arXiv subjects

Leonid Glazman

Publications and source records attributed to Leonid Glazman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Axion electrodynamics and giant magnetic birefringence in Weyl excitonic insulators

We study the electromagnetic (EM) response of the excitonic insulator phase of a time-reversal (TR) invariant Weyl semimetal (WSM). At low temperatures, the system develops two exciton condensates. The condensates are related to each other by TR symmetry and weakly coupled by a Josephson tunneling term. The latter leads to the formation of the Leggett mode [Number-phase fluctuations in two-band superconductors, Prog. Theor. Phys. 36, 901 (1966).] with a small gap. Our main finding is that the Leggett mode couples to the EM fields as a massive dynamical axion. This is a consequence of the chiral anomaly and the chiral magnetic effect in the parent WSM. Because of the small axion mass, its coupling to EM fields results in a giant anisotropic polarizability and birefringence in the presence of a static magnetic field. The photon-axion hybridization produces a polariton resonance near the axion gap.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Measuring Phonon Dispersion and Electron-Phason Coupling in Twisted Bilayer Graphene with a Cryogenic Quantum Twisting Microscope

The coupling between electrons and phonons is one of the fundamental interactions in solids, underpinning a wide range of phenomena such as resistivity, heat conductivity, and superconductivity. However, direct measurements of this coupling for individual phonon modes remains a significant challenge. In this work, we introduce a novel technique for mapping phonon dispersions and electron phonon coupling (EPC) in van der Waals materials. By generalizing the quantum twisting microscope to cryogenic temperatures, we demonstrate its capability to map not only electronic dispersions via elastic momentum-conserving tunnelling, but also phononic dispersions through inelastic momentum-conserving tunnelling. Crucially, the inelastic tunnelling strength provides a direct and quantitative measure of the momentum and mode resolved EPC. We use this technique to measure the phonon spectrum and EPC of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). Surprisingly, we find that unlike standard acoustic phonons, whose coupling to electrons diminishes as their momentum goes to zero, TBG exhibits a low energy mode whose coupling increases with decreasing twist angle. We show that this unusual coupling arises from the modulation of the inter-layer tunnelling by a layer-antisymmetric 'phason' mode of the moiré system. The technique demonstrated here opens the way for probing a large variety of other neutral collective modes that couple to electronic tunnelling, including plasmons, magnons and spinons in quantum materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Reconstruction of surface electron spectrum and cyclotron motion in the CDW phase of Weyl semimetals

Charge density wave (CDW) instability drastically affects the surface electron spectrum of a Weyl semimetal. We show that in the CDW phase, the Fermi arcs reconnect into either closed Fermi loops or Frieze patterns traversing the reconstructed surface mini-Brillouin zone. For the closed reconnection topology, the application of an out-of-plane magnetic field leads to a cyclotron motion of the surface electrons. We determine the cyclotron frequency as a function of the electron energy and the magnitude of the CDW gap $Δ$ for various orientations of the Fermi arcs. For weak coupling, the period of cyclotron motion is dominated by the time of traversal of the arc reconnection regions and is inversely proportional to $Δ$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Robust spectral $π$ pairing in the random-field Floquet quantum Ising model

Motivated by an experiment on a superconducting quantum processor [Mi et al., Science 378, 785 (2022)], we study level pairings in the many-body spectrum of the random-field Floquet quantum Ising model. The pairings derive from Majorana zero and $π$ modes when writing the spin model in Jordan-Wigner fermions. Both splittings have lognormal distributions with random transverse fields. In contrast, random longitudinal fields affect the zero and $π$ splittings in drastically different ways. While zero pairings are rapidly lifted, the $π$ pairings are remarkably robust, or even strengthened, up to vastly larger disorder strengths. We explain our results within a self-consistent Floquet perturbation theory and study implications for boundary spin correlations. The robustness of $π$ pairings against longitudinal disorder may be useful for quantum information processing.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2022

