Universal conductance fluctuations in metals: Effects of finite temperature, interactions, and magnetic field

Electron-hole asymmetric magnetotransport of graphene-colloidal quantum dot device

Interfacing graphene with other low-dimensional material has gained attentions recently due to its potential to stimulate new physics and device innovations for optoelectronic and electronic applications. Here, we exploit a solution-processed approach to introduce colloidal quantum dot (CQD) to the bilayer graphene device. The magnetotransport properties of the graphene device is drastically altered due to the presence of the CQD potential, leading to the observation of AB-like oscillation in the quantum Hall regime and screening of the intervalley scattering. The anomalous magnetotransport behavior is attributed to the coulombic scattering introduced by the CQDs and is shown to be highly asymmetric depending on the polarity of the transport carriers. These results prove the potential of such flexible method for engineering microscopic scattering process and performance of the graphene device that may lead to intriguing device application in such hybrid system.

Universal Conductance Fluctuations in a MnBi2Te4 Thin Film

Quantum coherence of electrons can produce striking behaviors in mesoscopic conductors. Although magnetic order can also strongly affect transport, the combination of coherence and magnetic order has been largely unexplored. Here, we examine quantum coherence-driven universal conductance fluctuations in the antiferromagnetic, canted antiferromagnetic, and ferromagnetic phases of a thin film of the topological material MnBi2Te4. In each magnetic phase, we extract a charge carrier phase coherence length of about 100 nm. The conductance magnetofingerprint is repeatable when sweeping applied magnetic field within one magnetic phase. Surprisingly, in the antiferromagnetic and canted antiferromagnetic phases, but not in the ferromagnetic phase, the magnetofingerprint depends on the direction of the field sweep. To explain our observations, we suggest that conductance fluctuation measurements are sensitive to the motion and nucleation of magnetic domain walls in MnBi2Te4.

Mesoscopic Conductance Fluctuations in 2D HgTe Semimetal

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations were discovered in a weak localization regime of a strongly disordered two-dimensional HgTe-based semimetal. These fluctuations exist in macroscopic samples with characteristic sizes of 100 μm and exhibit anomalous dependences on the gate voltage, magnetic field, and temperature. They are absent in the regime of electron metal (at positive gate voltages) and strongly depend on the level of disorder in the system. All the experimental facts lead us to the conclusion that the origin of the fluctuations is a special collective state in which the current is conducted through the percolation network of electron resistances. We suppose that the network is formed by fluctuation potential whose amplitude is higher than the Fermi level of electrons due to their very low density.

Multifractal Conductance Fluctuations of Helical Edge States

Two-dimensional topological insulators are characterized by the bulk gap and one-dimensional helical states running along the edges. The theory predicts the topological protection of the helical transport from coherent backscattering. However, the unexpected deviations of the conductance from the quantized value and localization of the helical modes are generally observed in long samples. Moreover, at millikelvin temperatures significant mesoscopic fluctuations are developed as a function of the electron energy. Here we report the results of an experimental study of the transport in a HgTe quantum well with an inverted energy spectrum that reveal a multifractality of the conductance fluctuations in the helical edge state dominated transport regime. We attribute observed multifractality to mesoscopic fluctuations of the electron wave function or local density of states at the spin quantum Hall transition. We have shown that the mesoscopic two-dimensional topological insulator provides a highly tunable experimental system in which to explore the physics of the Anderson transition between topological states.

Aharonov-Bohm Interference and Phase-Coherent Surface-State Transport in Topological Insulator Rings

We present low-temperature magnetotransport measurements on selectively grown Sb₂Te₃-based topological insulator ring structures. These devices display clear Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the conductance originating from phase-coherent transport around the ring. The temperature dependence of the oscillation amplitude indicates that the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations originate from ballistic transport along the ring arms. We attribute these oscillations to the topological surface states. Further insight into the phase coherence is gained by comparing with similar Aharonov-Bohm-type oscillations in topological insulator nanoribbons exposed to an axial magnetic field. Here, quasi-ballistic phase-coherent transport is confirmed for closed-loop topological surface states in the transverse direction enclosing the nanoribbon. In contrast, the appearance of universal conductance fluctuations indicates phase-coherent transport in the diffusive regime, which is attributed to bulk carrier transport. Thus, it appears that even in the presence of diffusive p-type charge carriers in Aharonov-Bohm ring structures, phase-coherent quasi-ballistic transport of topological surface states is maintained over long distances.

Disorder-enabled Andreev reflection of a quantum Hall edge

We develop a theory of charge transport along the quantum Hall edge proximitized by a superconductor. We note that generically Andreev reflection of an edge state is suppressed if translation invariance along the edge is preserved. Disorder in a "dirty" superconductor enables the Andreev reflection but makes it random. As a result, the conductance of a proximitized segment is a stochastic quantity with giant sign-alternating fluctuations and zero average. We find the statistical distribution of the conductance and its dependence on electron density, magnetic field, and temperature. Our theory provides an explanation of a recent experiment with a proximitized edge state.

Signature of quantum interference effect in inter-layer Coulomb drag in graphene-based electronic double-layer systems

The distinguishing feature of a quantum system is interference arising from the wave mechanical nature of particles which is clearly central to macroscopic electronic properties. Here, we report the signature of quantum interference effect in inter-layer transport process. Via systematic magneto-drag experiments on graphene-based electronic double-layer systems, we observe low-field correction to the Coulomb-scattering-dominated inter-layer drag resistance in a wide range of temperature and carrier density, with its characteristics sensitive to the band topology of graphene layers. These observations can be attributed to a new type of quantum interference between drag processes, with the interference pathway comprising different carrier diffusion paths in the two constituent conductors. The emergence of such effect relies on the formation of superimposing planar diffusion paths, among which the impurity potentials from intermediate insulating spacer play an essential role. Our findings establish an ideal platform where the interplay between quantum interference and many-body interaction is essential.

