Origin of Pinning Disorder in Magnetic-Field-Induced Wigner Solids.

At low Landau level filling factors (ν), Wigner solid phases of two-dimensional electron systems in GaAs are pinned by disorder and exhibit a pinning mode, whose frequency is a measure of the disorder that pins the Wigner solid. Despite numerous studies spanning the past three decades, the origin of the disorder that causes the pinning and determines the pinning mode frequency remains unknown. Here, we present a study of the pinning mode resonance in the low-ν Wigner solid phases of a series of ultralow-disorder GaAs quantum wells which are similar except for their varying well widths d. The pinning mode frequencies f_{p} decrease strongly as d increases, with the widest well exhibiting f_{p} as low as ≃35 MHz. The amount of reduction of f_{p} with increasing d can be explained remarkably well by tails of the wave function impinging into the alloy-disordered Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}As barriers that contain the electrons. However, it is imperative that the model for the confinement and wave function includes the Coulomb repulsion in the growth direction between the electrons as they occupy the quantum well.

Signatures of Correlated Defects in an Ultraclean Wigner Crystal in the Extreme Quantum Limit.

Low-disorder two-dimensional electron systems in the presence of a strong, perpendicular magnetic field terminate at very small Landau level filling factors in a Wigner crystal (WC), where the electrons form an ordered array to minimize the Coulomb repulsion. The nature of this exotic, many-body, quantum phase is yet to be fully understood and experimentally revealed. Here we probe one of WC's most fundamental parameters, namely, the energy gap that determines its low-temperature conductivity, in record mobility, ultrahigh-purity, two-dimensional electrons confined to GaAs quantum wells. The WC domains in these samples contain ≃1000 electrons. The measured gaps are a factor of three larger than previously reported for lower quality samples, and agree remarkably well with values predicted for the lowest-energy, intrinsic, hypercorrelated bubble defects in a WC made of flux-electron composite fermions, rather than bare electrons. The agreement is particularly noteworthy, given that the calculations are done for disorder-free composite fermion WCs, and there are no adjustable parameters. The results reflect the exceptionally high quality of the samples, and suggest that composite fermion WCs are indeed more stable compared to their electron counterparts.

Moving Crystal Phases of a Quantum Wigner Solid in an Ultra-High-Quality 2D Electron System.

In low-disorder, two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs), the fractional quantum Hall states at very small Landau level fillings (ν) terminate in a Wigner solid (WS) phase, where electrons arrange themselves in a periodic array. The WS is typically pinned by the residual disorder sites and manifests an insulating behavior, with nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) and noise characteristics. We report here measurements on an ultralow-disorder, dilute 2DES, confined to a GaAs quantum well. In the ν<1/5 range, superimposed on a highly insulating longitudinal resistance, the 2DES exhibits a developing fractional quantum Hall state at ν=1/7, attesting to its exceptional high quality and dominance of electron-electron interaction in the low filling regime. In the nearby insulating phases, we observe remarkable nonlinear I-V and noise characteristics as a function of increasing current, with current thresholds delineating three distinct phases of the WS: a pinned phase (P1) with very small noise, a second phase (P2) in which dV/dI fluctuates between positive and negative values and is accompanied by very high noise, and a third phase (P3) where dV/dI is nearly constant and small, and noise is about an order of magnitude lower than in P2. In the depinned (P2 and P3) phases, the noise spectrum also reveals well-defined peaks at frequencies that vary linearly with the applied current, suggestive of washboard frequencies. We discuss the data in light of a recent theory that proposes different dynamic phases for a driven WS.

Correlated States of 2D Electrons near the Landau Level Filling ν=1/7.

