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Confinement-deconfinement transition due to spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum Hall bilayers

Author

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  • D. I. Pikulin

    (University of British Columbia
    Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia
    Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden)

  • P. G. Silvestrov

    (Institute for Mathematical Physics, TU Braunschweig)

  • T. Hyart

    (Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden
    Department of Physics and Nanoscience Center)

Abstract

Band-inverted electron-hole bilayers support quantum spin Hall insulator and exciton condensate phases. Interest in quantum spin Hall effect in these systems has recently put them in the spotlight. We investigate such a bilayer in an external magnetic field. We show that the interlayer correlations lead to formation of a helical quantum Hall exciton condensate state. Existence of the counterpropagating edge modes in this system results in formation of a ground state spin-texture not supporting gapless single-particle excitations. The charged edge excitations in a sufficiently narrow Hall bar are confined: a charge on one of the edges always gives rise to an opposite charge on the other edge. Magnetic field and gate voltages allow the control of a confinement-deconfinement transition of charged edge excitations, which can be probed with nonlocal conductance. Confinement-deconfinement transitions are of great interest, not least because of their possible significance in shedding light on the confinement problem of quarks.

Suggested Citation

  • D. I. Pikulin & P. G. Silvestrov & T. Hyart, 2016. "Confinement-deconfinement transition due to spontaneous symmetry breaking in quantum Hall bilayers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10462
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10462
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