Dual Topology of Dirac Electron Transport and Photogalvanic Effect in Low-Dimensional Topological Insulator Superlattices

Dual topological insulators, simultaneously protected by time-reversal symmetry and crystalline symmetry, open great opportunities to explore different symmetry-protected metallic surface states. However, the conventional dual topological states located on different facets hinder integration into planar opto-electronic/spintronic devices. Here, dual topological superlattices (TSLs) Bi₂ Se₃ -(Bi₂ /Bi₂ Se₃ )_N with limited stacking layer number N are constructed. Angle-resolved photoelectron emission spectra of the TSLs identify the coexistence and adjustment of dual topological surface states on Bi₂ Se₃ facet. The existence and tunability of spin-polarized dual-topological bands with N on Bi₂ Se₃ facet result in an unconventionally weak antilocalization effect (WAL) with variable WAL coefficient α (maximum close to 3/2) from quantum transport experiments. Most importantly, it is identified that the spin-polarized surface electrons from dual topological bands exhibit circularly and linearly polarized photogalvanic effect (CPGE and LPGE). It is anticipated that the stacked dual-topology and stacking layer number controlled bands evolution provide a platform for realizing intrinsic CPGE and LPGE. The results show that the surface electronic structure of the dual TSLs is highly tunable and well-regulated for quantum transport and photoexcitation, which shed light on engineering for opto-electronic/spintronic applications.

Resonant Scattering in Proximity-Coupled Graphene/Superconducting Mo2 C Heterostructures

The realization of high-quality heterostructures or hybrids of graphene and superconductor is crucial for exploring various novel quantum phenomena and devices engineering. Here, the electronic transport on directly grown high-quality graphene/Mo2 C vertical heterostructures with clean and sharp interface is comprehensively investigated. Owing to the strong interface coupling, the graphene layer feels an effective confinement potential well imposed by two-dimensional (2D) Mo2 C crystal. Employing cross junction device geometry, a series of resonance-like magnetoresistance peaks are observed at low temperatures. The temperature and gate voltage dependences of the observed resonance peaks give evidence for geometric resonance of electron cyclotron orbits with the formed potential well. Moreover, it is found that both the amplitude of resonance peaks and conductance fluctuation exhibit different temperature-dependent behaviors below the superconducting transition temperature of 2D Mo2 C, indicating the correlation of quantum fluctuations and superconductivity. This study offers a promising route toward integrating graphene with 2D superconducting materials, and establishes a new way to investigate the interplay of massless Dirac fermion and superconductivity based on graphene/2D superconductor vertical heterostructures.

Deciphering quantum fingerprints in electric conductance

When the electric conductance of a nano-sized metal is measured at low temperatures, it often exhibits complex but reproducible patterns as a function of external magnetic fields called quantum fingerprints in electric conductance. Such complex patterns are due to quantum–mechanical interference of conduction electrons; when thermal disturbance is feeble and coherence of the electrons extends all over the sample, the quantum interference pattern reflects microscopic structures, such as crystalline defects and the shape of the sample, giving rise to complicated interference. Although the interference pattern carries such microscopic information, it looks so random that it has not been analysed. Here we show that machine learning allows us to decipher quantum fingerprints; fingerprint patterns in magneto-conductance are shown to be transcribed into spatial images of electron wave function intensities (WIs) in a sample by using generative machine learning. The output WIs reveal quantum interference states of conduction electrons, as well as sample shapes. The present result augments the human ability to identify quantum states, and it should allow microscopy of quantum nanostructures in materials by making use of quantum fingerprints.

Scattering of electrons from defects and boundaries in mesoscopic samples is encoded in quantum interference patterns of magneto-conductance, but these patterns are difficult to interpret. Here the authors use machine learning to reconstruct electron wavefunction intensities and sample geometry from magneto-conductance data.

Benchmarking Noise and Dephasing in Emerging Electrical Materials for Quantum Technologies

As quantum technologies develop, a specific class of electrically conducting materials is rapidly gaining interest because they not only form the core quantum-enabled elements in superconducting qubits, semiconductor nanostructures, or sensing devices, but also the peripheral circuitry. The phase coherence of the electronic wave function in these emerging materials will be crucial when incorporated in the quantum architecture. The loss of phase memory, or dephasing, occurs when a quantum system interacts with the fluctuations in the local electromagnetic environment, which manifests in "noise" in the electrical conductivity. Hence, characterizing these materials and devices therefrom, for quantum applications, requires evaluation of both dephasing and noise, although there are very few materials where these properties are investigated simultaneously. Here, the available data on magnetotransport and low-frequency fluctuations in electrical conductivity are reviewed to benchmark the dephasing and noise. The focus is on new materials that are of direct interest to quantum technologies. The physical processes causing dephasing and noise in these systems are elaborated, the impact of both intrinsic and extrinsic parameters from materials synthesis and devices realization are evaluated, and it is hoped that a clearer pathway to design and characterize both material and devices for quantum applications is thus provided.

Decoding the conductance of disordered nanostructures: a quantum inverse problem

Obtaining conductance spectra for a concentration of disordered impurities distributed over a nanoscale device with sensing capabilities is a well-defined problem. However, to do this inversely, i.e., extracting information about the scatters from the conductance spectrum alone, is not an easy task. In the presence of impurities, even advanced techniques of inversion can become particularly challenging. This article extends the applicability of a methodology we proposed capable of extracting composition information about a nanoscale sensing device using the conductance spectrum. The inversion tool decodes the conductance spectrum to yield the concentration and nature of the disorders responsible for conductance fluctuations in the spectra. We present the method for simple one-dimensional systems like an electron gas with randomly distributed delta functions and a linear chain of atoms. We prove the generality and robustness of the method using materials with complex electronic structures like hexagonal boron nitride, graphene nanoribbons, and carbon nanotubes. We also go on to probe distribution of disorders on the sublattice structure of the materials using the proposed inversion tool.

