Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
07:50
Electron Channeling Contrast Imaging for Rapid III-V Heteroepitaxial Characterization
Published on: July 17, 2015
Inelastic electron backscattering in a generic helical edge channel
Thomas L Schmidt1, Stephan Rachel, Felix von Oppen
1Department of Physics, Yale University, 217 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|May 17, 2012
Summary
We found that a specific quantum system
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum mechanics
- Materials science
Background:
- One-dimensional helical liquids are exotic states of matter.
- Axial spin symmetry is often assumed in these systems.
- Understanding conductance deviations is crucial for quantum devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate low-temperature conductance in a system lacking axial spin symmetry.
- To analyze the impact of inelastic electron scattering on conductance.
- To model the behavior using the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian.
Main Methods:
- Numerical evaluation of low-temperature conductance.
- Analysis of electron scattering mechanisms (inelastic backscattering and forward scattering).
- Modeling using the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian for HgTe/CdTe quantum wells.
Main Results:
- A temperature-dependent deviation from quantized conductance (δG ∝ T4) was observed.
- This deviation arises from combined weak interactions and impurity scattering.
- The conductance deviation is sensitive to the Fermi level position.
Conclusions:
- The absence of axial spin symmetry leads to unique conductance properties.
- The findings provide insights into electron transport in topological materials.
- The model accurately describes experimental parameters in HgTe/CdTe quantum wells.
More Related Videos
11:19Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
Published on: July 4, 2016
08:44Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene
Published on: August 22, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:27Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
01:20Elastic Strain Energy for Shearing Stresses
As discussed in previous lessons, strain energy in a material is the energy stored when it is elastically deformed, a concept crucial in materials science and mechanical engineering. This energy results from the internal work done against the cohesive forces within the material. When a material undergoes shearing stress and corresponding shearing strain, the strain energy density, which is the energy stored per unit volume, is calculated. Within the elastic limit, where the stress is...
01:16Electrostatic Boundary Conditions
Consider an external electric field propagating through a homogeneous medium. When the electric field crosses the surface boundary of the medium, it undergoes a discontinuity. The electric field can be resolved into normal and tangential components. The amount by which the field changes at any boundary is given by the difference between the field components above and below the surface boundary.
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
01:30Plane Electromagnetic Waves I
The existence of combined electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space as electromagnetic (EM) waves is the most significant prediction of Maxwell's equations. As Maxwell's equations hold in free space, the predicted electromagnetic waves do not require a medium for their propagation. An EM wave comprises an electric field, defined as the force per charge on a stationary charge, and a magnetic field, which is the force per charge on a moving charge.
The EM field is assumed to be a...
The EM field is assumed to be a...
01:27π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
An applied magnetic field causes loosely bound π-electrons in organic molecules to circulate, producing a local or induced diamagnetic field over a large spatial volume. As the molecules tumble in solution, the field generated by π-electrons in spherical substituents results in a zero net field. However, the net field generated by π-electrons in non-spherical substituents is not zero. The effect of this induced field depends on the orientation of the molecule with respect to B0, resulting in...