The ground state of two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) at low Landau level filling factors (ν≲1/6) has long been a topic of interest and controversy in condensed matter. Following the recent breakthrough in the quality of ultrahigh-mobility GaAs 2DESs, we revisit this problem experimentally and investigate the impact of reduced disorder. In a GaAs 2DES sample with density n=6.1×10^{10}/cm^{2} and mobility µ=25×10^{6} cm^{2}/V s, we find a deep minimum in the longitudinal magnetoresistance (R_{xx}) at ν=1/7 when T≃104 mK. There is also a clear sign of a developing minimum in R_{xx} at ν=2/13. While insulating phases are still predominant when ν≲1/6, these minima strongly suggest the existence of fractional quantum Hall states at filling factors that comply with the Jain sequence ν=p/(2mp±1) even in the very low Landau level filling limit. The magnetic-field-dependent activation energies deduced from the relation R_{xx}∝e^{E_{A}/2kT} corroborate this view and imply the presence of pinned Wigner solid states when ν≠p/(2mp±1). Similar results are seen in another sample with a lower density, further generalizing our observations.

Probing the Melting of a Two-Dimensional Quantum Wigner Crystal via its Screening Efficiency.

One of the most fundamental and yet elusive collective phases of an interacting electron system is the quantum Wigner crystal (WC), an ordered array of electrons expected to form when the electrons' Coulomb repulsion energy eclipses their kinetic (Fermi) energy. In low-disorder, two-dimensional (2D) electron systems, the quantum WC is known to be favored at very low temperatures (T) and small Landau level filling factors (ν), near the termination of the fractional quantum Hall states. This WC phase exhibits an insulating behavior, reflecting its pinning by the small but finite disorder potential. An experimental determination of a T vs ν phase diagram for the melting of the WC, however, has proved to be challenging. Here we use capacitance measurements to probe the 2D WC through its effective screening as a function of T and ν. We find that, as expected, the screening efficiency of the pinned WC is very poor at very low T and improves at higher T once the WC melts. Surprisingly, however, rather than monotonically changing with increasing T, the screening efficiency shows a well-defined maximum at a T that is close to the previously reported melting temperature of the WC. Our experimental results suggest a new method to map out a T vs ν phase diagram of the magnetic-field-induced WC precisely.

Resistively loaded coplanar waveguide for microwave measurements of induced carriers.

We describe the use of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) whose slots are filled with a resistive film, a resistively loaded CPW (RLCPW), to measure two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs). The RLCPW applied to the sample hosting the 2DES provides a uniform metallic surface serving as a gate to control the areal charge density of the 2DES. As a demonstration of this technique, we present measurements on a Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and a model that successfully converts microwave transmission coefficients into conductivity of a nearby 2DES capacitively coupled to the RLCPW. We also describe the process of fabricating the highly resistive metal film required for fabrication of the RLCPW.

Colossal magnetoresistance in an ultraclean 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 45 T 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.

Pinning-mode resonance of a Skyrme crystal near Landau-level filling factor ν=1.

Microwave pinning-mode resonances found around integer quantum Hall effects, are a signature of crystallized quasiparticles or holes. Application of in-plane magnetic field to these crystals, increasing the Zeeman energy, has negligible effect on the resonances just below Landau-level filling ν=2, but increases the pinning frequencies near ν=1, particularly for smaller quasiparticle or hole densities. The charge dynamics near ν=1, characteristic of a crystal order, are affected by spin, in a manner consistent with a Skyrme crystal.

Observation of a pinning mode in a Wigner solid with ν=1/3 fractional quantum Hall excitations.

We report the observation of a resonance in the microwave spectra of the real diagonal conductivities of a two-dimensional electron system within a range of ∼ ± 0.015 from filling factor ν = 1/3. The resonance is remarkably similar to resonances previously observed near integer ν, and is interpreted as the collective pinning mode of a disorder-pinned Wigner solid phase of e/3-charged carriers.

Wigner solid pinning modes tuned by fractional quantum Hall states of a nearby layer.

