Finite size effects on helical edge states in HgTe quantum wells with the spin orbit coupling due to bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries

There is a quantum spin Hall state in the inverted HgTe quantum well, characterized by the topologically protected gapless helical edge states lying within the bulk gap. It has been found that for a strip of finite width, the edge states on the two sides can couple together to produce a gap in the spectrum. The phenomenon is called the finite size effect in quantum spin Hall systems. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the spin-orbit coupling due to bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries on the finite size effect in the HgTe quantum well by means of the numerical diagonalization method. When the bulk-inversion asymmetry is taken into account, it is shown that the energy gap Eg of the edge states due to the finite size effect features an oscillating exponential decay as a function of the strip width of the HgTe quantum well. The origin of this oscillatory pattern on the exponential decay is explained. Furthermore, if the bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries are considered simultaneously, the structure-inversion asymmetry will induce a shift of the energy gap Eg closing point. Finally, based on the roles of the bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries on the finite size effects, a way to realize the quantum spin Hall field effect transistor is proposed.     

Metal-insulator transition in a HgTe quantum well under hydrostatic pressure

The 2D semimetal in a 20 nm (100) HgTe quantum well is characterized by a comparatively low overlap between the conduction and the valence bands induced by lattice mismatch. In the present paper we report the results of transport measurements in this quantum well under hydrostatic pressure of 14.4 kbar. By applying pressure we have further reduced the band overlap, thereby creating favorable conditions for the formation of the excitonic insulator state. As a result, we observed that the metallic-like temperature dependence of the conductivity at lowering temperature sharply changes to the activated behavior, signaling the onset of an excitonic insulator regime.     

Design principles and coupling mechanisms in the 2D quantum well topological insulator HgTe/CdTe

We present atomistic band structure calculations revealing a different mechanism than recently surmised via k · p calculations about the evolution of the topological state (TS) in HgTe/CdTe. We show that 2D interface (not 1D edge) TSs are possible. We find that the transitions from a topological insulator at critical HgTe thickness of n = 23 ML (6.453 [corrected] ?) to a normal insulator at smaller n is due to the crossing between two interface-localized states: one derived from the S-like Γ?(c) and one derived from the P-like Γ?(v) light hole, not because of the crossing of an interface state and an extended quantum well state. These atomistic calculations suggest that a 2D TS can exist in a 2D system, even without truncating its symmetry to 1D, thus explaining the otherwise surprising similarity between the 2D dispersion curves of the TS in HgTe/CdTe with those of the TS in 3D bulk materials such as Bi?Se?.     

Cyclotron resonance in a two-dimensional semimetal based on a HgTe quantum well

Microwave cyclotron resonance of electrons and holes at the metal-to-semimetal transition in HgTe quantum wells with an inversed band structure has been investigated. The resonance has been studied by measuring microwave photoresistance in the frequency range of 35–170 GHz. The effective cyclotron masses of electrons and holes have been determined. A shift of the cyclotron resonance of the two-dimensional electrons at the metal-to-semimetal transition possibly caused by plasma effects in the two-dimensional semimetal has been discovered.     

Terahertz electron transport in a two-dimensional topological insulator in a HgTe quantum well

The terahertz response of a two-dimensional topological insulator in a HgTe quantum well to radiation with wavelengths of 118 and 184 μm is investigated. It is found that the photoconductivity is rather high (up to a few percent of dark conductivity) and is manifested in both the local and nonlocal responses of the system. This fact proves that the observed photoconductivity is caused by changes in the transport via edge current-carrying states. The sign and nonresonant character of the photoconductivity indicate that it is caused by the heating of electrons in the system. The analysis of experimental results makes it possible to suggest that this heating originates from the Drude absorption of terahertz radiation by metallic “droplets” appearing owing to fluctuations in the impurity potential and the gap and located in direct proximity to edge states.     

Inelastic electron backscattering in a generic helical edge channel

We evaluate the low-temperature conductance of a weakly interacting one-dimensional helical liquid without axial spin symmetry. The lack of that symmetry allows for inelastic backscattering of a single electron, accompanied by forward scattering of another. This joint effect of weak interactions and potential scattering off impurities results in a temperature-dependent deviation from the quantized conductance, δG ∝ T4. In addition, δG is sensitive to the position of the Fermi level. We determine numerically the parameters entering our generic model for the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian of a HgTe/CdTe quantum well in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling.     

Capacitance spectroscopy of a system of gapless Dirac fermions in a HgTe quantum well

Information on the density of states of two-dimensional Dirac fermions in a 6.6-nm-thick HgTe quantum well that corresponds to a transition from the direct to inverted spectrum is obtained for the first time by means of capacitance measurements. It is found that the density of states of Dirac electrons is a linear function of the Fermi energy at E _F > 30 meV with the corresponding velocity vDF = 8.2 × 10⁵ m/s. At lower energies, this dependence deviates from the linear law, indicating a strong effect of disorder, which is associated with fluctuations of a built-in charge, on the density of states of the studied system near the Dirac point. At negative energies, a sharp increase in the density of states is observed, which is associated with the tail of the density of states of valleys of heavy holes. The described behavior is in agreement with the proposed model, which includes both the features of the real spectrum of Dirac fermions and the effect of the fluctuation potential.     