Multifractal magnetoconductance fluctuations in mesoscopic systems

We perform a multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of the magnetoconductance data of two standard types of mesoscopic systems: a disordered nanowire and a ballistic chaotic billiard, with two different lattice structures. We observe in all cases that multifractality is generally present and that it becomes stronger in the quantum regime of conduction, i.e., when the number of open scattering channels is small. We argue that this behavior originates from correlations induced by the magnetic field, which can be characterized through the distribution of conductance increments in the corresponding "stochastic time series," with the magnetic field playing the role of a fictitious time. More specifically, we show that the distributions of conductance increments are well fitted by q Gaussians and that the value of the parameter q is a useful quantitative measure of multifractality in magnetoconductance fluctuations.

Extraordinary phase coherence length in epitaxial halide perovskites

Inorganic halide perovskites have emerged as a promising platform in a wide range of applications from solar energy harvesting to computing and light emission. The recent advent of epitaxial thin film growth of halide perovskites has made it possible to investigate low-dimensional quantum electronic devices based on this class of materials. This study leverages advances in vapor-phase epitaxy of halide perovskites to perform low-temperature magnetotransport measurements on single-domain cesium tin iodide (CsSnI₃) epitaxial thin films. The low-field magnetoresistance carries signatures of coherent quantum interference effects and spin-orbit coupling. These weak anti-localization measurements reveal a micron-scale low-temperature phase coherence length for charge carriers in this system. The results indicate that epitaxial halide perovskite heterostructures are a promising platform for investigating long coherent quantum electronic effects and potential applications in spintronics and spin-orbitronics.

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Epitaxial halide perovskites with extraordinary quantum phase coherence

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Quantum transport properties with weak antilocalization observed in tetragonal CsSnI₃

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Demonstration of quasi-2d charge carrier behavior with of spin-orbit coupling

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Epitaxial halide perovskites emerging materials for quantum electronic applications

2D weak anti-localization in thin films of the topological semimetal Pd[Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text]S[Formula: see text]

Pd[Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text]S[Formula: see text] (PBS) is a recently proposed topological semimetal candidate. However, evidence for topological surface states have not yet been revealed in transport measurements due to the large mobility of bulk carriers. We report the growth and magneto-transport studies of PBS thin films where the mobility of the bulk carriers is reduced by two orders of magnitude, revealing for the first time, contributions from the 2-dimensional (2D) topological surface states in the observation of the 2D weak anti-localization (WAL) effect in magnetic field and angle dependent conductivity measurements. The magnetotransport data is analysed within the 2D Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka (HLN) theory. The analysis suggests that multiple conduction channels contribute to the transport. It is also found that the temperature dependence of the dephasing length can't be explained only by electron-electron scattering and that electron-phonon scattering also contributes to the phase relaxation mechanism in PBS films.

Spontaneous Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking at Individual Grain Boundaries in Graphene

Graphene grain boundaries (GBs) have attracted interest for their ability to host nearly dispersionless electronic bands and magnetic instabilities. Here, we employ quantum transport and universal conductance fluctuation measurements to experimentally demonstrate a spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry across individual GBs of chemical vapor deposited graphene. While quantum transport across the GBs indicate spin-scattering-induced dephasing and hence formation of local magnetic moments, below T≲4  K we observe complete lifting of time-reversal symmetry at high carrier densities (n≳5×10^{12}  cm^{-2}) and low temperature (T≲2  K). An unprecedented thirtyfold reduction in the universal conductance fluctuation magnitude with increasing doping density further supports the possibility of an emergent frozen magnetic state at the GBs. Our experimental results suggest that realistic GBs of graphene can be a promising resource for new electronic phases and spin-based applications.

Phase-coherent transport in trigonal gallium nitride nanowires

Gallium nitride nanowires (GaN NWs) with triangular cross-section exhibit universal conductance fluctuations (UCF) originating from the quantum interference of electron wave functions in the NWs. The amplitude of UCF is inversely proportional to the applied bias current. The bias dependence of UCF, combined with temperature dependence of the resistance suggests that phase coherent transport dominates over normal transport in GaN NWs. A unique temperature dependence of phase-coherent length and fluctuation amplitude is associated with inelastic electron-electron scattering in NWs. The phase-coherence length extracted from the UCF is as large as 400 nm at 1.8 K, and gradually decreases as temperature increases up to 60 K.

Remote Mesoscopic Signatures of Induced Magnetic Texture in Graphene

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations are a ubiquitous signature of phase-coherent transport in small conductors, exhibiting universal character independent of system details. In this Letter, however, we demonstrate a pronounced breakdown of this universality, due to the interplay of local and remote phenomena in transport. Our experiments are performed in a graphene-based interaction-detection geometry, in which an artificial magnetic texture is induced in the graphene layer by covering a portion of it with a micromagnet. When probing conduction at some distance from this region, the strong influence of remote factors is manifested through the appearance of giant conductance fluctuations, with amplitude much larger than e^{2}/h. This violation of one of the fundamental tenets of mesoscopic physics dramatically demonstrates how local considerations can be overwhelmed by remote signatures in phase-coherent conductors.

