arXiv subjects

Allan H. MacDonald

Publications and source records attributed to Allan H. MacDonald.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Electronic Cooling via Interlayer Coulomb Coupling in Multilayer Epitaxial Graphene

In van der Waals bonded or rotationally disordered multilayer stacks of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the electronic states remain tightly confined within individual 2D layers. As a result, electron-phonon interactions occur primarily within layers and interlayer electrical conductivities are low. In addition, strong covalent in-plane intralayer bonding combined with weak van der Waals interlayer bonding results in weak phonon-mediated thermal coupling between the layers. We demonstrate here, however, that Coulomb interactions between electrons in different layers of multilayer epitaxial graphene provide an important mechanism for interlayer thermal transport even though all electronic states are strongly confined within individual 2D layers. This effect is manifested in the relaxation dynamics of hot carriers in ultrafast time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy. We develop a theory of interlayer Coulomb coupling containing no free parameters that accounts for the experimentally observed trends in hot-carrier dynamics as temperature and the number of layers is varied.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Orbital and spin order in oxide two-dimensional electron gases

We describe a variational theory of multi-band two-dimensional electron gases that captures the interplay between electrostatic confining potentials, orbital-dependent interlayer electronic hopping and electron-electron interactions, and apply it to the d-band two-dimensional electron gases that form near perovskite oxide surfaces and heterojunctions. These multi-band two-dimensional electron gases are prone to the formation of Coulomb-interaction-driven orbitally-ordered nematic ground-states. We find that as the electron density is lowered and interaction effects strengthen, spontaneous orbital order occurs first, followed by spin order. We compare our results with known properties of single-component two-dimensional electron gas systems and comment on closely related physics in semiconductor quantum wells and van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Fractional Hofstadter States in Graphene on Hexagonal Boron Nitride

In fractionally filled Landau levels there is only a small energy difference between broken translational symmetry electron-crystal states and exotic correlated quantum fluid states. We show that the spatially periodic substrate interaction associated with the long period moiré patterns present in graphene on nearly aligned hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) tilts this close competition in favor of the former, explaining surprising recent experimental findings.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Spin-Superfluidity and Spin-Current Mediated Non-Local Transport

Some strategies for reducing energy consumption in information processing devices involve the use of spin rather than charge to carry information. This idea is especially attractive when the spin current is a collective one carried by the condensate of a magnetically ordered state, rather than a quasiparticle current carried by electrons or magnons. In this Chapter we explain how easy-plane magnets can be viewed as Bose-Einstein condensates of magnons, defined in terms of quanta of the spin-component perpendicular to the easy plane, and how they can carry dissipationless spin-currents that induce non-local interactions between electrically isolated conducting channels. We comment specifically on important differences between superconductivity in normal/superconducting/normal circuits and spin-superfluidity in normal/magnetic/normal circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Enhanced spin Seebeck effect signal due to spin-momentum locked topological surface states

Spin-momentum locking in protected surface states enables efficient electrical detection of magnon decay at a magnetic-insulator/topological-insulator heterojunction. Here we demonstrate this property using the spin Seebeck effect, i.e. measuring the transverse thermoelectric response to a temperature gradient across a thin film of yttrium iron garnet, an insulating ferrimagnet, and forming a heterojunction with (BixSb1-x)2Te3, a topological insulator. The non-equilibrium magnon population established at the interface can decay in part by interactions of magnons with electrons near the Fermi energy of the topological insulator. When this decay channel is made active by tuning (BixSb1-x)2Te3 to a bulk insulator, a large electromotive force emerges in the direction perpendicular to the in-plane magnetization of yttrium iron garnet. The enhanced, tunable spin Seebeck effect which occurs when the Fermi level lies in the bulk gap offers unique advantages over the usual spin Seebeck effect in metals and therefore opens up exciting possibilities in spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Quasiparticle Mass Enhancement and Fermi Surface Shape Modification in Oxide Two-Dimensional Electron Gases

We propose a model intended to qualitatively capture the electron-electron interaction physics of two-dimensional electron gases formed near transition-metal oxide heterojunctions containing $t_{2g}$ electrons with a density much smaller than one electron per metal atom. Two-dimensional electron systems of this type can be described perturbatively using a $GW$ approximation which predicts that Coulomb interactions enhance quasiparticle effective masses more strongly than in simple two-dimensional electron gases, and that they reshape the Fermi surface, reducing its anisotropy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Local spectroscopy of moiré-induced electronic structure in gate-tunable twisted bilayer graphene

Twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) forms a quasicrystal whose structural and electronic properties depend on the angle of rotation between its layers. Here we present a scanning tunneling microscopy study of gate-tunable tBLG devices supported by atomically-smooth and chemically inert hexagonal boron nitride (BN). The high quality of these tBLG devices allows identification of coexisting moiré patterns and moiré super-superlattices produced by graphene-graphene and graphene-BN interlayer interactions. Furthermore, we examine additional tBLG spectroscopic features in the local density of states beyond the first van Hove singularity. Our experimental data is explained by a theory of moiré bands that incorporates ab initio calculations and confirms the strongly non-perturbative character of tBLG interlayer coupling in the small twist-angle regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Direct Measurement of Exciton Valley Coherence in Monolayer WSe$_2$

In crystals, energy band extrema in momentum space can be identified by their valley index. The internal quantum degree of freedom associated with valley pseudospin indices can act as a useful information carrier analogous to electronic charge or spin. Interest in valleytronics has been revived in recent years following the discovery of atomically thin materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. However, the valley coherence time, a key quantity for manipulating the valley pseudospin, has never been measured in any material. In this work, we use a sequence of laser pulses to resonantly generate a coherent superposition of excitons (Coulomb-bound electron-hole pairs) in opposite valleys of monolayer WSe$_2$. The imposed valley coherence persists for approximately one hundred femtoseconds. We propose that the electron-hole exchange interaction provides an important decoherence mechanism in addition to exciton population decay. Our work provides critical insight into the requirements and strategies for optical manipulation of the valley pseudospin for future valleytronics applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

SU(3) and SU(4) singlet quantum Hall states at $ν=2/3$

We report on an exact diagonalization study of fractional quantum Hall states at filling factor $ν=2/3$ in a system with a four-fold degenerate $n$=0 Landau level and SU(4) symmetric Coulomb interactions. Our investigation reveals previously unidentified SU(3) and SU(4) singlet ground states which appear at flux quantum shift 2 when a spherical geometry is employed, and lie outside the established composite-fermion or multicomponent Halperin state patterns. We evaluate the two-particle correlation functions of these states, and discuss quantum phase transitions in graphene between singlet states with different number of components as magnetic field strength is increased.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Quantum transport simulation of exciton condensate transport physics in a double layer graphene system

Spatially indirect electron-hole exciton condensates stabilized by interlayer Fock exchange interactions have been predicted in systems containing a pair of two-dimensional semiconductor or semimetal layers separated by a thin tunnel dielectric. The layer degree of freedom in these systems can be described as a pseudospin. Condensation is then analogous to ferromagnetism, and the interplay between collective and quasiparticle contributions to transport is analogous to phenomena that are heavily studied in spintronics. These phenomena are the basis for pseudospintronic device proposals based on possible low-voltage switching between high (nearly shorted) and low interlayer conductance states and on near perfect Coulomb drag-counterflow current along the layers. In this work, a quantum transport simulator incorporating a non-local Fock exchange interaction is presented, and used to model the essential transport physics in the bilayer graphene system. Finite size effects, Coulomb drag-counterflow current, critical interlayer currents beyond which interlayer DC conductance collapses at sub-thermal voltages, non-local coupling between interlayer critical currents in multiple lead devices, and an Andreev-like reflection process are illustrated.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Interaction Correction to the Magneto-Electric Polarizability of $Z_{2}$ Topological Insulators

When time-reversal symmetry is weakly broken and interactions are neglected, the surface of a $Z_{2}$ topological insulator supports a half-quantized Hall conductivity $σ_{S} = e^{2}/(2h)$. A surface Hall conductivity in an insulator is equivalent to a bulk magneto-electric polarizability, i.e. to a magnetic field dependent charge polarization. By performing an explicit calculation for the case in which the surface is approximated by a two-dimensional massive Dirac model and time-reversal symmetry is broken by weak ferromagnetism in the bulk, we demonstrate that there is a non-universal interaction correction to $σ_{S}$. For thin films interaction corrections to the top and bottom surface Hall conductivities cancel, however, implying that there is no correction to the quantized anomalous Hall effect in magnetically doped topological insulators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Strong interface-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene on WS2

Interfacial interactions allow the electronic properties of graphene to be modified, as recently demonstrated by the appearance of satellite Dirac cones in the band structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates. Ongoing research strives to explore interfacial interactions in a broader class of materials in order to engineer targeted electronic properties. Here we show that at an interface with a tungsten disulfide (WS2) substrate, the strength of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in graphene is very strongly enhanced. The induced SOI leads to a pronounced low-temperature weak anti-localization (WAL) effect, from which we determine the spin-relaxation time. We find that spin-relaxation time in graphene is two-to-three orders of magnitude smaller on WS2 than on SiO2 or hBN, and that it is comparable to the intervalley scattering time. To interpret our findings we have performed first-principle electronic structure calculations, which both confirm that carriers in graphene-on-WS2 experience a strong SOI and allow us to extract a spin-dependent low-energy effective Hamiltonian. Our analysis further shows that the use of WS2 substrates opens a possible new route to access topological states of matter in graphene-based systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

