Correlation energy and tunneling density of states in the fractional quantum Hall regime

Visualizing broken symmetry and topological defects in a quantum Hall ferromagnet

The interaction between electrons in graphene under high magnetic fields drives the formation of a rich set of quantum Hall ferromagnetic (QHFM) phases with broken spin or valley symmetry. Visualizing atomic-scale electronic wave functions with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), we resolved microscopic signatures of valley ordering in QHFM phases and spectral features of fractional quantum Hall phases of graphene. At charge neutrality, we observed a field-tuned continuous quantum phase transition from a valley-polarized state to an intervalley coherent state, with a Kekulé distortion of its electronic density. Mapping the valley texture extracted from STS measurements of the Kekulé phase, we could visualize valley skyrmion excitations localized near charged defects. Our techniques can be applied to examine valley-ordered phases and their topological excitations in a wide range of materials.

Precursors to Exciton Condensation in Quantum Hall Bilayers

Tunneling spectroscopy reveals evidence for interlayer electron-hole correlations in quantum Hall bilayer two-dimensional electron systems at layer separations near, but above, the transition to the incompressible exciton condensate at total Landau level filling ν_{T}=1. These correlations are manifested by a nonlinear suppression of the Coulomb pseudogap which inhibits low energy interlayer tunneling in weakly coupled bilayers. The pseudogap suppression is strongest at ν_{T}=1 and grows rapidly as the critical layer separation for exciton condensation is approached from above.

Quantum Hall Spin Diode

Double layer two-dimensional electron systems at high perpendicular magnetic field are used to realize magnetic tunnel junctions in which the electrons at the Fermi level in the two layers have either parallel or antiparallel spin magnetizations. In the antiparallel case the tunnel junction, at low temperatures, behaves as a nearly ideal spin diode. At elevated temperatures the diode character degrades as long-wavelength spin waves are thermally excited. These tunnel junctions provide a demonstration that the spin polarization of the electrons in the N=1 Landau level at filling factors ν=5/2 and 7/2 is essentially complete, and, with the aid of an in-plane magnetic field component, that Landau level mixing at these filling factors is weak in the samples studied.

Theory of high-energy features in the tunneling spectra of quantum-Hall systems

We show that the low-temperature sash features in lowest Landau-level (LLL) tunneling spectra recently discovered by Dial and Ashoori are intimately related to the discrete Haldane-pseudopotential interaction energy scales that govern fractional quantum-Hall physics. Our analysis is based on expressions for the tunneling density of states which become exact at filling factors close to ν=0 and ν=1, where the sash structure is most prominent. We comment on other aspects of LLL correlation physics that can be revealed by accurate temperature-dependent tunneling data.