Spin splitting in HgTe/CdHgTe (013) quantum well heterostructures

The electron transport and cyclotron resonance in a one-sided selectively doped HgTe/CdHgTe (013) heterostructure with a 15-nm quantum well with an inverted band structure have been investigated. The modulation of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations has been observed, and the spin splitting in zero magnetic field has been found to be about 30 meV. A large Δm _c/m _c ≃ 0.12 splitting of the cyclotron resonance line has been discovered and shown to be due to both the spin splitting and the strong nonparabolicity of the dispersion relation in the conduction band.     

Strong coupling of quantum dots in microcavities

We show that strong coupling (SC) of light and matter as it is realized with quantum dots in microcavities differs substantially from the paradigm of atoms in optical cavities. The type of pumping used in semiconductors yields new criteria to achieve SC, with situations where the pump hinders, or on the contrary, favors it. We analyze one of the seminal experimental observation of SC of a quantum dot in a pillar microcavity [Reithmaier, Nature (London) 432, 197 (2004)10.1038/nature02969] as an illustration of our main statements.     

Strong coupling between localized 5f moments and itinerant quasiparticles in the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe_2

The heavy fermion physics arises from the complex interplay of nearly localized 4f/5f electrons and itinerant bandlike ones, yielding heavy quasiparticles with an effective mass about 100 times(or more) of the bare electrons. Recently,experimental and theoretical investigations point out a localized and delocalized dual nature in actinide compounds, where itinerant quasiparticles account for the unconventional superconductivity in the vicinity of a magnetic instability. Here we report the strong coupling between localized 5f moments and itinerant quasiparticles in the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe_2. The coupling is nearly antiferromagnetic. As embedded in the ferromagnetic matrix of localized 5f moments below T_C≈ 52 K, this coupling leads to short-range dynamic correlations of heavy quasiparticles, characterized by fluctuations of magnetic clusters. Those cluster-like spins of itinerant quasiparticles show a broad hump of magnetization at T_X ≈ 28 K,which is typical for the spin-glass freezing. Thus, our results present the direct observation of itinerant quasiparticles coexisting with localized 5f moments by conventional magnetic measurements, providing a new route into the coexistence between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in heavy fermion systems.     

Imaging the edge channel structure in a quantum Hall device

In a magnetically quantised two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of finite dimension, the Landau levels bend up at the boundaries due to the confining potential. Edge channels are formed where these intersect the Fermi level. We have used laser imaging with a spatial resolution of 5 μm to investigate the edge channel structure in a gallium arsenide Hall bar at temperatures between 1.5 K and 150 mK. The beam from an Ar⁺ laser is focused to a small spot on the top surface of the device and the induced Hall photovoltage is measured as a function of the spot position. The size of the photovoltage depends on the potential profile in the device and, at integer Landau level filling factors, is a maximum at the edges. In our device the edge regions turn out to be very wide compared to the magnetic length.     

Induced transparency by intersubband plasmon coupling in a quantum well

We study coupling of two intersubband plasmons associated with dipole-allowed cascading transitions in a quantum well. We show that the coupling can lead to the disappearance of the lower-energy resonance accompanied by an anticrossing behavior. Such coupling induced anomalies are of collective and resonant nature and provide the first example of Coulomb interaction induced transparency. Our numerical results from a microscopic theory are confirmed by an analytical model.     

铁磁金属量子阱态的共振隧穿

非铁磁金属层中的量子阱态在磁输运过程中的重要性已被广泛认识.铁磁金属层中自旋极化的量子阱态以前并没有详尽的理论研究;实验上也没有清晰地观测到自旋极化量子阱态的隧穿.文章介绍了最近由卢仲毅、张晓光和Pantelides［1］预言的Fe/MgO/FeO/Fe/Cr和其他铁磁量子阱隧道结中的共振隧穿,并解释铁、钴、铬的Δ1能带的对称性在这种共振隧穿中的作用.     

铁磁金属量子阱态的共振隧穿

非铁磁金属层中的量子阱态在磁输运过程中的重要性已被广泛认识．铁磁金属层中自旋极化的量子阱态以前并没有详尽的理论研究；实验上也没有清晰地观测到自旋极化量子阱态的隧穿．文章介绍了最近由卢仲毅、张晓光和Pantelides预言的Fe／MgO／FeO／Fe／Cr和其他铁磁量子阱隧道结中的共振隧穿，并解释铁、钴、铬的△1能带的对称性在这种共振隧穿中的作用．     

Entanglement between a photon and a quantum well

The lack of translational invariance perpendicular to the plane of a single quantum well causes equal probability for spontaneous emission to the left or right. Combining one emission path from the left and one from the right into a common detector leads to interference fringes for fundamentally indistinguishable paths corresponding to geometries where the same in-plane momentum is transferred to the quantum well. For all other paths, no interference is observed because of the entanglement between the photon and extended Bloch states of the many-body system. In multiple-quantum-well structures the interference can be controlled via the spacing between the wells.     

HgTe/CdHgTe double quantum well with a spectrum of bilayer graphene and peculiarities of its magnetotransport

Free expansion of Bose–Einstein condensates of rubidium atoms at finite temperatures has been analyzed experimentally and theoretically. It has been shown that the interaction between condensed and noncondensed atoms is manifested most clearly by a decrease in the density of atoms in the center of the expanding cloud as compared to the theoretical prediction for a pure condensate.