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We experimentally determine isotropic and anisotropic g-factor corrections in lateral GaAs single-electron quantum dots. We extract the Zeeman splitting by measuring the tunnel rates into the individual spin states of an empty quantum dot for an in-plane magnetic field with various strengths and directions. We quantify the Zeeman energy and find a linear dependence on the magnetic field strength which allows us to extract the g-factor. The measured g-factor is understood in terms of spin-orbit interaction induced isotropic and anisotropic corrections to the GaAs bulk g-factor. Because this implies a dependence of the spin splitting on the magnetic field direction, these findings are of significance for spin qubits in GaAs quantum dots., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Many-body localization (MBL) has attracted significant attention due to its immunity to thermalization, role in logarithmic entanglement entropy growth, and opportunities to reach exotic quantum orders. However, experimental realization of MBL in solid-state systems has remained challenging. Here we report evidence of a possible phonon MBL phase in disordered GaAs/AlAs superlattices. Through grazing-incidence inelastic X-ray scattering, we observe a strong deviation of the phonon population from equilibrium in samples doped with ErAs nanodots at low temperature, signaling a departure from thermalization. This behavior occurs within finite phonon energy and wavevector windows, suggesting a localization-thermalization crossover. We support our observation by proposing a theoretical model for the effective phonon Hamiltonian in disordered superlattices, and showing that it can be mapped exactly to a disordered 1D Bose-Hubbard model with a known MBL phase. Our work provides momentum-resolved experimental evidence of phonon localization, extending the scope of MBL to disordered solid-state systems.

Low cost, small footprint, highly efficient and mass producible on-chip wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) light sources are key components in future silicon electronic and photonic integrated circuits (EPICs) which can fulfill the rapidly increasing bandwidth and lower energy per bit requirements. We present here, for the first time, a low noise high-channel-count 20 GHz passively mode-locked quantum dot laser grown on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible on-axis (001) silicon substrate. The laser demonstrates a wide mode-locking regime in the O-band. A record low timing jitter value of 82.7 fs (4 - 80 MHz) and a narrow RF 3-dB linewidth of 1.8 kHz are measured. The 3 dB optical bandwidth of the comb is 6.1 nm (containing 58 lines, with 80 lines within the 10 dB bandwidth). The integrated average relative intensity noise values of the whole spectrum and a single wavelength channel are - 152 dB/Hz and - 133 dB/Hz in the frequency range from 10 MHz to 10 GHz, respectively. Utilizing 64 channels, an aggregate total transmission capacity of 4.1 terabits per second is realized by employing a 32 Gbaud Nyquist four-level pulse amplitude modulation format. The demonstrated performance makes the laser a compelling on-chip WDM source for multi-terabit/s optical interconnects in future large-scale silicon EPICs., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures

We show that in-plane-magnetic-field assisted spectroscopy allows extraction of the in-plane orientation and full 3D shape of the quantum mechanical orbitals of a single electron GaAs lateral quantum dot with sub-nm precision. The method is based on measuring orbital energies in a magnetic field with various strengths and orientations in the plane of the 2D electron gas. As a result, we deduce the microscopic quantum dot confinement potential landscape, and quantify the degree by which it differs from a harmonic oscillator potential. The spectroscopy is used to validate shape manipulation with gate voltages, agreeing with expectations from the gate layout. Our measurements demonstrate a versatile tool for quantum dots with one dominant axis of strong confinement., Comment: 4 pages, 3 color figures, including supplementary on arXiv

Understanding and control of the spin relaxation time $T_1$ is among the key challenges for spin based qubits. A larger $T_1$ is generally favored, setting the fundamental upper limit to the qubit coherence and spin readout fidelity. In GaAs quantum dots at low temperatures and high in-plane magnetic fields $B$, the spin relaxation relies on phonon emission and spin-orbit coupling. The characteristic dependence $T_1 \propto B^{-5}$ and pronounced $B$-field anisotropy were already confirmed experimentally. However, it has also been predicted 15 years ago that at low enough fields, the spin-orbit interaction is replaced by the coupling to the nuclear spins, where the relaxation becomes isotropic, and the scaling changes to $T_1 \propto B^{-3}$. We establish these predictions experimentally, by measuring $T_1$ over an unprecedented range of magnetic fields -- made possible by lower temperature -- and report a maximum $T_1 = 57\pm15$ s at the lowest fields, setting a new record for the electron spin lifetime in a nanostructure., Comment: 7 pages, 4 (color) figures