Room-Temperature Colossal Magnetoresistance in Terraced Single-Layer Graphene

Disorder-induced magnetoresistance (MR) effect is quadratic at low perpendicular magnetic fields and linear at high fields. This effect is technologically appealing, especially in 2D materials such as graphene, since it offers potential applications in magnetic sensors with nanoscale spatial resolution. However, it is a great challenge to realize a graphene magnetic sensor based on this effect because of the difficulty in controlling the spatial distribution of disorder and enhancing the MR sensitivity in the single-layer regime. Here, a room-temperature colossal MR of up to 5000% at 9 T is reported in terraced single-layer graphene. By laminating single-layer graphene on a terraced substrate, such as TiO₂ -terminated SrTiO₃ , a universal one order of magnitude enhancement in the MR compared to conventional single-layer graphene devices is demonstrated. Strikingly, a colossal MR of >1000% is also achieved in the terraced graphene even at a high carrier density of ≈10¹² cm^-2 . Systematic studies of the MR of single-layer graphene on various oxide- and non-oxide-based terraced surfaces demonstrate that the terraced structure is the dominant factor driving the MR enhancement. The results open a new route for tailoring the physical property of 2D materials by engineering the strain through a terraced substrate.

Phase-coherent loops in selectively-grown topological insulator nanoribbons

We succeeded in the fabrication of topological insulator (Bi_0.57Sb_0.43)₂Te₃ Hall bars as well as nanoribbons by means of selective-area growth using molecular beam epitaxy. By performing magnetotransport measurements at low temperatures information on the phase-coherence of the electrons is gained by analyzing the weak-antilocalization effect. Furthermore, from measurements on nanoribbons at different magnetic field tilt angles an angular dependence of the phase-coherence length is extracted, which is attributed to transport anisotropy and geometrical factors. For the nanoribbon structures universal conductance fluctuations were observed. By performing a Fourier transform of the fluctuation pattern a series of distinct phase-coherent closed-loop trajectories are identified. The corresponding enclosed areas can be explained in terms of nanoribbon dimensions and phase-coherence length. In addition, from measurements at different magnetic field tilt angles we can deduce that the area enclosed by the loops are predominately oriented parallel to the quintuple layers.

Mechanism of universal conductance fluctuations

Universal conductance fluctuations are usually observed in the form of aperiodic oscillations in the magnetoresistance of thin wires as a function of the magnetic fieldB. If such oscillations are completely random at scales exceedingξB, their Fourier analysis should reveal a white noise spectrum at frequencies belowξB-1. Comparison with the results for 1D systems suggests another scenario: according to it, such oscillations are due to the superposition of incommensurate harmonics and their spectrum should contain discrete frequencies. An accurate Fourier analysis of the classical experiment by Washburn and Webb reveals a purely discrete spectrum in agreement with the latter scenario. However, this spectrum is close in shape to the discrete white noise spectrum whose properties are similar to a continuous one.

Universal scaling of weak localization in graphene due to bias-induced dispersion decoherence

The differential conductance of graphene is shown to exhibit a zero-bias anomaly at low temperatures, arising from a suppression of the quantum corrections due to weak localization and electron interactions. A simple rescaling of these data, free of any adjustable parameters, shows that this anomaly exhibits a universal, temperature- (T) independent form. According to this, the differential conductance is approximately constant at small voltages (V < kBT/e), while at larger voltages it increases logarithmically with the applied bias. For theoretical insight into the origins of this behaviour, which is inconsistent with electron heating, we formulate a model for weak-localization in the presence of nonequilibrium transport. According to this model, the applied voltage causes unavoidable dispersion decoherence, which arises as diffusing electron partial waves, with a spread of energies defined by the value of the applied voltage, gradually decohere with one another as they diffuse through the system. The decoherence yields a universal scaling of the conductance as a function of eV/kBT, with a logarithmic variation for eV/kBT > 1, variations in accordance with the results of experiment. Our theoretical description of nonequilibrium transport in the presence of this source of decoherence exhibits strong similarities with the results of experiment, including the aforementioned rescaling of the conductance and its logarithmic variation as a function of the applied voltage.

Giant Zero Bias Anomaly due to Coherent Scattering from Frozen Phonon Disorder in Quantum Point Contacts

We demonstrate an unusual manifestation of coherent scattering for electron waves in mesoscopic quantum point contacts, in which fast electron dynamics allows the phonon system to serve as a quasistatic source of disorder. The low-temperature conductance of these devices exhibits a giant (≫2e^{2}/h) zero bias anomaly (ZBA), the features of which are reproduced in a nonequilibrium model for coherent scattering from the "frozen" phonon disorder. According to this model, the ZBA is understood to result from the in situ electrical manipulation of the phonon disorder, a mechanism that could open up a pathway to the on-demand control of coherent scattering in the solid state.

Universal conductance fluctuations and phase-coherent transport in a semiconductor Bi2O2Se nanoplate with strong spin-orbit interaction

We report on phase-coherent transport studies of a Bi2O2Se nanoplate and on observation of universal conductance fluctuations and spin-orbit interaction induced reduction in fluctuation amplitude in the nanoplate. Thin-layered Bi2O2Se nanoplates are grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and transport measurements are made on a Hall-bar device fabricated from a CVD-grown nanoplate. The measurements show weak antilocalization at low magnetic fields at low temperatures, as a result of spin-orbit interaction, and a crossover toward weak localization with increasing temperature. Temperature dependences of characteristic transport lengths, such as spin relaxation length, phase coherence length, and mean free path, are extracted from the low-field measurement data. Universal conductance fluctuations are visible in the low-temperature magnetoconductance over a large range of magnetic fields and the phase coherence length extracted from the autocorrelation function is consistent with the result obtained from the weak localization analysis. More importantly, we find a strong reduction in amplitude of the universal conductance fluctuations and show that the results agree with the analysis assuming strong spin-orbit interaction in the Bi2O2Se nanoplate.

