effect. For instance, Aharonov-Bohm interference in a quantum Hall interferometer can probe the wave-particle duality of electrons and quasiparticles. Here, we report an unusual Aharonov-Bohm interference of the outermost edge mode in a quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot interferometer, whose Coulomb interactions were suppressed with a grounded drain in the interior bulk of the interferometer. In a descending bulk filling factor from ν_{b}=3 to ν_{b}≈(5/3), the magnetic field periodicity, which corresponded to a single "flux quantum," agreed accurately with the enclosed area of the interferometer. However, in the filling range, ν_{b}≈(5/3) to ν_{b}=1, the field periodicity increased markedly, a priori suggesting a drastic shrinkage of the Aharonov-Bohm area. Moreover, the modulation gate voltage periodicity decreased abruptly at this range. We attribute these unexpected observations to edge reconstruction, leading to area changing with the field and a modified modulation gate-edge capacitance. These reproducible results support future interference experiments with a quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot interferometer.

Uniquely identifying topological order based on boundary-bulk duality and anyon condensation

Topological order is a new quantum phase that is beyond Landau's symmetry-breaking paradigm. Its defining features include robust degenerate ground states, long-range entanglement and anyons. It was known that R and F matrices, which characterize the fusion-braiding properties of anyons, can be used to uniquely identify topological order. In this article, we explore an essential question: how can the R and F matrices be experimentally measured? We show that the braidings, i.e. the R matrices, can be completely determined by the half braidings of boundary excitations due to the boundary-bulk duality and the anyon condensation. The F matrices can also be measured by comparing the quantum states involving the fusion of three anyons in two different orders. Thus we provide a model-independent experimental protocol to uniquely identify topological order. By using quantum simulations based on a toric code model with boundaries encoded in three- and four-qubit systems and state-of-the-art technology, we obtain the first experimental measurement of R and F matrices by means of an NMR quantum computer at room temperature.

Observation of electronic modes in open cavity resonator

The resemblance between electrons and optical waves has strongly driven the advancement of mesoscopic physics, evidenced by the widespread use of terms such as fermion or electron optics. However, electron waves have yet to be understood in open cavity structures which have provided contemporary optics with rich insight towards non-Hermitian systems and complex interactions between resonance modes. Here, we report the realization of an open cavity resonator in a two-dimensional electronic system. We studied the resonant electron modes within the cavity and resolved the signatures of longitudinal and transverse quantization, showing that the modes are robust despite the cavity being highly coupled to the open background continuum. The transverse modes were investigated by applying a controlled deformation to the cavity, and their spatial distributions were further analyzed using magnetoconductance measurements and numerical simulation. These results lay the groundwork to exploring matter waves in the context of modern optical frameworks.

Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations in Bilayer Graphene Quantum Hall Edge State Fabry-Pérot Interferometers

Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene exhibits a wealth of interaction-driven phenomena, including robust even-denominator fractional quantum Hall states. We construct Fabry-Pérot interferometers using a split-gate design and present measurements of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations. The edge state velocity is found to be approximately 6 × 10⁴ m/s at filling factor ν = 2 and decreases with increasing filling factor. The dc bias and temperature dependence of the interference point to electron-electron interaction induced decoherence mechanisms. These results pave the way for the quest of fractional and non-Abelian braiding statistics in this promising device platform.

Two-particle time-domain interferometry in the fractional quantum Hall effect regime

Quasi-particles are elementary excitations of condensed matter quantum phases. Demonstrating that they keep quantum coherence while propagating is a fundamental issue for their manipulation for quantum information tasks. Here, we consider anyons, the fractionally charged quasi-particles of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect occurring in two-dimensional electronic conductors in high magnetic fields. They obey anyonic statistics, intermediate between fermionic and bosonic. Surprisingly, anyons show large quantum coherence when transmitted through the localized states of electronic Fabry-Pérot interferometers, but almost no quantum interference when transmitted via the propagating states of Mach-Zehnder interferometers. Here, using a novel interferometric approach, we demonstrate that anyons do keep quantum coherence while propagating. Performing two-particle time-domain interference measurements sensitive to the two-particle Hanbury Brown Twiss phase, we find 53 and 60% visibilities for anyons with charges e/5 and e/3. Our results give a positive message for the challenge of performing controlled quantum coherent braiding of anyons.

