Moving Wigner Glasses and Smectics: Dynamics of Disordered Wigner Crystals

Reichhardt, C.; Olson, C. J.; Grønbech‐Jensen, Niels; Nori, Franco

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.86.4354

Cited by 105 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In addition, numerical work has confirmed the presence of a field-driven plastic to ordered or elastic transition [8]. Dynamical reordering has also been studied in sliding charge density waves [9] and driven Wigner crystals [10].A natural question is whether these dynamical phases and reordering transitions can occur in other systems which do not form triangular lattices in the absence of quenched disorder. For example, many systems form "stripe" or "labyrinth" states [13], including diblockcopolymers, magnetic domain walls [14], flux in type-I superconductors, water-oil mixtures [15], and charge ordered or electron liquid crystal states in 2D electron gases [16,17] or superconductors [18].…”

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confidence: 92%

“…Physical systems that fall into this category include vortex lattices in disordered superconductors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], sliding charge-density waves [9], driven electron crystals in the presence of random impurities [10], sliding friction [11], and domain wall motion [12]. One of the most studied systems in this class is a vortex lattice driven by an applied current through disordered superconductors.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Dynamical Ordering of Driven Stripe Phases in Quenched Disorder

2003

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We examine the dynamics and stripe formation in a system with competing short and long range interactions in the presence of both an applied dc drive and quenched disorder. Without disorder, the system forms stripes organized in a labyrinth state. We find that, when the disorder strength exceeds a critical value, an applied dc drive can induce a dynamical stripe ordering transition to a state that is more ordered than the originating undriven, unpinned pattern. We show that signatures in the structure factor and transport properties correspond to this dynamical reordering transition, and we present the dynamic phase diagram as a function of strengths of disorder and dc drive. PACS numbers: 64.60. Cn, 89.75.Kd, 73.20.Qt, 71.45.Lr Recently, there has been considerable interest in the dynamics of driven elastic media in the presence of quenched disorder and an applied drive. Physical systems that fall into this category include vortex lattices in disordered superconductors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], sliding charge-density waves [9], driven electron crystals in the presence of random impurities [10], sliding friction [11], and domain wall motion [12]. One of the most studied systems in this class is a vortex lattice driven by an applied current through disordered superconductors. Higgins and Bhattacharya [1] used transport measurements to map out a dynamical phase diagram for driven vortex matter based on transport signatures, and proposed the existence of three dynamical phases: a low drive pinned phase where the vortices do not move, a plastic phase where inhomogeneous flow and tearing of the highly disordered vortex lattice occurs, and an elastic flow regime where the lattice slides as a whole [1]. Koshelev and Vinokur [2] investigated the driven vortex lattice system theoretically and numerically, observed three phases as a function of increasing applied drive, and found that the disordered lattice in the plastic flow regime can undergo a striking dynamical freezing transition in which the vortex lattice reorders at high drives.Further theoretical work has shown that the recrystallized state is not fully ordered but is still strongly affected by transverse modes from the pinning. Thus the reordered state may form a moving smectic lattice with anisotropic ordering, where the vortices move in onedimensional (1D) partially coupled channels aligned with the drive [3][4][5]. This reordering transition to an aligned moving smectic state has been experimentally confirmed by transport [6] and direct imaging [7] experiments. In addition, numerical work has confirmed the presence of a field-driven plastic to ordered or elastic transition [8]. Dynamical reordering has also been studied in sliding charge density waves [9] and driven Wigner crystals [10].A natural question is whether these dynamical phases and reordering transitions can occur in other systems which do not form triangular lattices in the absence of quenched disorder. For example, many systems form "stripe" or "labyrinth" states [13], including diblockcopoly...

