Areg Ghazaryan

Fractional quantum Hall effect in Hofstadter butterflies of Dirac fermions

We report on the influence of a periodic potential on the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) states in monolayer graphene. We have shown that for two values of the magnetic flux per unit cell (one-half and one-third flux quantum) an increase of the periodic potential strength results in a closure of the FQHE gap and appearance of gaps due to the periodic potential. In the case of one-half flux quantum this causes a change of the ground state and consequently the change of the momentum of the system in the ground state. While there is also crossing between low-lying energy levels for one-third flux quantum, the ground state does not change with the increase of the periodic potential strength and is always characterized by the same momentum. Finally, it is shown that for one-half flux quantum the emergent gaps are due entirely to the electron-electron interaction, whereas for the one-third flux quantum per unit cell these are due to both non-interacting electrons (Hofstadter butterfly pattern) and the electron-electron interaction.

Tuning of exciton states in a magnetic quantum ring

Abstract The exciton states in a CdTe quantum ring subjected to an external magnetic field containing a single magnetic impurity are investigated. We have used the multiband approximation which includes the heavy hole–light hole coupling effects. The electron–hole spin interactions and the s, p–d interactions between the electron, the hole and the magnetic impurity are also included. The exciton energy levels and optical transitions are evaluated using the exact diagonalization scheme. We show that due to the spin interactions it is possible to change the bright exciton state into the dark state and vice versa with the help of a magnetic field. We propose a new route to experimentally estimate the s, p–d spin interaction constants.

Spin-orbit interaction induced singlet-triplet resonant Raman transitions in quantum dot helium

From our theoretical studies of resonant Raman transitions in two-electron quantum dots (artificial helium atoms) we show that in this system, the singlet-triplet Raman transitions are allowed (in polarized configuration) only in the presence of spin-orbit interactions. With an increase of the applied magnetic field this transition dominates over the singlet-singlet and triplet-triplet transitions. This intriguing effect can therefore be utilized to tune Raman transitions as well as the spin-orbit coupling in few-electron quantum dots.

Linear dynamic polarizability and the absorption spectrum of an exciton in a quantum ring in a magnetic field

The problem of an electron–hole system interacting through a contact potential and moving in a one-dimensional quantum ring threaded by an Aharonov–Bohm flux is considered, with respect to the systems energetics as well as its optical properties. An exact analytical expression for the energy spectrum is derived using a straightforward method based on boundary conditions for wavefunctions and their derivatives along the ring. The optical properties of this exciton system, namely linear dynamic polarizability and the absorption spectrum, are investigated and certain unusual features are demonstrated. It is shown, for example, that for special values of the magnetic flux there are energies in the spectrum that correspond to the dark excitonic states.

Arbitrary mixture of two charged interacting particles in a magnetic Aharonov–Bohm ring: persistent currents and Berry's phases

Aharonov–Bohm physics at the two-particle level is investigated for distinguishable interacting charged particles through the exact solution of a toy model with confined states. The effect of the inaccessible magnetic flux is distributed between the center-of-mass and the internal pair level, and the nontrivial manner in which the two levels mutually affect each other demonstrates the interplay between interactions, the nontrivial topology, the Aharonov–Bohm flux and the characteristics of a charged quantal mixture. Analytical expressions for energy spectra, wavefunctions, (flux-dependent) critical interactions for binding and current densities are derived, and these offer the rare possibility of studying persistent currents from the point of view of an interacting nanoscopic system. Two cyclic adiabatic processes are identified, one coupled to the center-of-mass behavior and the other defined on the two-body interaction potential, with the associated Berrys phases also analytically determined; these are found to be directly linked to the electric and probability (persistent) currents in nontrivial ways that are shown to be universal (independent of the actual form of the interaction). The direct connection of the two-body Berrys phase to the electric current for a neutral system is found to disappear in the case of identical particles—hence revealing the character of a charged mixture as being crucial for exhibiting this universal behavior.

Effect of a magnetic impurity on the optical properties of a spherical ZnSe quantum dot

We consider the electron and hole states in a semiconductor ZnSe spherical quantum dot, in the center of which a magnetic impurity atom of manganese is located. In calculations the quantum dot is approximated by a spherical rectangular well with a finite depth. Within the framework of perturbation theory, the effect of exchange spin interaction of an electron and a hole with a magnetic impurity on the band structure of the system is considered. The optical spectrum of the system for different polarizations of the incident light is studied also.

Long-range Coulomb interaction and Majorana fermions

We have investigated the effects of long-range Coulomb interaction on the topological superconducting phase in a quasi-one dimensional semiconductor wire, proximity coupled to a s-wave using the exact diagonalization approach. We find that in accordance with previous studies the addition of Coulomb interaction results in an enlargement of the region of parameter values where topological superconductivity can be observed. However, we also find that although the interaction decreases the bulk gap for values of the magnetic field close to the phase transition point, for moderate magnetic fields away from the transition point, the interaction actually enhances the bulk gap which can be important for observation of topological superconductivity in this system.

Aspects of anisotropic fractional quantum Hall effect in phosphorene

We have analyzed the effects of the anisotropic energy bands of phosphorene on magnetoroton branches for electrons and holes in the two Landau levels close to the band edges. We have found that the fractional quantum Hall effect gap in the lowest (highest) Landau level in conduction (valance) band is slightly larger than that for conventional semiconductor systems and therefore experimentally observable. We also found that the magnetoroton mode for both electrons and holes consists of two branches with two minima due to the anisotropy. Additionally, we show that due to the anisotropy, there is a second mode with positive dispersion, well separated from the magnetoroton mode for small wave vectors. These novel features of the collective mode can be observed in resonant inelastic light scattering experiments.

Light-induced fractional quantum Hall phases in graphene

We show how to realize two-component fractional quantum Hall phases in monolayer graphene by optically driving the system. A laser is tuned into resonance between two Landau levels, giving rise to an effective tunneling between these two synthetic layers. Remarkably, because of this coupling, the interlayer interaction at nonzero relative angular momentum can become dominant, resembling a hollow-core pseudopotential. In the weak tunneling regime, this interaction favors the formation of singlet states, as we explicitly show by numerical diagonalization, at fillings ν=1/2 and ν=2/3. We discuss possible candidate phases, including the Haldane-Rezayi phase, the interlayer Pfaffian phase, and a Fibonacci phase. This demonstrates that our method may pave the way towards the realization of non-Abelian phases, as well as the control of topological phase transitions, in graphene quantum Hall systems using optical fields and integrated photonic structures.

Positive quantum magnetoresistance in tilted magnetic field

Transport properties of highly mobile 2D electrons are studied in symmetric GaAs quantum wells placed in titled magnetic fields. Quantum positive magnetoresistance (QPMR) is observed in magnetic fields perpendicular to the 2D layer. Application of in-plane magnetic field produces a dramatic decrease of the QPMR. This decrease correlates strongly with the reduction of the amplitude of Shubnikov de Haas resistance oscillations due to modification of the electron spectrum via enhanced Zeeman splitting. Surprisingly no quantization of the spectrum is detected when the Zeeman energy exceeds the half of the cyclotron energy suggesting an abrupt transformation of the electron dynamics. Observed angular evolution of QPMR implies strong mixing between spin subbands. Theoretical estimations indicate that in the presence of spin-orbital interaction the elastic impurity scattering provides significant contribution to the spin mixing in GaAs quantum wells at high filling factors.