Direct visualization of electronic transport in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator

A quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator is characterized by quantized Hall and vanishing longitudinal resistances at zero magnetic field that are protected against local perturbations and independent of sample details. This insensitivity makes the microscopic details of the local current distribution inaccessible to global transport measurements. Accordingly, the current distributions that give rise to transport quantization are unknown. Here we use magnetic imaging to directly visualize the transport current in the QAH regime. As we tune through the QAH plateau by electrostatic gating, we clearly identify a regime in which the sample transports current primarily in the bulk rather than along the edges. Furthermore, we image the local response of equilibrium magnetization to electrostatic gating. Combined, these measurements suggest that the current flows through incompressible regions whose spatial structure can change throughout the QAH regime. Identification of the appropriate microscopic picture of electronic transport in QAH insulators and other topologically non-trivial states of matter is a crucial step towards realizing their potential in next-generation quantum devices.

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01622-0

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Work Title Direct visualization of electronic transport in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator
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Open Access
Creators
  1. G. M. Ferguson
  2. Run Xiao
  3. Anthony Raymond Richardella
  4. David Low
  5. Nitin Samarth
  6. Katja C. Nowack
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Nature Materials
Publication Date August 3, 2023
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01622-0
Deposited December 17, 2023

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added 2112.13122-1.pdf
  • Added Creator G. M. Ferguson
  • Added Creator Run Xiao
  • Added Creator Anthony Raymond Richardella
  • Added Creator David Low
  • Added Creator Nitin Samarth
  • Added Creator Katja C. Nowack
  • Published
  • Updated