The direct measurement of Berry phases is still a great challenge in condensed matter systems. The bottleneck has been the ability to adiabatically drive an electron coherently across a large portion of the Brillouin zone in a solid where the scattering is strong and complicated. We break through this bottleneck and show that high-order sideband generation (HSG) in semiconductors is intimately affected by Berry phases. Electron-hole recollisions and HSG occur when a near-band gap laser beam excites a semiconductor that is driven by sufficiently strong terahertz (THz)-frequency electric fields. We carried out experimental and theoretical studies of HSG from three GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. The observed HSG spectra contain sidebands up to the 90th order, to our knowledge the highest-order optical nonlinearity observed in solids. The highest-order sidebands are associated with electron-hole pairs driven coherently across roughly 10% of the Brillouin zone around the \Gamma point. The principal experimental claim is a dynamical birefringence: the sidebands, when the order is high enough (> 20), are usually stronger when the exciting near-infrared (NIR) and the THz electric fields are polarized perpendicular than parallel; the sideband intensities depend on the angles between the THz field and the crystal axes in samples with sufficiently weak quenched disorder; and the sidebands exhibit significant ellipticity that increases with increasing sideband order, despite nearly linear excitation and driving fields. We explain dynamical birefringence by generalizing the three-step model for high order harmonic generation. The hole accumulates Berry phases due to variation of its internal state as the quasi-momentum changes under the THz field. Dynamical birefringence arises from quantum interference between time-reversed pairs of electron-hole recollision pathways.

Tailoring spin coupling to electric fields is central to spintronics and spin-based quantum information processing. We present an optimal micromagnet design that produces appropriate stray magnetic fields to mediate fast electrical spin manipulations in nanodevices. We quantify the practical requirements for spatial field inhomogeneity and tolerance for misalignment with spins, and propose a design scheme to improve the spin-rotation frequency (to exceed 50MHz in GaAs nanostructures). We then validate our design by experiments in separate devices. Our results will open a route to rapidly control solid-state electron spins with limited lifetimes and to study coherent spin dynamics in solids.

We investigate electron transport through a finite two dimensional mesoscopic periodic potential, consisting of an array of lateral quantum dots with electron density controlled by a global top gate. We observe a transition from an insulating state at low bias voltages to a conducting state at high bias voltages. The insulating state shows simply activated temperature dependence, with strongly gate voltage dependent activation energy. At low temperatures the transition between the insulating and conducting states becomes very abrupt and shows strong hysteresis. The high-bias behavior suggests underdamped transport through a periodic washboard potential resulting from collective motion., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Control of faceting during epitaxy is critical for nanoscale devices. This work identifies the origins of gaps and different facets during regrowth of InGaAs adjacent to patterned features. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) near SiO2 or SiNx led to gaps, roughness, or polycrystalline growth, but metal modulated epitaxy (MME) produced smooth and gap-free "rising tide" (001) growth filling up to the mask. The resulting self-aligned FETs were dominated by FET channel resistance rather than source-drain access resistance. Higher As fluxes led first to conformal growth, then pronounced {111} facets sloping up away from the mask., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures

Electron-hole recollisions are induced by resonantly injecting excitons with a near-IR laser at frequency $f_{\text{NIR}}$ into quantum wells driven by a ~10 kV/cm field oscillating at $f_{\text{THz}} = 0.57$ THz. At $T=12$ K, up to 18 sidebands are observed at frequencies $f_{\text{sideband}}=f_{\text{NIR}}+2n f_{\text{THz}}$, with $-8 \le 2n \le 28$. Electrons and holes recollide with total kinetic energies up to 57 meV, well above the $E_{\text{LO}} = 36$ meV threshold for longitudinal optical (LO) phonon emission. Sidebands with order up to $2n=22$ persist up to room temperature. A simple model shows that LO phonon scattering suppresses but does not eliminate sidebands associated with kinetic energies above $E_{\text{LO}}$., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Self-assembled, semimetallic ErSb single crystal nanostructures, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, are embedded within a semiconductor GaSb matrix. Formation, evolution and orientation of a variety of nanostructures, including spherical nanoparticles, elongated nanorods, octagonal shaped nanowires oriented along the surface normal and nanowires oriented in the growth plane, are controlled simply by the Er fraction. The plasmonic properties of the semimetal/semiconductor composites are characterized and quantified by three polarization-resolved spectroscopy techniques, spanning more than three orders of magnitude in frequency from 100 GHz up to 300 THz. The effect of the size, shape and orientation of the nanostructures is characterized by polarization-sensitive response and modeled by a Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory.