We studied a bilayer system hosting two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) in close proximity but isolated from one another by a thin barrier. One 2DES has low electron density and forms a Wigner solid (WS) at high magnetic fields. The other has much higher density and, in the same field, exhibits fractional quantum Hall states (FQHSs). The WS spectrum has resonances which are understood as pinning modes, oscillations of the WS within the residual disorder. We found the pinning mode frequencies of the WS are strongly affected by the FQHSs in the nearby layer. Analysis of the spectra indicates that the majority layer screens like a dielectric medium even when its Landau filling is ~1/2, at which the layer is essentially a composite fermion (CF) metal. Although the majority layer is only ~ one WS lattice constant away, a WS site only induces an image charge of ~0.1e in the CF metal.

Ultrastructural concomitants of sodium butyrate-enhanced ectopic production of chorionic gonadotropin and its alpha subunit human bronchogenic carcinoma (ChaGo) cells.

Sodium butyrate treatment of cultures of ChaGo (human lung cancer) cells resulted in increased production of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its alpha subunit (hCG-alpha) and induced a variety of morphologic changes. Elongation and flattening of cells were seen by light microscopy. Immunocytochemistry with antisera against hCG and against hCG-alpha showed an increase in cells containing stainable hCG-alpha. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated enhanced adhesion of cells to glass cover slips, with elongation, flattening, and decreased cytoplasmic blebs. Ultrastructural changes were examined by transmission electron microscopy and evaluated quantitatively by an unbiased observer. Significant findings included increases in perinuclear tonofilaments, smooth endoplasmic reticulum vesicles, dense mitochondrial inclusions, and lipid granules, as well as decreases in intercellular desmosomes, free polyribosomes, mitochondrial dense granules, and Golgi complexes. The most notable change, a marked decrease in condensed chromatin clumps, may have reflected a butyrate-induced biochemical modification of chromatin leading to enhanced accessibility of certain genes for transcription.

Human breast carcinoma cells in continuous culture: a review.

A comprehensive listing of putative human breast carcinoma cell lines and the extent to which each has been characterized is presented. Criteria used to certify the human, mammary, and malignant origin of a cell line include: (a) a reliable histopathological diagnosis; (b) interspecies specificity established by human karyotype, isoenzyme profiles, and/or cell surface antigenicity; (c) intraspecies specificity, demonstrated by genetic evidence of a unique, human donor distinct from other cells including HeLa cells; and (d) organ specficity, supported by morphological evidence of epithelial structure and secretory activity, and especially by the expression of differentiated functions; these include presence of receptors for sex steroid hormones, hormone responsiveness, and production of milk proteins, fatty acids, or milk-specific antigens. Of the 47 cell lines for which data are here reported, 22 have been shown to be derived from human non-HeLa donors and to have epithelial morphology as revealed by light or electron microscopy. Differentiated function has been recorded for 19 cell lines. Additional human breast cancer cell lines have been reported, but characterization of some of these has been insufficient to judge the legitimacy of their predigrees. For others mammary origin is questionable. Six purported breast cell lines are in reality HeLa cells, and one is of nonhuman origin.

Search for retrovirus-like particles in human breast cancer cells in culture.

We have recently established four new human breast cancer cell lines that were characterized as being of human mammary origin. We examined these cell lines for particles morphologically resembling retroviruses by electron microscopy, for extracellular and intracellular particles containing high-molecular-weight RNA and RNA-directed DNA polymerase by biochemical assays, and for mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-related sequences in the cell genomes by molecular hybridization. An extensive search for budding particles by thin-section electron microscopy of cells did not provide evidence for retrovirus-like particles. Similarly, 1000- to 2000-fold concentrated samples of medium harvested from 10(8) cells did not contain particles of a density of 1.14 to 1.16 g/ml containing RNA-directed DNA polymerase. Compared with DNA polymerase activity of MMTV, and taking into account the particle weight and protein content of retroviruses, we estimate that, if these cells produce retrovirus-like particles, this production would be less than 1.6 particles/cell every 24 to 72 hr. The hybridization of cell DNA with MMTV complementary DNA also did not show detectable amounts of virus-related sequences in the cell genome. Analysis of the hybridization results suggested that, if the human breast cells contained MMTV-related sequences, they must be present in less than one copy per 100 cells. Thus, we have obtained no convincing evidence for the presence of retrovirus-like particles or subviral components in these cells. It is of course possible that these cells contain virus information but at levels below the sensitivity of our assay procedures.

