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

B. Brun, F. Martins, S. Faniel, B. Hackens, G. Bachelier, A. Cavanna, C. Ulysse, A. Ouerghi, U. Gennser, D. Mailly, S. Huant, V. Bayot, M. Sanquer and H. Sellier ()
Additional contact information
B. Brun: University Grenoble Alpes
F. Martins: IMCN/NAPS, Université catholique de Louvain
S. Faniel: IMCN/NAPS, Université catholique de Louvain
B. Hackens: IMCN/NAPS, Université catholique de Louvain
G. Bachelier: University Grenoble Alpes
A. Cavanna: CNRS, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, UPR20
C. Ulysse: CNRS, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, UPR20
A. Ouerghi: CNRS, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, UPR20
U. Gennser: CNRS, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, UPR20
D. Mailly: CNRS, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, UPR20
S. Huant: University Grenoble Alpes
V. Bayot: University Grenoble Alpes
M. Sanquer: University Grenoble Alpes
H. Sellier: University Grenoble Alpes

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Quantum point contacts exhibit mysterious conductance anomalies in addition to well-known conductance plateaus at multiples of 2e2/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.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5290

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