Unusual Conductance Fluctuations and Quantum Oscillation in Mesoscopic Topological Insulator PbBi4Te7

We present a detail study of Shubinikov-de-Haas (SdH) oscillations accompanied by conductance fluctuations in a mesoscopic topological insulator PbBi₄Te₇ device. From SdH oscillations, the evidence of Dirac fermions with π Berry phase is found and the experimentally determined two main Fermi wave vectors are correlated to two surface Dirac cones (buried one inside the other) of layered topological insulator PbBi₄Te₇. We have also found evidence of conductance fluctuations, the root mean square amplitude of which is much higher than the usual universal conductance fluctuations observed in nanometer size sample. Calculated autocorrelation functions indicate periodic unique fluctuations may be associated with the topological surface states in the compound.

Phase-coherent transport in selectively grown topological insulator nanodots

Oxidized Si(111) substrates were pre-structured by electron beam lithography and used as a substrate for the selective growth of three-dimensional topological insulators (TI) by molecular beam epitaxy. The patterned holes were filled up by the TI, i.e. Sb₂Te₃ and Bi₂Te₃, to form nanodots. Scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam cross-sectioning was utilized to determine the morphology and depth profile of the nanodots. The magnetotransport measurements revealed universal conductance fluctuations originating from electron interference in phase-coherent loops. We find that these loops are oriented preferentially within the quintuple layers of the TI with only a small perpendicular contribution. Furthermore, we found clear indications of an conductivity anisotropy between different crystal orientations.

Glassy Properties of Anderson Localization: Pinning, Avalanches, and Chaos

I present the results of extensive numerical simulations, which reveal the glassy properties of Anderson localization in dimension two at zero temperature: pinning, avalanches, and chaos. I first show that strong localization confines quantum transport along paths that are pinned by disorder but can change abruptly and suddenly (avalanches) when the energy is varied. I determine the roughness exponent ζ characterizing the transverse fluctuations of these paths and find that its value ζ=2/3 is the same as for the directed polymer problem. Finally, I characterize the chaos property, namely, the fragility of the conductance with respect to small perturbations in the disorder configuration. It is linked to interference effects and universal conductance fluctuations at weak disorder and more spin-glass-like behavior at strong disorder.

Two-Dimensional Quantum Transport in Free-Standing InSb Nanosheets

Low-dimensional narrow band gap III-V compound semiconductors, such as InAs and InSb, have attracted much attention as one of promising platforms for studying Majorana zero modes and non-Abelian statistics relevant for topological quantum computation. So far, most of experimental studies were performed on hybrid devices based on one-dimensional semiconductor nanowires. In order to build complex topological circuits toward scalable quantum computing, exploring high-mobility two-dimensional (2D) III-V compound electron system with strong spin-orbit coupling is highly desirable. Here, we study quantum transport in high-mobility InSb nanosheet grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The observations of Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations and quantum Hall states, together with the angular dependence of magnetotransport measurements, provide the evidence for the 2D nature of electronic states in InSb nanosheet. The presence of strong spin-orbit coupling in the InSb nanosheet is verified by the low-field magnetotransport measurements, characterized by weak antilocalization effect. Finally, we demonstrate the realization of high-quality InSb nanosheet-superconductor junctions with transparent interface. Our results not only advance the study of 2D quantum transport but also open up opportunities for developing hybrid topological devices based on 2D semiconducting nanosheets with strong spin-orbit coupling.

Transmission through surface-corrugated unidirectional waveguides

We study wave transmission G through quasi-one-dimensional waveguides with constant cross section. Constant cross section means that an infinite set of lines of the same length (that do not intersect each other) which are perpendicular to one boundary of the waveguide are also perpendicular to the other boundary. This makes the sign of the tangential velocity for all collision points of an arbitrary particle trajectory to stay constant, so that the classical or ray dynamics in the waveguide is unidirectional. In particular, we report the systematic enhancement of transmission in unidirectional corrugated waveguides when contrasting their transmission properties with those for equivalent constant-width waveguides (for which the classical dynamics is not unidirectional since particles moving in one direction along the waveguide can change its direction of motion). Also, we verify the universality of the distribution of transmissions P(G) in the diffusive ( ⟨G⟩>1) and localized ( ⟨G⟩≪1) regimes of transport. Moreover, we show that in the transition regime, ⟨G⟩∼1, P(G) is well described by the DMPK approach (the Fokker-Planck approach of Dorokhov, Mello, Pereyra, and Kumar) to bulk-disordered wires.

In situ synthesis and electronic transport of the carbon-coated Ag@C/MWCNT nanocomposite

A nanocomposite of Ag@C nanocapsules dispersed in a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) matrix was fabricated in situ by a facile arc-discharge plasma approach, using bulk Ag as the raw target and methane gas as the carbon source. It was found that the Ag@C nanocapsules were ∼10 nm in mean diameter, and the MWCNTs had 17–32 graphite layers in the wall with a thickness of 7–10 nm, while a small quantity of spherical carbon cages (giant fullerenes) were also involved with approximately 20–30 layers of the graphite shell. Typical dielectric behavior was dominant in the electronic transport of Ag@C/MWCNT nanocomposites; however, this was greatly modified by metallic Ag cores with respect to pure MWCNTs. A temperature-dependent resistance and I–V relationship provided evidence of a transition from Mott–David variable range hopping [ln ρ(T) ∼ T^−1/4] to Shklovskii–Efros variable range hopping [ln ρ(T) ∼ T^−1/2] at 5.4 K. A Coulomb gap, Δ_C ≈ 0.05 meV, was obtained for the Ag@C/MWCNT nanocomposite system.

