Robust Nodal Structure of Landau Level Wave Functions Revealed by Fourier Transform Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

K. Hashimoto, T. Champel, S. Florens, C. Sohrmann, J. Wiebe, Y. Hirayama, R. A. Römer, R. Wiesendanger, and M. Morgenstern
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 116805 – Published 12 September 2012
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Abstract

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy is used to study the real-space local density of states of a two-dimensional electron system in a magnetic field, in particular within higher Landau levels. By Fourier transforming the local density of states, we find a set of n radial minima at fixed momenta for the nth Landau levels. The momenta of the minima depend only on the inverse magnetic length. By comparison with analytical theory and numerical simulations, we attribute the minima to the nodes of the quantum cyclotron orbits, which decouple in a Fourier representation from the random guiding center motion due to disorder. Adequate Fourier filtering reveals the nodal structure in real space in some areas of the sample with relatively smooth potential disorder.

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  • Received 23 December 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.116805

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

K. Hashimoto1,2, T. Champel3, S. Florens4, C. Sohrmann5, J. Wiebe6, Y. Hirayama1,2, R. A. Römer5, R. Wiesendanger6, and M. Morgenstern7

  • 1Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
  • 2JST, ERATO Nuclear Spin Electronics Project, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
  • 3Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble I / CNRS UMR 5493, Laboratoire de Physique et Modélisation des Milieux Condensés, B.P. 166, 38042 Grenoble, France
  • 4Institut Néel, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, B.P. 166, 25 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
  • 5Department of Physics and Centre for Scientific Computing, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
  • 6Institute of Applied Physics, Hamburg University, Jungiusstrasse 11, D-20355 Hamburg, Germany
  • 7II. Institute of Physics B and JARA-FIT, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 11 — 14 September 2012

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