Excitations of the fractional quantum Hall states are of great interest because they obey anyonic statistics, but electronic interferometers give contrasting results about their quantum coherence. Here the authors use novel two-particle time-domain interferometry to show that quantum coherence is indeed preserved.

Impact of bulk-edge coupling on observation of anyonic braiding statistics in quantum Hall interferometers

Quantum Hall interferometers have been used to probe fractional charge and statistics of quasiparticles. We present measurements of a small Fabry-Perot interferometer in which the electrostatic coupling constants which affect interferometer behavior can be determined experimentally. Near the center of the ν = 1/3 state this device exhibits Aharonov-Bohm interference interrupted by a few discrete phase jumps, and Φ0 oscillations at higher and lower magnetic fields, consistent with theoretical predictions for detection of anyonic statistics. We estimate the electrostatic parameters KI and KIL by two methods: using the ratio of oscillation periods in compressible versus incompressible regions, and from finite-bias conductance measurements. We find that the extracted KI and KIL can account for the deviation of the phase jumps from the theoretical anyonic phase θa = 2π/3. At integer states, we find that KI and KIL can account for the Aharonov-Bohm and Coulomb-dominated behavior of different edge states.

Fabry-Pérot interferometry with gate-tunable 3D topological insulator nanowires

Three-dimensional topological insulator (3D TI) nanowires display remarkable magnetotransport properties that can be attributed to their spin-momentum-locked surface states such as quasiballistic transport and Aharonov-Bohm oscillations. Here, we focus on the transport properties of a 3D TI nanowire with a gated section that forms an electronic Fabry-Pérot (FP) interferometer that can be tuned to act as a surface-state filter or energy barrier. By tuning the carrier density and length of the gated section of the wire, the interference pattern can be controlled and the nanowire can become fully transparent for certain topological surface-state input modes while completely filtering out others. We also consider the interplay of FP interference with an external magnetic field, with which Klein tunneling can be induced, and transverse asymmetry of the gated section, e.g. due to a top-gated structure, which displays an interesting analogy with Rashba nanowires. Due to its rich conductance phenomenology, we propose a 3D TI nanowire with gated section as an ideal setup for a detailed transport-based characterization of 3D TI nanowire surface states near the Dirac point, which could be useful towards realizing 3D TI nanowire-based topological superconductivity and Majorana bound states.

Fractional charge and fractional statistics in the quantum Hall effects

Quasiparticles with fractional charge and fractional statistics are key features of the fractional quantum Hall effect. We discuss in detail the definitions of fractional charge and statistics and the ways in which these properties may be observed. In addition to theoretical foundations, we review the present status of the experiments in the area. We also discuss the notions of non-Abelian statistics and attempts to find experimental evidence for the existence of non-Abelian quasiparticles in certain quantum Hall systems.

Quantum Interferences in Ultraclean Carbon Nanotubes

Electronic analogs of optical interferences are powerful tools to investigate quantum phenomena in condensed matter. In carbon nanotubes (CNTs), it is well established that an electronic Fabry-Perot interferometer can be realized. Other types of quantum interferences should also arise in CNTs, but have proven challenging to realize. In particular, CNTs have been identified as a system to realize the electronic analog of a Sagnac interferometer-the most sensitive optical interferometer. To realize this Sagnac effect, interference between nonidentical transmission channels in a single CNT must be observed. Here, we use suspended, ultraclean CNTs of known chiral index to study both Fabry-Perot and Sagnac electron interferences. We verify theoretical predictions for the behavior of Sagnac oscillations and the persistence of the Sagnac oscillations at high temperatures. As suggested by existing theoretical studies, our results show that these quantum interferences may be used for electronic structure characterization of carbon nanotubes and the study of many-body effects in these model one-dimensional systems.

