Electron Phase Shift at the Zero-Bias Anomaly of Quantum Point Contacts.

The Kondo effect is the many-body screening of a local spin by a cloud of electrons at very low temperature. It has been proposed as an explanation of the zero-bias anomaly in quantum point contacts where interactions drive a spontaneous charge localization. However, the Kondo origin of this anomaly remains under debate, and additional experimental evidence is necessary. Here we report on the first phase-sensitive measurement of the zero-bias anomaly in quantum point contacts using a scanning gate microscope to create an electronic interferometer. We observe an abrupt shift of the interference fringes by half a period in the bias range of the zero-bias anomaly, a behavior which cannot be reproduced by single-particle models. We instead relate it to the phase shift experienced by electrons scattering off a Kondo system. Our experiment therefore provides new evidence of this many-body effect in quantum point contacts.

Wigner and Kondo physics in quantum point contacts revealed by scanning gate microscopy.

Quantum point contacts exhibit mysterious conductance anomalies in addition to well-known conductance plateaus at multiples of 2e(2)/h. These 0.7 and zero-bias anomalies have been intensively studied, but their microscopic origin in terms of many-body effects is still highly debated. Here we use the charged tip of a scanning gate microscope to tune in situ the electrostatic potential of the point contact. While sweeping the tip distance, we observe repetitive splittings of the zero-bias anomaly, correlated with simultaneous appearances of the 0.7 anomaly. We interpret this behaviour in terms of alternating equilibrium and non-equilibrium Kondo screenings of different spin states localized in the channel. These alternating Kondo effects point towards the presence of a Wigner crystal containing several charges with different parities. Indeed, simulations show that the electron density in the channel is low enough to reach one-dimensional Wigner crystallization over a size controlled by the tip position.

Coherent tunnelling across a quantum point contact in the quantum Hall regime.

The unique properties of quantum hall devices arise from the ideal one-dimensional edge states that form in a two-dimensional electron system at high magnetic field. Tunnelling between edge states across a quantum point contact (QPC) has already revealed rich physics, like fractionally charged excitations, or chiral Luttinger liquid. Thanks to scanning gate microscopy, we show that a single QPC can turn into an interferometer for specific potential landscapes. Spectroscopy, magnetic field and temperature dependences of electron transport reveal a quantitatively consistent interferometric behavior of the studied QPC. To explain this unexpected behavior, we put forward a new model which relies on the presence of a quantum Hall island at the centre of the constriction as well as on different tunnelling paths surrounding the island, thereby creating a new type of interferometer. This work sets the ground for new device concepts based on coherent tunnelling.

Imaging Coulomb islands in a quantum Hall interferometer.

In the quantum Hall regime, near integer filling factors, electrons should only be transmitted through spatially separated edge states. However, in mesoscopic systems, electronic transmission turns out to be more complex, giving rise to a large spectrum of magnetoresistance oscillations. To explain these observations, recent models put forward the theory that, as edge states come close to each other, electrons can hop between counterpropagating edge channels, or tunnel through Coulomb islands. Here, we use scanning gate microscopy to demonstrate the presence of QH Coulomb islands, and reveal the spatial structure of transport inside a QH interferometer. Locations of electron islands are found by modulating the tunnelling between edge states and confined electron orbits. Tuning the magnetic field, we unveil a continuous evolution of active electron islands. This allows to decrypt the complexity of high-magnetic-field magnetoresistance oscillations, and opens the way to further local-scale manipulations of QH localized states.

Dwell-time-limited coherence in open quantum dots.

We present measurements of the electron phase coherence time tau(varphi) on a wide range of open ballistic quantum dots (QDs) made from InGaAs heterostructures. The observed saturation of tau(varphi) below temperatures 0.5 K

Thermopower of interacting GaAs bilayer hole systems in the reentrant insulating phase near nu=1.

We report thermopower measurements of interacting GaAs bilayer hole systems. When the carrier densities in the two layers are equal, these systems exhibit a reentrant insulating phase near the quantum Hall state at total filling factor nu=1. Our data show that, as the temperature is decreased, the thermopower diverges in the insulating phase. This behavior indicates the opening of an energy gap at low temperature, consistent with the formation of a pinned Wigner solid. We extract an energy gap and a Wigner solid melting phase diagram.