An electric transition from ln ρ(T) ∼ T^−1/4 to ln ρ(T) ∼ T^−1/2 hopping conduction happened at 5.4 K in situ synthesis of Ag@C/MWCNTs nanocomposite.

Distribution of Off-Diagonal Cross Sections in Quantum Chaotic Scattering: Exact Results and Data Comparison

The recently derived distributions for the scattering-matrix elements in quantum chaotic systems are not accessible in the majority of experiments, whereas the cross sections are. We analytically compute distributions for the off-diagonal cross sections in the Heidelberg approach, which is applicable to a wide range of quantum chaotic systems. Thus, eventually, we fully solve a problem that already arose more than half a century ago in compound-nucleus scattering. We compare our results with data from microwave and compound-nucleus experiments, particularly addressing the transition from isolated resonances towards the Ericson regime of strongly overlapping ones.

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of difurylethene-based photochromic single-molecule junctions

Diarylethene-derived molecules alter their electronic structure upon transformation between the open and closed forms of the diarylethene core, when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) or visible light. This transformation results in a significant variation of electrical conductance and vibrational properties of corresponding molecular junctions. We report here a combined experimental and theoretical analysis of charge transport through diarylethene-derived single-molecule devices, which are created using the mechanically controlled break-junction technique. Inelastic electron tunneling (IET) spectroscopy measurements performed at 4.2 K are compared with first-principles calculations in the two distinct forms of diarylethenes connected to gold electrodes. The combined approach clearly demonstrates that the IET spectra of single-molecule junctions show specific vibrational features that can be used to identify different isomeric molecular states by transport experiments.

Manipulating the quantum interference effect and magnetotransport of ZnO nanowires through interfacial doping

We carefully prepared interfacial Al-doped (IAD) and interfacial natively-doped (IND) ZnO nanowires (NWs) by introducing atomic-layer interfacial Δ-doping between the two steps of CVD growth. Variable-temperature electron transport as well as magnetotransport behaviours of these NWs were systematically investigated. By virtue of the unique architecture and the quality-guaranteed growth technique, a series of quantum interference effects were clearly observed in the IAD ZnO NWs, including weak localization, universal conductance fluctuation and Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak oscillations. The phase-coherence length (L_φ) of electrons exceeds 100 nm in the IAD ZnO NWs, much longer than those in the IND ones and most conventionally doped ZnO NWs. This ability to efficiently manipulate a variety of quantum interference effects in ZnO NWs is very desirable for applications in nano-optoelectronics, nano- & quantum-electronics and solid-state quantum computing.

Anisotropic phase coherence in GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires

Low-temperature transport in nanowires is accompanied by phase-coherent effects, which are observed as modulation of the conductance in an external magnetic field. In the GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires investigated here, these are h/e flux periodic oscillations in a magnetic field aligned parallel to the nanowire axis and aperiodic universal conductance fluctuations in a field aligned perpendicularly to the nanowire axis. Both electron interference effects are used to analyse the phase coherence of the system. Temperature-dependent measurements are carried out, in order to derive the phase coherence lengths in the cross-sectional plane as well as along the nanowire sidewalls. It is found that these values show a strong anisotropy, which can be explained by the crystal structure of the GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowire. For nanowires with a radius as low as 45 nm, flux periodic oscillations were observed up to a temperature of 55 K.

Substantially Enhancing Quantum Coherence of Electrons in Graphene via Electron-Plasmon Coupling

The interplays between different quasiparticles in solids lay the foundation for a wide spectrum of intriguing quantum effects, yet how the collective plasmon excitations affect the quantum transport of electrons remains largely unexplored. Here we provide the first demonstration that when the electron-plasmon coupling is introduced, the quantum coherence of electrons in graphene is substantially enhanced with the quantum coherence length almost tripled. We further develop a microscopic model to interpret the striking observations, emphasizing the vital role of the graphene plasmons in suppressing electron-electron dephasing. The novel and transformative concept of plasmon-enhanced quantum coherence sheds new insight into interquasiparticle interactions, and further extends a new dimension to exploit nontrivial quantum phenomena and devices in solid systems.

Nanosecond X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy on Magnetic Skyrmions

We report an x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy method that exploits the recent development of the two-pulse mode at the Linac Coherent Light Source. By using coherent resonant x-ray magnetic scattering, we studied spontaneous fluctuations on nanosecond time scales in thin films of multilayered Fe/Gd that exhibit ordered stripe and Skyrmion lattice phases. The correlation time of the fluctuations was found to differ between the Skyrmion phase and near the stripe-Skyrmion boundary. This technique will enable a significant new area of research on the study of equilibrium fluctuations in condensed matter.

Evidence of robust 2D transport and Efros-Shklovskii variable range hopping in disordered topological insulator (Bi2Se3) nanowires

We report the experimental observation of variable range hopping conduction in focused-ion-beam (FIB) fabricated ultra-narrow nanowires of topological insulator (Bi₂Se₃). The value of the exponent (d + 1)^-1 in the hopping equation was extracted as [Formula: see text]for different widths of nanowires, which is the proof of the presence of Efros-Shklovskii hopping transport mechanism in a strongly disordered system. High localization lengths (0.5 nm, 20 nm) were calculated for the devices. A careful analysis of the temperature dependent fluctuations present in the magnetoresistance curves, using the standard Universal Conductance Fluctuation theory, indicates the presence of 2D topological surface states. Also, the surface state contribution to the conductance was found very close to one conductance quantum. We believe that our experimental findings shed light on the understanding of quantum transport in disordered topological insulator based nanostructures.