Aharonov-Bohm effect in graphene-based Fabry-Pérot quantum Hall interferometers

Interferometers probe the wave-nature and exchange statistics of indistinguishable particles-for example, electrons in the chiral one-dimensional edge channels of the quantum Hall effect (QHE). Quantum point contacts can split and recombine these channels, enabling interference of charged particles. Such quantum Hall interferometers (QHIs) can unveil the exchange statistics of anyonic quasi-particles in the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). Here, we present a fabrication technique for QHIs in van der Waals (vdW) materials and realize a tunable, graphene-based Fabry-Pérot (FP) QHI. The graphite-encapsulated architecture allows observation of FQHE at a magnetic field of 3T and precise partitioning of integer and fractional edge modes. We measure pure Aharonov-Bohm interference in the integer QHE, a major technical challenge in small FP interferometers, and find that edge modes exhibit high-visibility interference due to large velocities. Our results establish vdW heterostructures as a versatile alternative to GaAs-based interferometers for future experiments targeting anyonic quasi-particles.

A tunable Fabry-Pérot quantum Hall interferometer in graphene

Electron interferometry with quantum Hall (QH) edge channels in semiconductor heterostructures can probe and harness the exchange statistics of anyonic excitations. However, the charging effects present in semiconductors often obscure the Aharonov-Bohm interference in QH interferometers and make advanced charge-screening strategies necessary. Here we show that high-mobility monolayer graphene constitutes an alternative material system, not affected by charging effects, for performing Fabry-Pérot QH interferometry in the integer QH regime. In devices equipped with gate-tunable quantum point contacts acting on the edge channels of the zeroth Landau level, we observe-in agreement with theory-high-visibility Aharonov-Bohm interference widely tunable through electrostatic gating or magnetic fields. A coherence length of 10 μm at a temperature of 0.02 K allows us to further achieve coherently coupled double Fabry-Pérot interferometry. In future, QH interferometry with graphene devices may enable investigations of anyonic excitations in fractional QH states.

Fractional Coulomb blockade for quasi-particle tunneling between edge channels

In the fractional quantum Hall effect, the elementary excitations are quasi-particles with fractional charges as predicted by theory and demonstrated by noise and interference experiments. We observe Coulomb blockade of fractional charges in the measured magneto-conductance of a 1.4-micron-wide quantum dot. Interaction-driven edge reconstruction separates the dot into concentric compressible regions with fractionally charged excitations and incompressible regions acting as tunnel barriers for quasi-particles. Our data show the formation of incompressible regions of filling factors 2/3 and 1/3. Comparing data at fractional filling factors to filling factor 2, we extract the fractional quasi-particle charge e */e = 0.32 ± 0.03 and 0.35 ± 0.05. Our investigations extend and complement quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot interference experiments investigating the nature of anyonic fractional quasi-particles.

Localizing Fractional Quasiparticles on Graphene Quantum Hall Antidots

We report localization of fractional quantum Hall (QH) quasiparticles on graphene antidots. By studying coherent tunneling through the localized QH edge modes on the antidot, we measured the QH quasiparticle charges to be approximately ±e/3 at fractional fillings of ν=±1/3. The Dirac spectrum in graphene allows large energy scales and robust quasiparticle localization against thermal excitation. The capability of localizing fractional quasiparticles on QH antidots brings promising opportunities for realizing anyon braiding and novel quantum electronics.

Magnetic-Field-Dependent Equilibration of Fractional Quantum Hall Edge Modes

Fractional conductance is measured by partitioning a ν=1 edge state using gate-tunable fractional quantum Hall (FQH) liquids of filling 1/3 or 2/3 for current injection and detection. We observe two sets of FQH plateaus 1/9, 2/9, 4/9 and 1/6, 1/3, 2/3 at low and high magnetic field ends of the ν=1 plateau, respectively. The findings are explained by magnetic field dependent equilibration of three FQH edge modes with conductance e^{2}/3h arising from edge reconstruction. The results reveal a remarkable enhancement of the equilibration lengths of the FQH edge modes with increasing magnetic field.