Probing two-electron multiplets in bilayer graphene quantum dots

We report on finite bias spectroscopy measurements of the two-electron spectrum in a gate defined bilayer graphene (BLG) quantum dot for varying magnetic fields. The spin and valley degree of freedom in BLG give rise to multiplets of 6 orbital symmetric and 10 orbital anti-symmetric states. We find that orbital symmetric states are lower in energy and separated by $\approx 0.4 - 0.8$ meV from orbital anti-symmetric states. The symmetric multiplet exhibits an additional energy splitting of its 6 states of $\approx 0.15 - 0.5$ meV due to lattice scale interactions. The experimental observations are supported by theoretical calculations, which allow to determine that inter-valley scattering and 'current-current' interaction constants are of the same magnitude in BLG.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Landau quantization of nearly degenerate bands, and full symmetry classification of avoided Landau-level crossings

Semiclassical quantization rules compactly describe the energy dispersion of Landau levels, and are predictive of quantum oscillations in transport and thermodynamic quantities. Such rules -- as formulated by Onsager, Lifshitz and Roth -- apply when the spin-orbit interaction dominates over the Zeeman interaction (or vice versa), but does not generally apply when the two interactions are comparable in strength. In this work, we present a generalized quantization rule which treats the spin-orbit and Zeeman interactions on equal footing, and therefore has wider applicability to spin-orbit-coupled materials lacking a spatial inversion center, or having magnetic order. More generally, our rule describes the Landau quantization of any number of nearly degenerate energy bands -- in any symmetry class. The resultant Landau-level spectrum is generically non-equidistant but may contain spin (or pseudospin) degeneracies. To tune to such degeneracies in the absence of crystalline point-group symmetries, three real parameters are needed. We have exhaustively identified all symmetry classes of cyclotron orbits for which this number is reduced from three, thus establishing symmetry-enforced 'non-crossing rules' for Landau levels. In particular, only one parameter is needed in the presence of spatial rotation or inversion; this single parameter may be the magnitude or orientation of the field. Signatures of single-parameter tunability include (i) a smooth crossover between period-doubled and -undoubled quantum oscillations in the low-temperature Shubnikov-de Haas effect, as well as (ii) 'magic-angle' magnetoresistance oscillations. We demonstrate the utility of our quantization rule, as well as the tunability of Landau-level degeneracies, for the Rashba-Dresselhaus two-dimensional electron gas -- subject to an arbitrarily oriented magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Phase Slips and Parity Jumps in Quantum Oscillations of Inverted InAs/GaSb Quantum Wells

We present magnetotransport measurements of a strongly hybridized inverted InAs/GaSb double quantum well. We find that the spin-orbit interaction leads to an appreciable spin-splitting of hole-like states, which form distinct Landau levels in a perpendicular magnetic field. The resulting quantum Hall state is governed by a periodic even and odd total filling arising due to the simultaneous occupation of electron-like and hole-like Landau levels of differing degeneracy. Furthermore, oscillatory charge transfer between all involved subbands leads to discrete phase slips in the usual sequential filling of Landau levels, and coincidentally the phase slips are close to $π$. These results shed new insights on the Landau level structure in composite systems and have consequences for interpreting intercepts obtained from index plots, which are routinely employed to investigate the presence of Berry's phase.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Modern semiclassical theory of magnetic transport and breakdown

The Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule lies at the heart of the modern semiclassical theory of a Bloch electron in a magnetic field. This rule is predictive of Landau levels and quantum oscillations for conventional metals, as well as for a host of topological metals which have emerged in the recent intercourse between band theory, crystalline symmetries and topology. The essential ingredients in any quantization rule are connection formulae that match the semiclassical (WKB) wavefunction across regions of strong quantum fluctuations. Here, we propose (a) a multi-component WKB wavefunction that describes transport within degenerate-band subspaces, and (b) the requisite connection formulae for saddlepoints and type-II Dirac points, where tunneling respectively occurs within the same band, and between distinct bands. (a-b) extend previous works by incorporating phase corrections that are subleading in powers of the field; these corrections include the geometric Berry phase, and account for the orbital magnetic moment and the Zeeman coupling. A comprehensive symmetry analysis is performed for such phase corrections occurring in closed orbits, which is applicable to solids in any (magnetic) space group. We have further formulated a graph-theoretic description of semiclassical orbits. This allows us to systematize the construction of quantization rules for a large class of closed orbits (with or without tunneling), as well as to formulate the notion of a topological invariant in semiclassical magnetotransport -- as a quantity that is invariant under continuous deformations of the graph. Landau levels in the presence of tunneling are generically quasirandom, i.e., disordered on the scale of nearest-neighbor level spacings but having longer-ranged correlations; we develop a perturbative theory to determine Landau levels in such quasirandom spectra.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2018

