Manipulation of fractionalized charge in the metastable topologically entangled state of a doped Wigner crystal

Anze Mraz (), Michele Diego, Andrej Kranjec, Jaka Vodeb, Peter Karpov, Yaroslav Gerasimenko, Jan Ravnik, Yevhenii Vaskivskyi, Rok Venturini, Viktor Kabanov, Benjamin Lipovšek, Marko Topič, Igor Vaskivskyi and Dragan Mihailovic
Additional contact information
Anze Mraz: Jozef Stefan Institute
Michele Diego: Jozef Stefan Institute
Andrej Kranjec: Jozef Stefan Institute
Jaka Vodeb: Jozef Stefan Institute
Peter Karpov: Ludwig Maximilian University
Yaroslav Gerasimenko: Jozef Stefan Institute
Jan Ravnik: Jozef Stefan Institute
Yevhenii Vaskivskyi: Jozef Stefan Institute
Rok Venturini: Jozef Stefan Institute
Viktor Kabanov: Jozef Stefan Institute
Benjamin Lipovšek: University of Ljubljana
Marko Topič: University of Ljubljana
Igor Vaskivskyi: Jozef Stefan Institute
Dragan Mihailovic: Jozef Stefan Institute

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Metastability of many-body quantum states is rare and still poorly understood. An exceptional example is the low-temperature metallic state of the layered dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2 in which electronic order is frozen after external excitation. Here we visualize the microscopic dynamics of injected charges in the metastable state using a multiple-tip scanning tunnelling microscope. We observe non-thermal formation of a metastable network of dislocations interconnected by domain walls, that leads to macroscopic robustness of the state to external thermal perturbations, such as small applied currents. With higher currents, we observe annihilation of dislocations following topological rules, accompanied with a change of macroscopic electrical resistance. Modelling carrier injection into a Wigner crystal reveals the origin of formation of fractionalized, topologically entangled networks, which defines the spatial fabric through which single particle excitations propagate. The possibility of manipulating topological entanglement of such networks suggests the way forward in the search for elusive metastable states in quantum many body systems.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43800-3

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