Establishment and characterization of three new continuous cell lines derived from human breast carcinomas.

Three continuous lines of mammary tumor cells (ZR-75-1, ZR-75-27, and ZR-75-30) have been established from malignant effusions of two women with breast cancer. Differentiated properties expressed by each cell line include: (a) epithelial morphology (by light and electron microscopy) resembling that of the parental tumors; (b) presence of receptors for estrogen and other steroid hormones; and (c) growth responsiveness to estrogen and/or progesterone. All three cell lines possess human karyotypes that differ from one another in modal chromosome number as well as in characteristic marker chromosomes. Two of the cultures (ZR-75-27 and ZR-75-30), although derived from the same patient, have stable differences in their karyotypes.

Microwave spectroscopy of the low-filling-factor bilayer electron solid in a wide quantum well.

At the low Landau filling factor termination of the fractional quantum Hall effect series, two-dimensional electron systems exhibit an insulating phase that is understood as a form of pinned Wigner solid. Here we use microwave spectroscopy to probe the transition to the insulator for a wide quantum well sample that can support single-layer or bilayer states depending on its overall carrier density. We find that the insulator exhibits a resonance which is characteristic of a bilayer solid. The resonance also reveals a pair of transitions within the solid, which are not accessible to dc transport measurements. As density is biased deeper into the bilayer solid regime, the resonance grows in specific intensity, and the transitions within the insulator disappear. These behaviours are suggestive of a picture of the insulating phase as an emulsion of liquid and solid components.

The Human Genome Project. History, goals, and progress to date.

This article presents an overview of the Human Genome Project. The goals of the program are outlined; the genetic, physical, and DNA sequence maps that will be its products are defined; the brief origins of the project are traced; the management structure of the US Human Genome Project, in which the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health participate as partners, is outlined; international dimensions are discussed; the excellent progress to date with respect to each of the eight scientific goals is reported; and the projected impact of the project on biology and medicine is discussed.

Microwave spectroscopic observation of distinct electron solid phases in wide quantum wells.

In high magnetic fields, two-dimensional electron systems can form a number of phases in which interelectron repulsion plays the central role, since the kinetic energy is frozen out by Landau quantization. These phases include the well-known liquids of the fractional quantum Hall effect, as well as solid phases with broken spatial symmetry and crystalline order. Solids can occur at the low Landau-filling termination of the fractional quantum Hall effect series but also within integer quantum Hall effects. Here we present microwave spectroscopy studies of wide quantum wells that clearly reveal two distinct solid phases, hidden within what in d.c. transport would be the zero diagonal conductivity of an integer quantum-Hall-effect state. Explanation of these solids is not possible with the simple picture of a Wigner solid of ordinary (quasi) electrons or holes.

Pinning mode resonances of 2D electron stripe phases: effect of an in-plane magnetic field.

We study the anisotropic pinning-mode resonances in the rf conductivity spectra of the stripe phase of 2D electron systems around a Landau level filling of 9/2, in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field B(ip). The polarization along which the resonance is observed switches as B(ip) is applied, consistent with the reorientation of the stripes. The resonance frequency, a measure of the pinning interaction between the 2D electron systems and disorder, increases with B(ip). The magnitude of this increase indicates that disorder interaction is playing an important role in determining the stripe orientation.

Observation of pinning mode of stripe phases of 2D systems in high Landau levels.

We study the radio-frequency diagonal conductivities of the anisotropic stripe phases of higher Landau levels near half-integer fillings. In the hard direction, in which larger dc resistivity occurs, the spectrum exhibits a striking resonance, while in the orthogonal, easy direction, no resonance is discernible. The resonance is interpreted as a pinning mode of the stripe phase.