Prominent metallic surface conduction and the singular magnetic response of topological Dirac fermion in three-dimensional topological insulator Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3

We report semiconductor to metal-like crossover in the temperature dependence of resistivity (ρ) due to the switching of charge transport from bulk to surface channel in three-dimensional topological insulator Bi_1.5Sb_0.5Te_1.7Se_1.3. Unlike earlier studies, a much sharper drop in ρ(T) is observed below the crossover temperature due to the dominant surface conduction. Remarkably, the resistivity of the conducting surface channel follows a rarely observable T ² dependence at low temperature, as predicted theoretically for a two-dimensional Fermi liquid system. The field dependence of magnetization shows a cusp-like paramagnetic peak in the susceptibility (χ) at zero field over the diamagnetic background. The peak is found to be robust against temperature and χ decays linearly with the field from its zero-field value. This unique behavior of the χ is associated with the spin-momentum locked topological surface state in Bi_1.5Sb_0.5Te_1.7Se_1.3. The reconstruction of the surface state with time is clearly reflected through the reduction of the peak height with the age of the sample.

Distinguishing Lead and Molecule States in Graphene-Based Single-Electron Transistors

Graphene provides a two-dimensional platform for contacting individual molecules, which enables transport spectroscopy of molecular orbital, spin, and vibrational states. Here we report single-electron tunneling through a molecule that has been anchored to two graphene leads. Quantum interference within the graphene leads gives rise to an energy-dependent transmission and fluctuations in the sequential tunnel-rates. The lead states are electrostatically tuned by a global back-gate, resulting in a distinct pattern of varying intensity in the measured conductance maps. This pattern could potentially obscure transport features that are intrinsic to the molecule under investigation. Using ensemble averaged magneto-conductance measurements, lead and molecule states are disentangled, enabling spectroscopic investigation of the single molecule.

One-Dimensional van der Waals Material Tellurium: Raman Spectroscopy under Strain and Magneto-Transport

Experimental demonstrations of one-dimensional (1D) van der Waals material tellurium (Te) have been presented by Raman spectroscopy under strain and magneto-transport. Raman spectroscopy measurements have been performed under strains along different principle axes. Pronounced strain response along the c-axis is observed due to the strong intrachain covalent bonds, while no strain response is obtained along the a-axis due to the weak interchain van der Waals interaction. Magneto-transport results further verify its anisotropic property, which results in dramatically distinct magneto-resistance behaviors in terms of three different magnetic field directions. Specifically, phase coherence length extracted from weak antilocalization effect, L_ϕ ≈ T^-0.5, claims its two-dimensional (2D) transport characteristics when an applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the thin film. In contrast, L_ϕ ≈ T^-0.33 is obtained from universal conductance fluctuations once the magnetic field is along the c-axis of Te, which indicates its nature of 1D transport along the helical atomic chains. Our studies, which are obtained on high quality single crystal Te thin film, appear to serve as strong evidence of its 1D van der Waals structure from experimental perspectives. It is the aim of this paper to address this special concept that differs from the previous well-studied 1D nanowires or 2D van der Waals materials.

Potential Fluctuations at Low Temperatures in Mesoscopic-Scale SmTiO3/SrTiO3/SmTiO3 Quantum Well Structures

Heterointerfaces of SrTiO₃ with other transition metal oxides make up an intriguing family of systems with a bounty of coexisting and competing physical orders. Some examples, such as LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃, support a high carrier density electron gas at the interface whose electronic properties are determined by a combination of lattice distortions, spin-orbit coupling, defects, and various regimes of magnetic and charge ordering. Here, we study electronic transport in mesoscale devices made with heterostructures of SrTiO₃ sandwiched between layers of SmTiO₃, in which the transport properties can be tuned from a regime of Fermi-liquid like resistivity (ρ ∝ T²) to a non-Fermi liquid (ρ ∝ T^5/3) by controlling the SrTiO₃ thickness. In mesoscale devices at low temperatures, we find unexpected voltage fluctuations that grow in magnitude as T is decreased below 20 K, are suppressed with increasing contact electrode size, and are independent of the drive current and contact spacing distance. Magnetoresistance fluctuations are also observed, which are reminiscent of universal conductance fluctuations but not entirely consistent with their conventional properties. Candidate explanations are considered, and a mechanism is suggested based on mesoscopic temporal fluctuations of the Seebeck coefficient. An improved understanding of charge transport in these model systems, especially their quantum coherent properties, may lead to insights into the nature of transport in strongly correlated materials that deviate from Fermi liquid theory.

Weakly-coupled quasi-1D helical modes in disordered 3D topological insulator quantum wires

Disorder remains a key limitation in the search for robust signatures of topological superconductivity in condensed matter. Whereas clean semiconducting quantum wires gave promising results discussed in terms of Majorana bound states, disorder makes the interpretation more complex. Quantum wires of 3D topological insulators offer a serious alternative due to their perfectly-transmitted mode. An important aspect to consider is the mixing of quasi-1D surface modes due to the strong degree of disorder typical for such materials. Here, we reveal that the energy broadening γ of such modes is much smaller than their energy spacing Δ, an unusual result for highly-disordered mesoscopic nanostructures. This is evidenced by non-universal conductance fluctuations in highly-doped and disordered Bi2Se3 and Bi₂Te₃ nanowires. Theory shows that such a unique behavior is specific to spin-helical Dirac fermions with strong quantum confinement, which retain ballistic properties over an unusually large energy scale due to their spin texture. Our result confirms their potential to investigate topological superconductivity without ambiguity despite strong disorder.

