arXiv subjects

B. A. Piot

Publications and source records attributed to B. A. Piot.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

NMR probing of the spin polarization of the nu=5/2 quantum Hall state

Resistively detected nuclear magnetic resonance is used to measure the Knight shift of the As nuclei and determine the electron spin polarization of the fractional quantum Hall states of the second Landau level. We show that the 5/2 state is fully polarized within experimental error, thus confirming a fundamental assumption of the Moore-Read theory. We measure the electron heating under radio frequency excitation, and show that we are able to detect NMR at electron temperatures down to 30 mK.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

The origin of electron-hole asymmetry in graphite

The electron hole asymmetry has been measured in natural graphite using magneto-optical absorption measurements. A splitting is observed for the transitions at both the $K$-point and the $H$-point of the Brillouin zone of graphite where the effect of trigonal warping vanishes. This result is fully consistent with the SWM Hamiltonian providing the free electron kinetic energy terms are taken into account. An identical electron-hole asymmetry should be present in graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Using the de Haas-van Alphen effect to map out the closed three-dimensional Fermi surface of natural graphite

The Fermi surface of graphite has been mapped out using de Haas van Alphen (dHvA) measurements at low temperature with in-situ rotation. For tilt angles $θ>60^{\circ}$ between the magnetic field and the c-axis, the majority electron and hole dHvA periods no longer follow the $\cos(θ)$ behavior demonstrating that graphite has a 3 dimensional closed Fermi surface. The Fermi surface of graphite is accurately described by highly elongated ellipsoids. A comparison with the calculated Fermi surface suggests that the SWM trigonal warping parameter $γ_3$ is significantly larger than previously thought.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Fractional quantum Hall effect in CdTe

The fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect is reported in a high mobility CdTe quantum well at mK temperatures. Fully-developed FQH states are observed at filling factor 4/3 and 5/3 and are found to be both spin-polarized ground state for which the lowest energy excitation is not a spin-flip. This can be accounted for by the relatively high intrinsic Zeeman energy in this single valley 2D electron gas. FQH minima are also observed in the first excited (N=1) Landau level at filling factor 7/3 and 8/3 for intermediate temperatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Enhancement of the spin-gap in fully occupied two-dimensional Landau levels

Polarization-resolved magneto-luminescence, together with simultaneous magneto-transport measurements, have been performed on a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) confined in CdTe quantum well in order to determine the spin-splitting of fully occupied electronic Landau levels, as a function of the magnetic field (arbitrary Landau level filling factors) and temperature. The spin splitting, extracted from the energy separation of the σ+ and σ- transitions, is composed of the ordinary Zeeman term and a many-body contribution which is shown to be driven by the spin-polarization of the 2DEG. It is argued that both these contributions result in a simple, rigid shift of Landau level ladders with opposite spins.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Colossal magnetoresistance in an ultra-clean weakly interacting 2D Fermi liquid

We report the observation of a new phenomenon of colossal magnetoresistance in a 40 nm wide GaAs quantum well in the presence of an external magnetic field applied parallel to the high-mobility 2D electron layer. In a strong magnetic field, the magnetoresistance is observed to increase by a factor of ~300 from 0 to 45T without the system undergoing any metal-insulator transition. We discuss how this colossal magnetoresistance effect cannot be attributed to the spin degree-of-freedom or localization physics, but most likely emanates from strong magneto-orbital coupling between the two-dimensional electron gas and the magnetic field. Our observation is consistent with a field-induced 2D-to-3D transition in the confined electronic system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Interplay among spin, orbital effects and localization in a GaAs two-dimensional electron gas in a strong in-plane magnetic field

The magnetoresistance of a low carrier density, disordered GaAs based two-dimensional (2D) electron gas has been measured in parallel magnetic fields up to 32 T. The feature in the resistance associated with the complete spin polarization of the carriers shifts down by more than 20 T as the electron density is reduced, consistent with recent theories taking into account the enhancement of the electron-electron interactions at low densities. Nevertheless, the magnetic field for complete polarization, Bp, remains 2-3 times smaller than predicted for a disorder free system. We show, in particular by studying the temperature dependance of Bp to probe the effective size of the Fermi sea, that localization plays an important role in determining the spin polarization of a 2D electron gas.