The growth and atomic/electronic structure of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown ErAs nanoparticles and nanorods embedded within a GaAs matrix are examined for the first time via cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (XSTM) and spectroscopy (XSTS). Cross sections enable the interrogation of the internal structure and are well suited for studying embedded nanostructures. The early stages of embedded ErAs nanostructure growth are examined via these techniques and compared with previous cross sectional TEM work. Tunneling spectroscopy I(V) for both ErAs nanoparticles and nanorods was also performed, demonstrating that both nanostructures are semimetallic., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures

We report on the emergence of spontaneous coherence in a gas of indirect excitons in an electrostatic trap. At low temperatures, the exciton coherence length becomes much larger than the thermal de Broglie wavelength and reaches the size of the exciton cloud in the trap., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We report on a method for the realization of two-dimensional electrostatic lattices for excitons using patterned interdigitated electrodes. Lattice structure is set by the electrode pattern and depth of the lattice potential is controlled by applied voltages. We demonstrate square, hexagonal, and honeycomb lattices created by this method., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Main text and supplementary information

Excitons, bound pairs of electrons and holes, form a model system to explore the quantum physics of cold bosons in solids. Cold exciton gases can be realized in a system of indirect excitons, which can cool down below the temperature of quantum degeneracy due to their long lifetimes. Here, we report on the measurement of spontaneous coherence in a gas of indirect excitons. We found that extended spontaneous coherence of excitons emerges in the region of the macroscopically ordered exciton state and in the region of vortices of linear polarization. The coherence length in these regions is much larger than in a classical gas, indicating a coherent state with a much narrower than classical exciton distribution in momentum space, characteristic of a condensate. We also observed phase singularities in the coherent exciton gas. Extended spontaneous coherence and phase singularities emerge when the exciton gas is cooled below a few Kelvin., Comment: Main Text and Supporting Material

Mesoscopic systems provide us a unique experimental stage to address non-equilibrium quantum statistical physics. By using a simple tunneling model, we describe the electron exchange process via a quantum coherent conductor between two reservoirs, which yields the fluctuation theorem (FT) in mesoscopic transport. We experimentally show that such a treatment is semi-quantitatively validated in the current and noise measurement in an Aharonov-Bohm ring. The experimental proof of the microreversibility assumed in the derivation of FT is presented., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

We propose a novel probe technique capable of performing local low-temperature spectroscopy on a 2D electron system (2DES) in a semiconductor heterostructure. Motivated by predicted spatially-structured electron phases, the probe uses a charged metal tip to induce electrons to tunnel locally, directly below the tip, from a "probe" 2DES to a "subject" 2DES of interest. We test this concept with large-area (non-scanning) tunneling measurements, and predict a high spatial resolution and spectroscopic capability, with minimal influence on the physics in the subject 2DES.

We demonstrate a mechanism for a dual layer, vertical field-effect transistor, in which nearly-depleting one layer will extend its wavefunction to overlap the other layer and increase tunnel current. We characterize this effect in a specially designed GaAs/AlGaAs device, observing a tunnel current increase of two orders of magnitude at cryogenic temperatures, and we suggest extrapolations of the design to other material systems such as graphene.

We experimentally demonstrate the validity of non-equilibrium fluctuation relations by using a quantum coherent conductor. In equilibrium the fluctuation-dissipation relation leads to the correlation between current and current noise at the conductor, namely, Johnson-Nyqusit relation. When the conductor is voltage-biased so that the non-linear regime is entered, the fluctuation theorem has predicted similar non-equilibrium fluctuation relations, which hold true even when the Onsager-Casmir relations are broken in magnetic fields. Our experiments qualitatively validate the predictions as the first evidence of this theorem in the non-equilibrium quantum regime. In the appendix, we give simple deduction of the higher order correlations between the current and the current noise based on the fluctuation theorem., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures with 1-page appendix.