Side Gate Tunable Josephson Junctions at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interface

Novel physical phenomena arising at the interface of complex oxide heterostructures offer exciting opportunities for the development of future electronic devices. Using the prototypical LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ interface as a model system, we employ a single-step lithographic process to realize gate-tunable Josephson junctions through a combination of lateral confinement and local side gating. The action of the side gates is found to be comparable to that of a local back gate, constituting a robust and efficient way to control the properties of the interface at the nanoscale. We demonstrate that the side gates enable reliable tuning of both the normal-state resistance and the critical (Josephson) current of the constrictions. The conductance and Josephson current show mesoscopic fluctuations as a function of the applied side gate voltage, and the analysis of their amplitude enables the extraction of the phase coherence and thermal lengths. Finally, we realize a superconducting quantum interference device in which the critical currents of each of the constriction-type Josephson junctions can be controlled independently via the side gates.

Enhanced Mobility of Spin-Helical Dirac Fermions in Disordered 3D Topological Insulators

The transport length l_tr and the mean free path l_e are determined for bulk and surface states in a Bi₂Se₃ nanoribbon by quantum transport and transconductance measurements. We show that the anisotropic scattering of spin-helical Dirac fermions results in a strong enhancement of l_tr (≈ 200 nm) and of the related mobility μ_tr (≈ 4000 cm² V^-1 s^-1), which confirms theoretical predictions.1 Despite strong disorder, the long-range nature of the scattering potential gives a large ratio l_tr/l_e ≈ 8, likely limited by bulk/surface coupling. This suggests that the spin-flip length l_sf ≈ l_tr could reach the micron size in materials with a reduced bulk doping and paves the way for building functionalized spintronic and ballistic electronic devices out of disordered 3D topological insulators.

Conductance fluctuations in high mobility monolayer graphene: Nonergodicity, lack of determinism and chaotic behavior

We have fabricated a high mobility device, composed of a monolayer graphene flake sandwiched between two sheets of hexagonal boron nitride. Conductance fluctuations as functions of a back gate voltage and magnetic field were obtained to check for ergodicity. Non-linear dynamics concepts were used to study the nature of these fluctuations. The distribution of eigenvalues was estimated from the conductance fluctuations with Gaussian kernels and it indicates that the carrier motion is chaotic at low temperatures. We argue that a two-phase dynamical fluid model best describes the transport in this system and can be used to explain the violation of the so-called ergodic hypothesis found in graphene.

Quantum Transport and Nano Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on the Topological Surface States of Single Sb2Te3 Nanowires

We report on low-temperature transport and electronic band structure of p-type Sb2Te3 nanowires, grown by chemical vapor deposition. Magnetoresistance measurements unravel quantum interference phenomena, which depend on the cross-sectional dimensions of the nanowires. The observation of periodic Aharonov-Bohm-type oscillations is attributed to transport in topologically protected surface states in the Sb2Te3 nanowires. The study of universal conductance fluctuations demonstrates coherent transport along the Aharonov-Bohm paths encircling the rectangular cross-section of the nanowires. We use nanoscale angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on single nanowires (nano-ARPES) to provide direct experimental evidence on the nontrivial topological character of those surface states. The compiled study of the bandstructure and the magnetotransport response unambiguosly points out the presence of topologically protected surface states in the nanowires and their substantial contribution to the quantum transport effects, as well as the hole doping and Fermi velocity among other key issues. The results are consistent with the theoretical description of quantum transport in intrinsically doped quasi-one-dimensional topological insulator nanowires.

Large Magnetoresistance in Single-Radical Molecular Junctions

Organic radicals are promising building blocks for molecular spintronics. Little is known about the role of unpaired electrons for electron transport at the single-molecule level. Here, we examine the impact of magnetic fields on electron transport in single oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene) (OPE)-based radical molecular junctions, which are formed with a mechanically controllable break-junction technique at a low temperature of 4.2 K. Surprisingly huge positive magnetoresistances (MRs) of 16 to 287% are visible for a magnetic field of 4 T, and the values are at least 1 order of magnitude larger than those of the analogous pristine OPE (2-4%). Rigorous analysis of the MR and of current-voltage and inelastic electron-tunneling spectroscopy measurements reveal an effective reduction of the electronic coupling between the current-carrying molecular orbital and the electrodes with increasing magnetic field. We suggest that the large MR for the single-radical molecular junctions might be ascribed to a loss of phase coherence of the charge carriers induced by the magnetic field. Although further investigations are required to reveal the mechanism underlying the strong MR, our findings provide a potential approach for tuning charge transport in metal-molecule junctions with organic radicals.

Angle-dependent magnetotransport in GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires

We study the impact of the direction of magnetic flux on the electron motion in GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires. At small tilt angles, when the magnetic field is aligned nearly parallel to the nanowire axis, we observe Aharonov–Bohm type h/e flux periodic magnetoconductance oscillations. These are attributed to transport via angular momentum states, formed by electron waves within the InAs shell. With increasing tilt of the nanowire in the magnetic field, the flux periodic magnetoconductance oscillations disappear. Universal conductance fluctuations are observed for all tilt angles, however with increasing amplitudes for large tilt angles. We record this evolution of the electron propagation from a circling motion around the core to a diffusive transport through scattering loops and give explanations for the observed different transport regimes separated by the magnetic field orientation.

Conductance fluctuations in graphene in the presence of long-range disorder

The fluctuations in the conductance of graphene that arise from a long-range disorder potential induced by random impurities are investigated with an atomic tight-binding lattice. The screened impurities lead to a slow variation of the background potential and this varies the overall potential landscape as the Fermi energy or an applied magnetic field is varied. As a result, the phase interference varies randomly and leads to fluctuations in the conductance. Recently, experiments have shown that an applied magnetic field produces a remarkable reduction in the amplitude of these conductance fluctuations. We find qualitative agreement with these experiments, and it appears that the reduction in magnetic field of the fluctuations arises from a field induced smoothing of the conductance landscape.