Topo-fermiology

The modern semiclassical theory of a Bloch electron in a magnetic field now encompasses the orbital magnetic moment and the geometric phase. These two notions are encoded in the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition as a phase ($λ$) that is subleading in powers of the field; $λ$ is measurable in the phase offset of the de Haas-van Alphen oscillation, as well as of fixed-bias oscillations of the differential conductance in tunneling spectroscopy. In some solids and for certain field orientations, $λ/π$ are robustly integer-valued owing to the symmetry of the extremal orbit, i.e., they are the topological invariants of magnetotransport. Our comprehensive symmetry analysis identifies solids in any (magnetic) space group for which $λ$ is a topological invariant, as well as identifies the symmetry-enforced degeneracy of Landau levels. The analysis is simplified by our formulation of ten (and only ten) symmetry classes for closed, Fermi-surface orbits. Case studies are discussed for graphene, transition metal dichalchogenides, 3D Weyl and Dirac metals, and crystalline and $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulators. In particular, we point out that a $π$ phase offset in the fundamental oscillation should \emph{not} be viewed as a smoking gun for a 3D Dirac metal.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Fermi-edge exciton-polaritons in doped semiconductor microcavities with finite hole mass

The coupling between a 2D semiconductor quantum well and an optical cavity gives rise to combined light-matter excitations, the exciton-polaritons. These were usually measured when the conduction band is empty, making the single polariton physics a simple single-body problem. The situation is dramatically different in the presence of a finite conduction band population, where the creation or annihilation of a single exciton involves a many-body shakeup of the Fermi sea. Recent experiments in this regime revealed a strong modification of the exciton-polariton spectrum. Previous theoretical studies concerned with nonzero Fermi energy mostly relied on the approximation of an immobile valence band hole with infinite mass, which is appropriate for low-mobility samples only; for high-mobility samples, one needs to consider a mobile hole with large but finite mass. To bridge this gap we present an analytical diagrammatic approach and tackle a model with short-ranged (screened) electron-hole interaction, studying it in two complementary regimes. We find that the finite hole mass has opposite effects on the exciton-polariton spectra in the two regimes: In the first, where the Fermi energy is much smaller than the exciton binding energy, excitonic features are enhanced by the finite mass. In the second regime, where the Fermi energy is much larger than the exciton binding energy, finite mass effects cut off the excitonic features in the polariton spectra, in qualitative agreement with recent experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Modern theory of magnetic breakdown

The modern semiclassical theory of a Bloch electron in a magnetic field encompasses the orbital magnetization and geometric phase. Beyond this semiclassical theory lies the quantum description of field-induced tunneling between semiclassical orbits, known as magnetic breakdown. Here, we synthesize the modern semiclassical notions with quantum tunneling -- into a single Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule that is predictive of magnetic energy levels. This rule is applicable to a host of topological solids with \emph{unremovable} geometric phase, that also \emph{unavoidably} undergo breakdown. A notion of topological invariants is formulated that nonperturbatively encode tunneling, and is measurable in the de-Haas-van-Alphen effect. Case studies are discussed for topological metals near a metal-insulator transition and over-tilted Weyl fermions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Quasiparticle relaxation in superconducting nanostructures

We examine energy relaxation of non-equilibrium quasiparticles in "dirty" superconductors with the electron mean free path much shorter than the superconducting coherence length. Relaxation of low-energy non-equilibrium quasiparticles is dominated by phonon emission. We derive the corresponding collision integral and find the quasiparticle relaxation rate. The latter is sensitive to the breaking of time reversal symmetry (TRS) by a magnetic field (or magnetic impurities). As a concrete application of the developed theory, we address quasiparticle trapping by a vortex and a current-biased constriction. We show that trapping of hot quasiparticles may predominantly occur at distances from the vortex core, or the constriction, significantly exceeding the superconducting coherence length.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Fermi edge singularities in transport through lateral GaAs quantum dots