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arXiv2009

Wigner Crystallization in a Quasi-3D Electronic System

When a strong magnetic field is applied perpendicularly (along z) to a sheet confining electrons to two dimensions (x-y), highly correlated states emerge as a result of the interplay between electron-electron interactions, confinement and disorder. These so-called fractional quantum Hall (FQH) liquids form a series of states which ultimately give way to a periodic electron solid that crystallizes at high magnetic fields. This quantum phase of electrons has been identified previously as a disorder-pinned two-dimensional Wigner crystal with broken translational symmetry in the x-y plane. Here, we report our discovery of a new insulating quantum phase of electrons when a very high magnetic field, up to 45T, is applied in a geometry parallel (y-direction) to the two-dimensional electron sheet. Our data point towards this new quantum phase being an electron solid in a "quasi-3D" configuration induced by orbital coupling with the parallel field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Current-induced nuclear-spin activation in a two-dimensional electron gas

Electrically detected nuclear magnetic resonance was studied in detail in a two-dimensional electron gas as a function of current bias and temperature. We show that applying a relatively modest dc-current bias, I_dc ~ 0.5 microAmps, can induce a re-entrant and even enhanced nuclear spin signal compared with the signal obtained under similar thermal equilibrium conditions at zero current bias. Our observations suggest that dynamic nuclear spin polarization by small current flow is possible in a two-dimensional electron gas, allowing for easy manipulation of the nuclear spin by simple switching of a dc current.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Contrasting Behavior of the 5/2 and 7/3 Fractional Quantum Hall Effect in a Tilted Field

Using a tilted field geometry, the effect of an in-plane magnetic field on the even denominator nu = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall state is studied. The energy gap of the nu = 5/2 state is found to collapse linearly with the in-plane magnetic field above ~0.5 T. In contrast, a strong enhancement of the gap is observed for the nu = 7/3 state. The radically distinct tilted-field behaviour between the two states is discussed in terms of Zeeman and magneto-orbital coupling within the context of the proposed Moore-Read pfaffian wavefunction for the 5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect.

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arXiv2008

Intrinsic Gap of the nu=5/2 Fractional Quantum Hall State

The fractional quantum Hall effect is observed at low field, in a regime where the cyclotron energy is smaller than the Coulomb interaction. The nu=5/2 excitation gap is measured to be 262+/-15 mK at ~2.6 T, in good agreement with previous measurements performed on samples with similar mobility, but with electronic density larger by a factor of two. The role of disorder on the nu=5/2 gap is examined. Comparison between experiment and theory indicates that a large discrepancy remains for the intrinsic gap extrapolated from the infinite mobility (zero disorder) limit. In contrast, no such large discrepancy is found for the nu=1/3 Laughlin state. The observation of the nu=5/2 state in the low-field regime implies that inclusion of non-perturbative Landau level mixing may be necessary to better understand the energetics of half-filled fractional quantum hall liquids.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Resistively Detected NMR in Quantum Hall States: Investigation of the anomalous lineshape near $ν=1$

A study of the resistively detected nuclear magnetic resonance (RDNMR) lineshape in the vicinity of $ν=1$ was performed on a high-mobility 2D electron gas formed in GaAs/AlGaAs. In higher Landau levels, application of an RF field at the nuclear magnetic resonance frequency coincides with an observed minimum in the longitudinal resistance, as predicted by the simple hyperfine interaction picture. Near $ν=1$ however, an anomalous dispersive lineshape is observed where a resistance peak follows the usual minimum. In an effort to understand the origin of this anomalous peak we have studied the resonance under various RF and sample conditions. Interestingly, we show that the lineshape can be completely inverted by simply applying a DC current. We interpret this as evidence that the minima and maxima in the lineshape originate from two distinct mechanisms.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2007

Influence of the single-particle Zeeman energy on the quantum Hall ferromagnet at high filling factors

In a recent paper [B. A. Piot et al., Phys. Rev. B 72, 245325 (2005)], we have shown that the lifting of the electron spin degeneracy in the integer quantum Hall effect at high filling factors should be interpreted as a magnetic-field-induced Stoner transition. In this work, we extend the analysis to investigate the influence of the single-particle Zeeman energy on the quantum Hall ferromagnet at high filling factors. The single-particle Zeeman energy is tuned through the application of an additional in-plane magnetic field. Both the evolution of the spin polarization of the system and the critical magnetic field for spin splitting are well described as a function of the tilt angle of the sample in the magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

The quantum Hall ferromagnet at high filling factors: A magnetic field induced Stoner transition

Spin splitting in the integer quantum Hall effect is investigated for a series of Al$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As/GaAs heterojunctions and quantum wells. Magnetoresistance measurements are performed at mK temperature to characterize the electronic density of states and estimate the strength of many body interactions. A simple model with no free parameters correctly predicts the magnetic field required to observe spin splitting confirming that the appearance of spin splitting is a result of a competition between the disorder induced energy cost of flipping spins and the exchange energy gain associated with the polarized state. In this model, the single particle Zeeman energy plays no role, so that the appearance of this quantum Hall ferromagnet in the highest occupied Landau level can also be thought of as a magnetic field induced Stoner transition.

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