Progress in Cooling Nanoelectronic Devices to Ultra-Low Temperatures

Here we review recent progress in cooling micro-/nanoelectronic devices significantly below 10 mK. A number of groups worldwide are working to produce sub-millikelvin on-chip electron temperatures, motivated by the possibility of observing new physical effects and improving the performance of quantum technologies, sensors and metrological standards. The challenge is a longstanding one, with the lowest reported on-chip electron temperature having remained around 4 mK for more than 15 years. This is despite the fact that microkelvin temperatures have been accessible in bulk materials since the mid-twentieth century. In this review, we describe progress made in the last 5 years using new cooling techniques. Developments have been driven by improvements in the understanding of nanoscale physics, material properties and heat flow in electronic devices at ultralow temperatures and have involved collaboration between universities and institutes, physicists and engineers. We hope that this review will serve as a summary of the current state of the art and provide a roadmap for future developments. We focus on techniques that have shown, in experiment, the potential to reach sub-millikelvin electron temperatures. In particular, we focus on on-chip demagnetisation refrigeration. Multiple groups have used this technique to reach temperatures around 1 mK, with a current lowest temperature below 0.5 mK.

Fractional statistics in anyon collisions

Two-dimensional systems can host exotic particles called anyons whose quantum statistics are neither bosonic nor fermionic. For example, the elementary excitations of the fractional quantum Hall effect at filling factor ν = 1/m (where m is an odd integer) have been predicted to obey Abelian fractional statistics, with a phase ϕ associated with the exchange of two particles equal to π/m However, despite numerous experimental attempts, clear signatures of fractional statistics have remained elusive. We experimentally demonstrate Abelian fractional statistics at filling factor ν = ⅓ by measuring the current correlations resulting from the collision between anyons at a beamsplitter. By analyzing their dependence on the anyon current impinging on the splitter and comparing with recent theoretical models, we extract ϕ = π/3, in agreement with predictions.

Flux Superperiods and Periodicity Transitions in Quantum Hall Interferometers

For strongly screened Coulomb interactions, quantum Hall interferometers can operate in a novel regime: the intrinsic energy gap can be larger than the charging energy, and addition of flux quanta can occur without adding quasiparticles. We show that flux superperiods are possible and reconcile their appearance with the Byers-Yang theorem. We explain that the observation of anyonic statistical phases is possible by tuning to the transition from a regime with constant chemical potential to a regime with constant particle density, where a flux superperiod changes to a periodicity with one flux quantum at a critical magnetic field strength.

Negative Excess Shot Noise by Anyon Braiding

Anyonic fractional charges e^{*} have been detected by autocorrelation shot noise at a quantum point contact (QPC) between two fractional quantum Hall edges. We find that the autocorrelation noise can also show a fingerprint of Abelian anyonic fractional statistics. We predict the noise of the electrical tunneling current I at the QPC of the fractional-charge detection setup, when anyons are dilutely injected, from an additional edge biased by a voltage, to the setup in equilibrium. At large voltages, the nonequilibrium noise is reduced below the thermal equilibrium noise by the value 2e^{*}I. This negative excess noise is opposite to the positive excess noise 2e^{*}I of the conventional fractional-charge detection and also to the usual positive autocorrelation noises of electrical currents. This is a signature of Abelian fractional statistics, resulting from the effective braiding of an anyon thermally excited at the QPC around another anyon injected from the additional edge.

Melting of Interference in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect: Appearance of Neutral Modes

We attempted to measure interference of the outer edge mode in the fractional quantum hall regime with an electronic Mach-zehnder interferometer. The visibility of the interferometer wore off as we approached ν_{B}=1 and the transmission of the quantum point contacts (QPCs) of the interferometer simultaneously developed a v=1/3 conductance plateau accompanied by shot noise. The appearance of shot noise on this plateau indicates the appearance of nontopological neutral modes resulting from edge reconstruction. We have confirmed the presence of upstream neutral modes measuring upstream noise emanating from the QPC. The lack of interference throughout the lowest Landau level was correlated with a proliferation of neutral modes.

Fractionalization Waves in Two-Dimensional Dirac Fermions: Quantum Imprint from One Dimension

Particle fractionalization is believed to orchestrate the physics of many strongly correlated systems, yet its direct experimental detection remains a challenge. We propose a simple measurement for an ultracold matter system, in which correlations in initially decoupled 1D chains are imprinted via quantum quench upon two-dimensional Dirac fermions. Luttinger liquid correlations launch relativistic "fractionalization waves" along the chains, while coupling noninteracting chains induces perpendicular dispersion. These could be easily distinguished in an ultracold gas experiment.