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Dynamical Ordering of Driven Stripe Phases in Quenched Disorder

2003

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“…Such an increased power level could melt the WS but it is also possible that fast-moving charges reorder into a sliding WS. Reordering after depinning has been predicted and experimentally observed in the vortex lattice of type II superconductors [28] and it has been proposed in a theory for the classical WS [29].…”

Section: Prl 98 066805 (2007) P H Y S I C a L R E V I E W L E T T E mentioning

confidence: 99%

Astability and Negative Differential Resistance of the Wigner Solid

Csáthy

Tsui

Pfeiffer³

et al. 2007

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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We report an unusual breakdown of the magnetically induced Wigner solid in an exceptional two-dimensional electron gas. The current-voltage characteristic is found to be hysteretic in the voltage biased setup and has a region of negative differential resistance in the current biased setup. When the sample is current biased in the region of negative differential resistance, the voltage on and the current through the sample develop spontaneous narrow band oscillations.

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“…Such a more realistic scenario will have to incorporate the well-known inhomogeneity of current flow in the quantum Hall regime and the possibility of non-uniform plastic or filamentary flow within the driven CDW lattice. The latter phenomena are thought to occur in other 2D systems, such as driven vortex lattices [19], and have been discussed in the context of the depinning of the hypothesized Wigner crystal in the lowest LL at very low filling factors [20,21].…”

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Observation of Narrow-Band Noise Accompanying the Breakdown of Insulating States in High Landau Levels

Cooper

Eisenstein

Pfeiffer³

et al. 2003

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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Recent magnetotransport experiments on high mobility two-dimensional electron systems have revealed many-body electron states unique to high Landau levels. Among these are re-entrant integer quantum Hall states which undergo sharp transitions to conduction above some threshold field. Here we report that these transitions are often accompanied by narrow-and broad-band noise with frequencies which are strongly dependent on the magnitude of the applied dc current.Strong evidence now exists which suggests that in the presence of a modest perpendicular magnetic field B, a clean two-dimensional electron system (2DES) with density n s supports many-body phases distinct from the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) states which dominate at high fields [1]. These new phases form when the 2DES occupies three or more orbital Landau levels (LLs). Near half filling of the spin resolved LLs, e.g. at filling fraction ν = hn s /eB = 9/2, 11/2, etc., states exhibiting highly anisotropic longitudinal resistance develop at temperatures below about 100 mK [2,3]. These are believed to be closely related to the striped charge density wave (CDW) states predicted by Hartree-Fock theory [4,5].Near 1/4 and 3/4 filling of the same high LLs, additional phases exist whose main experimental signature is an isotropic vanishing of the longitudinal resistance and a re-entrant integer quantization of the Hall resistance [2,3]. These states are separated from the nearby conventional integer quantum Hall states by narrow regions of non-zero longitudinal resistance and nonquantized Hall resistance. The re-entrant aspect of these states suggests that they reflect collective, as opposed to single particle, insulating configurations of the electrons in the uppermost LL. Indeed, prevailing theory predicts that the ground state of the 2DES at these fillings is a pinned triangular CDW, analogous to a Wigner crystal but with two or more electrons per unit cell [4,5,6,7]. Estimates of the lattice constant of such "bubble" phases are on the order of 100 nm under typical circumstances. This picture is supported by non-linear dc current-voltage (I-V ) measurements in which sharp onsets to conduction are observed in the re-entrant integer quantum Hall effect (RIQHE) states [8]. Such threshold behavior is a common feature of transport in conventional CDW systems, such as NbSe 3 [9]. It has also been observed in 2DESs at low filling of the N = 0 LL where Wigner crystallization is thought to occur [10]. Recently, Lewis et al. [11] have observed sharp resonances in the microwave conductivity of the 2DES in the vicinity of the RIQHE states and have suggested that they may reflect a pinning mode of the bubble crystal [12].Here we report a remarkable new aspect of the RIQHE: the abrupt onset of conduction at high dc bias is often accompanied by narrow-and broad-band noise which is very sensitive to the dc current carried by the 2DES. While it is tempting to compare the narrow-band noise to the "washboard" noise encountered in the sliding transport of conventional CD...

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Moving Wigner Glasses and Smectics: Dynamics of Disordered Wigner Crystals

Cited by 105 publications

References 35 publications

Dynamical Ordering of Driven Stripe Phases in Quenched Disorder

Dynamical Ordering of Driven Stripe Phases in Quenched Disorder

Astability and Negative Differential Resistance of the Wigner Solid

Observation of Narrow-Band Noise Accompanying the Breakdown of Insulating States in High Landau Levels

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