Observation of new plasmons in the fractional quantum Hall effect: interplay of topological and nematic orders(*)

ORAL

Abstract

Collective modes of exotic quantum fluids reveal underlying physical mechanisms responsible for emerging ground states. We observe unexpected collective modes in the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) regime of the second Landau level (LL): intra-Landau-level plasmons measured by resonant inelastic light scattering. The plasmons herald nematic phases in the second LL and uncover the nature of long-range translational invariance in these phases. The fascinating dependence of plasmon features on filling factor provides new insights on interplays between topological quantum Hall order and nematic electronic liquid crystal phases. At LL filling factor v = 7/3, a sharp and strong plasmon peak that links to emerging macroscopic coherence supports the proposed model of a FQH nematic state at this filling factor. A marked intensity minimum in the plasmon spectrum at v = 5/2 strongly suggests that the paired state overwhelms competing nematic phases, unveiling the robustness of the superfluid state.

*(*) Supported by award NSF-DMR-1306976

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Presenters

  • Ursula Wurstbauer

    • Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich, Technische Universität München

Authors

  • Lingjie Du

    • Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University

  • Ursula Wurstbauer

    • Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Nanosystems Initiative Munich, Technische Universität München

  • Saeed Fallahi

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 USA
    • Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
    • Dept. of Physics, Purdue University
    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue

  • Geoffrey Gardner

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
    • Purdue University
    • Birck Nano Technology Center, Purdue University
    • Dept. of Physics, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy and Station Q Purdue, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Station Q Purdue, and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

  • Michael Manfra

    • Purdue University
    • Microsoft
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy and Station Q Purdue, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 USA
    • Microsoft Station Q Purdue
    • Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Materials Engineering and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University
    • Station Q Purdue and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
    • Dept. of Physics, Purdue University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy and Station Q Purdue, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue
    • Purdue University, Station Q Purdue
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Station Q Purdue, and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

  • Loren Pfeiffer

    • Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
    • Princeton University
    • Princeton Univ
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
    • PRISM, Princeton University
    • Physics, Princeton University
    • Electrical Engineering, Princeton

  • Kenneth West

    • Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
    • Princeton University
    • Princeton Univ
    • Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
    • PRISM, Princeton University
    • Physics, University of Pittsburgh
    • Electrical Engineering, Princeton

  • Aron Pinczuk

    • Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics and Department of Physics, Columbia University