Observation of interaction-induced modulations of a quantum Hall liquid's area

Studies of electronic interferometers, based on edge-channel transport in the quantum Hall effect regime, have been stimulated by the search for evidence of abelian and non-abelian anyonic statistics of fractional charges. In particular, the electronic Fabry–Pérot interferometer has been found to be Coulomb dominated, thus masking coherent Aharonov–Bohm interference patterns: the flux trapped within the interferometer remains unchanged as the applied magnetic field is varied, barring unobservable modulations of the interference area. Here we report on conductance measurements indicative of the interferometer's area ‘breathing' with the variation of the magnetic field, associated with observable (a fraction of a flux quantum) variations of the trapped flux. This is the result of partial (controlled) screening of Coulomb interactions. Our results introduce a novel experimental tool for probing anyonic statistics.

Quantum Hall liquids play host to a wide range of unusual physics. Here, the authors use an electronic Fabry-Pérot interferometer to observe modulations of a quantum Hall liquid's area, which can offer a means to study the statistics of fractional charges.

Topological vacuum bubbles by anyon braiding

According to a basic rule of fermionic and bosonic many-body physics, known as the linked cluster theorem, physical observables are not affected by vacuum bubbles, which represent virtual particles created from vacuum and self-annihilating without interacting with real particles. Here we show that this conventional knowledge must be revised for anyons, quasiparticles that obey fractional exchange statistics intermediate between fermions and bosons. We find that a certain class of vacuum bubbles of Abelian anyons does affect physical observables. They represent virtually excited anyons that wind around real anyonic excitations. These topological bubbles result in a temperature-dependent phase shift of Fabry-Perot interference patterns in the fractional quantum Hall regime accessible in current experiments, thus providing a tool for direct and unambiguous observation of elusive fractional statistics.

A Noninvasive Method for Nanoscale Electrostatic Gating of Pristine Materials

Electrostatic gating is essential for defining and control of semiconducting devices. However, nanofabrication processes required for depositing gates inevitably degrade the pristine quality of the material of interest. Examples of materials that suffer from such degradation include ultrahigh mobility GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs), graphene, topological insulators, and nanowires. To preserve the pristine material properties, we have developed a flip-chip setup where gates are separated from the material by a vacuum, which allows nanoscale electrostatic gating of the material without exposing it to invasive nanoprocessing. An additional benefit is the vacuum between gates and material, which, unlike gate dielectrics, is free from charge traps. We demonstrate the operation and feasibility of the flip-chip setup by achieving quantum interference at integer quantum Hall states in a Fabry-Pérot interferometer based on a GaAs/AlGaAs 2DEG. Our results pave the way for the study of exotic phenomena including fragile fractional quantum Hall states by preserving the high quality of the material.

Mechanical Flip-Chip for Ultra-High Electron Mobility Devices

Electrostatic gates are of paramount importance for the physics of devices based on high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) since they allow depletion of electrons in selected areas. This field-effect gating enables the fabrication of a wide range of devices such as, for example, quantum point contacts (QPC), electron interferometers and quantum dots. To fabricate these gates, processing is usually performed on the 2DEG material, which is in many cases detrimental to its electron mobility. Here we propose an alternative process which does not require any processing of the 2DEG material other than for the ohmic contacts. This approach relies on processing a separate wafer that is then mechanically mounted on the 2DEG material in a flip-chip fashion. This technique proved successful to fabricate quantum point contacts on both GaAs/AlGaAs materials with both moderate and ultra-high electron mobility.

Recent experimental progress of fractional quantum Hall effect: 5/2 filling state and graphene

The phenomenon of fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) was first experimentally observed 33 years ago. FQHE involves strong Coulomb interactions and correlations among the electrons, which leads to quasiparticles with fractional elementary charge. Three decades later, the field of FQHE is still active with new discoveries and new technical developments. A significant portion of attention in FQHE has been dedicated to filling factor 5/2 state, for its unusual even denominator and possible application in topological quantum computation. Traditionally, FQHE has been observed in high-mobility GaAs heterostructure, but new materials such as graphene also open up a new area for FQHE. This review focuses on recent progress of FQHE at 5/2 state and FQHE in graphene.