arXiv subjects

L. Peeters

Publications and source records attributed to L. Peeters.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

Zero-field Edge Magnetoplasmons in a Magnetic Topological Insulator

Incorporating ferromagnetic dopants, such as chromium or vanadium, into thin films of the three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) (Bi,Sb)2Te3 has recently led to the realisation of the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), a unique phase of quantum matter. These materials are of great interest, since they may support electrical currents that flow without resistance via edge channels, even at zero magnetic field. To date, the QAHE has been investigated using low-frequency transport measurements. However, transport requires contacting the sample and results can be difficult to interpret due to the presence of parallel conductive paths, via either the bulk or surface, or because additional non-chiral edge channels may exist. Here, we move beyond transport measurements by probing the microwave response of a magnetised disk of Cr-(Bi,Sb)2Te3. We identify features associated with chiral edge magnetoplasmons (EMPs), a signature that robust edge-channels are indeed intrinsic to this material system. Our results provide a measure of the velocity of edge excitations without contacting the sample, and pave the way for a new, on-chip circuit element of practical importance: the TI, zero-field microwave circulator.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Universal Fermi liquid crossover and quantum criticality in a mesoscopic device

Quantum critical systems derive their finite temperature properties from the influence of a zero temperature quantum phase transition. The paradigm is essential for understanding unconventional high-Tc superconductors and the non-Fermi liquid properties of heavy fermion compounds. However, the microscopic origins of quantum phase transitions in complex materials are often debated. Here we demonstrate experimentally, with support from numerical renormalization group calculations, a universal crossover from quantum critical non-Fermi liquid behavior to distinct Fermi liquid ground states in a highly controllable quantum dot device. Our device realizes the non-Fermi liquid two-channel Kondo state, based on a spin-1/2 impurity exchange-coupled equally to two independent electronic reservoirs. Arbitrarily small detuning of the exchange couplings results in conventional screening of the spin by the more strongly coupled channel for energies below a Fermi liquid scale T*. We extract a quadratic dependence of T* on gate voltage close to criticality and validate an asymptotically exact description of the universal crossover between strongly correlated non-Fermi liquid and Fermi liquid states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