THz conductivity of graphene on boron nitride

The conductivity of graphene on a boron nitride substrate exhibits features in the terahertz (THz) and infrared (IR) frequency regimes that are associated with the periodic moiré pattern formed by the weakly coupled two-dimensional materials. The THz and IR features are strongest when the two honeycomb lattices are orientationally aligned, and in this case are Pauli blocked unless the Fermi level is close to $\pm 150$ meV relative to the graphene sheet Dirac point. Because the transition energies between moiré bands formed above the Dirac point are small, ac conductivity features in n-doped graphene tend to be overwhelmed by the Drude peak. The substrate-induced band splitting is larger at energies below the Dirac point, however, and can however lead to sharp features at THz and IR frequencies in p-doped graphene. In this Letter we focus on the strongest few THz and IR features, explaining how they arise from critical points in the moiré-band joint density-of-states, and commenting on the interval of Fermi energy over which they are active.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Transport and particle-hole asymmetry in graphene on boron nitride

All local electronic properties of graphene on a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrate exhibit spatial moiré patterns related to lattice constant and orientation differences between shared triangular Bravais lattices. We apply a previously derived effective Hamiltonian for the $π$-bands of graphene on h-BN to address the carrier-dependence of transport properties, concentrating on the conductivity features at four electrons and four holes per unit cell. These transport features measure the strength of Bragg scattering of $π$-electrons off the moiré pattern, and exhibit a striking particle-hole asymmetry that we trace to specific features of the effective Hamiltonian that we interpret physically.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Persistent Current States in Bilayer Graphene

We argue that at finite carrier density and large displacement fields, bilayer graphene is prone to $\ell =0$ and $\ell = 1$ Pomeranchuk Fermi surface instabilities. The broken symmetries are driven by non-local exchange interactions which favor momentum space condensation. We find that electron-electron interactions lead first to spontaneous valley polarization, which breaks time-reversal invariance and is associated with spontaneous orbital magnetism, and then under some circumstances to a nematic phase with reduced rotational symmetry. When present, nematic order is signaled by reduced symmetry in the dependence of optical absorption on light polarization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

First-principles theory of electron-spin fluctuation coupling and superconducting instabilities in iron selenide

We present first-principles calculations of the coupling of quasiparticles to spin fluctuations in iron selenide and discuss which types of superconducting instabilities this coupling gives rise to. We find that strong antiferromagnetic stripe-phase spin fluctuations lead to large coupling constants for superconducting gaps with $s_\pm$-symmetry, but these coupling constants are significantly reduced by other spin fluctuations with small wave vectors. An accurate description of this competition and an inclusion of band structure and Stoner parameter renormalization effects lead to a value of the coupling constant for an $s_\pm$-symmetric gap which can produce a superconducting transition temperature consistent with experimental measurements.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

SO(5) symmetry in the quantum Hall effect in graphene

Electrons in graphene have four flavors associated with low-energy spin and valley degrees of freedom. The fractional quantum Hall effect in graphene is dominated by long-range Coulomb interactions which are invariant under rotations in spin-valley space. This SU(4) symmetry is spontaneously broken at most filling factors, and also weakly broken by atomic scale valley-dependent and valley-exchange interactions with coupling constants $g_{z}$ and $g_{\perp}$. In this paper we demonstrate that when $g_{z}=-g_{\perp}$ an exact SO(5) symmetry survives which unifies the Néel spin order parameter of the antiferromagnetic state and the $XY$ valley order parameter of the Kekulé distortion state into a single five-component order parameter. The proximity of the highly insulating quantum Hall state observed in graphene at $ν=0$ to an ideal SO(5) symmetric quantum Hall state remains an open experimental question. We illustrate the physics associated with this SO(5) symmetry by studying the multiplet structure and collective dynamics of filling factor $ν=0$ quantum Hall states based on exact-diagonalization and low-energy effective theory approaches. This allows to illustrate how manifestations of the SO(5) symmetry would survive even when it is weakly broken.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Observation of Majorana Fermions in Ferromagnetic Atomic Chains on a Superconductor

Majorana fermions are predicted to localize at the edge of a topological superconductor, a state of matter that can form when a ferromagnetic system is placed in proximity to a conventional superconductor with strong spin-orbit interaction. With the goal of realizing a one-dimensional topological superconductor, we have fabricated ferromagnetic iron (Fe) atomic chains on the surface of superconducting lead (Pb). Using high-resolution spectroscopic imaging techniques, we show that the onset of superconductivity, which gaps the electronic density of states in the bulk of the Fe chains, is accompanied by the appearance of zero energy end states. This spatially resolved signature provides strong evidence, corroborated by other observations, for the formation of a topological phase and edge-bound Majorana fermions in our atomic chains.

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