Fate of 1D spin-charge separation away from Fermi points

Nonlinear Effects on Charge Fractionalization in Critical Chains

We investigate the generic transport in a one-dimensional strongly correlated fermionic chain beyond linear response. Starting from a Gaussian wave packet with positive momentum on top of the ground state, we find that the numerical time evolution splits the signal into at least three distinct fractional charges moving with different velocities. A fractional left-moving charge is expected from conventional Luttinger liquid theory, but for the prediction of the two separate right-moving packets the nonlinearity of the dispersion must also be taken into account. This out-of-equilibrium protocol therefore allows a direct measurement of nonlinear interaction parameters, which also govern threshold singularities of dynamic response functions. The nonlinear Luttinger liquid theory also predicts the correct dynamics at low energies, where it agrees with the conventional Luttinger liquid. Moreover, at high energies, the wave packet dynamics reveals signatures of composite excitations containing two-particle bound states. Our results uncover a simple strategy to probe the nonlinear regime in time-resolved experiments in quantum wires and ultracold-atom platforms.

Observing separate spin and charge Fermi seas in a strongly correlated one-dimensional conductor

An electron is usually considered to have only one form of kinetic energy, but could it have more, for its spin and charge, by exciting other electrons? In one dimension (1D), the physics of interacting electrons is captured well at low energies by the Tomonaga-Luttinger model, yet little has been observed experimentally beyond this linear regime. Here, we report on measurements of many-body modes in 1D gated wires using tunneling spectroscopy. We observe two parabolic dispersions, indicative of separate Fermi seas at high energies, associated with spin and charge excitations, together with the emergence of two additional 1D "replica" modes that strengthen with decreasing wire length. The interaction strength is varied by changing the amount of 1D intersubband screening by more than 45%. Our findings not only demonstrate the existence of spin-charge separation in the whole energy band outside the low-energy limit of the Tomonaga-Luttinger model but also set a constraint on the validity of the newer nonlinear Tomonaga-Luttinger theory.

Momentum-dependent power law measured in an interacting quantum wire beyond the Luttinger limit

Power laws in physics have until now always been associated with a scale invariance originating from the absence of a length scale. Recently, an emergent invariance even in the presence of a length scale has been predicted by the newly-developed nonlinear-Luttinger-liquid theory for a one-dimensional (1D) quantum fluid at finite energy and momentum, at which the particle’s wavelength provides the length scale. We present experimental evidence for this new type of power law in the spectral function of interacting electrons in a quantum wire using a transport-spectroscopy technique. The observed momentum dependence of the power law in the high-energy region matches the theoretical predictions, supporting not only the 1D theory of interacting particles beyond the linear regime but also the existence of a new type of universality that emerges at finite energy and momentum.

Power laws are usually associated with a scale invariance due to the absence of a length scale. Here, Jin et al. report experimental evidence of a new type of power law in a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum-well heterostructure, suggesting existence of a new type of universality that emerges at finite energy and momentum.

Nonlinear spectra of spinons and holons in short GaAs quantum wires

One-dimensional electronic fluids are peculiar conducting systems, where the fundamental role of interactions leads to exotic, emergent phenomena, such as spin-charge (spinon-holon) separation. The distinct low-energy properties of these 1D metals are successfully described within the theory of linear Luttinger liquids, but the challenging task of describing their high-energy nonlinear properties has long remained elusive. Recently, novel theoretical approaches accounting for nonlinearity have been developed, yet the rich phenomenology that they predict remains barely explored experimentally. Here, we probe the nonlinear spectral characteristics of short GaAs quantum wires by tunnelling spectroscopy, using an advanced device consisting of 6000 wires. We find evidence for the existence of an inverted (spinon) shadow band in the main region of the particle sector, one of the central predictions of the new nonlinear theories. A (holon) band with reduced effective mass is clearly visible in the particle sector at high energies.

Recently, theories have emerged that describe the nonlinear high-energy excitations of one-dimensional electronic fluids. Here, the authors report experimental evidence of their existence and behaviour in tunnelling spectra of short GaAs quantum wires.

Plasmon decay and thermal transport from spin-charge coupling in generic Luttinger liquids

We discuss the violation of spin-charge separation in generic nonlinear Luttinger liquids and investigate its effect on the relaxation and thermal transport of genuine spin-1/2 electron liquids in ballistic quantum wires. We identify basic scattering processes compatible with the symmetry of the problem and conservation laws that lead to the decay of plasmons into the spin modes. We derive a closed set of coupled kinetic equations for the spin-charge excitations and solve the problem of thermal conductance of interacting electrons for an arbitrary relation between the quantum wire length and spin-charge thermalization length.

One-dimensional fermions with neither Luttinger-liquid nor Fermi-liquid behavior

It is well known that, generically, one-dimensional interacting fermions cannot be described in terms of a Fermi liquid. Instead, they present a different phenomenology, that of a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid: the Landau quasiparticles are ill defined, and the fermion occupation number is continuous at the Fermi energy. We demonstrate that suitable fine tuning of the interaction between fermions can stabilize a peculiar state of one-dimensional matter, which is dissimilar to both Tomonaga-Luttinger and Fermi liquids. We propose to call this state a quasi-Fermi liquid. Technically speaking, such a liquid exists only when the fermion interaction is irrelevant (in the renormalization group sense). The quasi-Fermi liquid exhibits the properties of both a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid and a Fermi liquid. Similar to a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid, no finite-momentum quasiparticles are supported by the quasi-Fermi liquid; on the other hand, its fermion occupation number demonstrates a finite discontinuity at the Fermi energy, which is a hallmark feature of a Fermi liquid. A possible realization of the quasi-Fermi liquid with the help of cold atoms in an optical trap is discussed.