We measure tunnelling currents through electrostatically defined quantum dots in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure connected to two leads. For certain tunnelling barrier configurations and high sample bias we find a pronounced resonance associated with a Fermi edge singularity. This many-body scattering effect appears when the electrochemical potential of the quantum dot is aligned with the Fermi level of the lead less coupled to the dot. By changing the relative tunnelling barrier strength we are able to tune the interaction of the localised electron with the Fermi sea.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Wigner crystal phases in confined carbon nanotubes

We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the Wigner crystal states in confined semiconducting carbon nanotubes. We show by robust scaling arguments as well as by detailed semi-microscopic calculations that the effective exchange interaction has an SU(4) symmetry, and can reach values even as large as $J\sim 100 {\rm \,K}$ in weakly screened, small diameter nanotubes, close to the Wigner crystal - electron liquid crossover. Modeling the nanotube carefully and analyzing the magnetic structure of the inhomogeneous electron crystal, we recover the experimentally observed 'phase boundaries' of Deshpande and Bockrath [V. V. Deshpande and M. Bockrath, Nature Physics $\mathbf 4$, 314 (2008)]. Spin-orbit coupling only slightly modifies these phase boundaries, but breaks the spin symmetry down to SU(2)$\times$SU(2), and in Wigner molecules it gives rise to interesting excitation spectra, reflecting the underlying SU(4) as well as the residual SU(2)$\times$SU(2) symmetries.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Anomalous conductances in an ultracold quantum wire

We analyze the recently measured anomalous transport properties of an ultracold gas through a ballistic constriction [S. Krinner et al., PNAS 201601812 (2016)]. The quantized conductance observed at weak interactions increases several-fold as the gas is made strongly interacting, which cannot be explained by the Landauer theory of single-channel transport. We show that this phenomenon is due to the multichannel Andreev reflections at the edges of the constriction, where the interaction and confinement result in a superconducting state. Andreev processes convert atoms of otherwise reflecting channels into the condensate propagating through the constriction, leading to a significant excess conductance. Furthermore, we find the spin conductance being suppressed by superconductivity; the agreement with experiment provides an additional support for our model.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Experimental evidence and control of the bulk-mediated intersurface coupling in topological insulator Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons

Nearly a decade after the discovery of topological insulators (TIs), the important task of identifying and characterizing their topological surface states through electrical transport experiments remains incomplete. The interpretation of these experiments is made difficult by the presence of residual bulk carriers and their coupling to surface states, which is not yet well understood. In this work, we present the first evidence for the existence and control of bulk-surface coupling in Bi2Te2Se nanoribbons, which are promising platforms for future TI-based devices. Our magnetoresistance measurements reveal that the number of coherent channels contributing to quantum interference in the nanoribbons changes abruptly when the film thickness exceeds the bulk phase relaxation length. We interpret this observation as an evidence for bulk-mediated coupling between metallic states located on opposite surfaces. This hypothesis is supported by additional magnetoresistance measurements conducted under a set of gate voltages and in a parallel magnetic field, the latter of which alters the intersurface coupling in a controllable way.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Aharonov-Casher Effect for Plasmons in a Ring of Josephson Junctions

Phase slips in a one-dimensional closed array of Josephson junctions hybridize the persistent current states (PCS) and plasmon branches of excitations. The interference between phase slips passing through different junctions of the array makes the hybridization sensitive to the charges of the superconducting islands comprising the array. This in turn results in the Aharonov-Casher effect for plasmons, which in absence of phase slips are insensitive to island charges.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Mesoscopic fluctuations of conductance of a helical edge contaminated by magnetic impurities

Elastic backscattering of electrons moving along the helical edge is prohibited by time-reversal symmetry (TRS). We demonstrate, however, that an ensemble of magnetic impurities may cause TRS-preserving quasi-elastic backscattering, resulting in interference effects in the conductance. The characteristic energy transferred in a backscattering event is suppressed due to the RKKY interaction of localized spins (the suppression is exponential in the total number of magnetic impurities). We predict the statistics of conductance fluctuations to differ from those in the conventional case of a one-dimensional system with quenched disorder.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