Utilizing three-terminal tunnel emission of ballistic electrons and holes, we have developed a method to self-consistently measure the bandgap of semiconductors and band discontinuities at semiconductor heterojunctions without any prerequisite material parameter. Measurements are performed on lattice-matched GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs and GaAs/(AlxGa1-x)0.51In0.49P single-barrier heterostructures. The bandgaps of AlGaAs and AlGaInP are measured with a resolution of several meV at 4.2 K. For the GaAs/AlGaAs interface, the measured Gamma band offset ratio is 60.4:39.6 (+/-2%). For the GaAs/AlGaInP interface, this ratio varies with the Al mole fraction and is distributed more in the valence band. A non-monotonic Al composition dependence of the conduction band offset at the GaAs/AlGaInP interface is observed in the indirect-gap regime., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.

We describe the electronic control of extraordinary terahertz transmission through subwavelength metal hole arrays fabricated on doped semiconductor substrates. The hybrid metal-semiconductor forms a Schottky diode structure, where the active depletion region modifies the substrate conductivity in real-time by applying an external voltage bias. This enables effective control of the resonance enhanced terahertz transmission. Our proof of principle device achieves an intensity modulation depth of 52% by changing the voltage bias between 0 and 16 volts. Further optimization may result in improvement of device performance and practical applications. This approach can be also translated to the other optical frequency ranges., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Optics Express

A three-terminal spectroscopy that probes both subsurface energy barriers and interband optical transitions in a semiconductor heterostructure is demonstrated. A metal-base transistor with a unipolar p-type semiconductor collector embedding InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) is studied. Using minority/majority carrier injection, ballistic electron emission spectroscopy and its related hot-carrier scattering spectroscopy measures barrier heights of a buried AlxGa1-xAs layer in conduction band and valence band respectively, the band gap of Al0.4Ga0.6As is therefore determined as 2.037 +/- 0.009 eV at 9 K. Under forward collector bias, interband electroluminescence is induced by the injection of minority carriers with sub-bandgap kinetic energies. Three emission peaks from InAs QDs, InAs wetting layer, and GaAs are observed in concert with minority carrier injection., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review B

Images of a single-electron quantum dot were obtained in the Coulomb blockade regime at liquid He temperatures using a cooled scanning probe microscope (SPM). The charged SPM tip shifts the lowest energy level in the dot and creates a ring in the image corresponding to a peak in the Coulomb-blockade conductance. Fits to the lineshape of the ring determine the tip-induced shift of the electron energy state in the dot. SPM manipulation of electrons in quantum dots promises to be useful in understanding, building and manipulating circuits for quantum information processing., Comment: 14 pages including 3 figures

Electron transport studies for AlGaN/GaN two-dimensional electron gases is presented. Novel defects in the III-V nitrides are treated theoretically for two-dimensional transport. Theory of electron scattering by charged dislocation lines is presented for realistic two-dimensional electron gases. The theory lets us draw new conclusions about the nature of charges residing in the dislocation in the III-V nitrides. The theory leads to the recognition of the fact that current state of the art highest mobility values are limited intrinsically and not due to removable defects. Ways of bypassing the intrinsic limits to achieve higher mobilities are proposed.

Unusually large spontaneous and piezoelectric fields in the III-V nitrides have led to the making of an entirely new class of two-dimensional electron gas. Fluctuation from a perfectly periodic binary structure in highly polar semiconductor alloys present the same physical situation as a random distribution of microscopic dipoles. The excess dipole distribution in the barrier layers is evaluated by a method similar to the virtual crystal approximation. It is shown that the mobility of electrons in the two-dimensional electron gas formed in highly polar heterostructures is intrinsically limited by scattering from such dipoles., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

A theory of scattering by charged dislocation lines in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is developed. The theory is directed towards understanding transport in AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT), which have a large number of line dislocations piercing through the 2DEG. The scattering time due to dislocations is derived for a 2DEG in closed form. This work identifies dislocation scattering as a mobility-limiting scattering mechanism in 2DEGs with high dislocation densities. The insensitivity of the 2DEG (as compared to bulk) to dislocation scattering is explained by the theory., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

We report here direct measurements of the destruction of charge quantization in a single electron box, the first over the full range of box-to-lead conductance values from G ~ 0 to the conductance quantum G_q = 2e^2/h, using a sensitive single-electron transistor (SET) electrometer. The sensitivity of the electrometer is measured to be dq ~ 6 x 10^-5 e/sqrt{Hz} and its superiority to conductance measurements of charge fluctuations is clearly demonstrated. As the rate of quantum mechanical tunneling from the box to its lead is increased, the quantization of charge is destroyed, disappearing entirely at G = G_q in agreement with theory., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Applied Physics Letters