Non-local coupling of two donor-bound electrons

TL;DR

This study demonstrates coherent non-local coupling between two donor-bound electrons via many-body Kondo states, revealing interference effects modulated by magnetic fields in a nano-wire transistor.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence and a theoretical model for non-local coupling of donor electrons through many-body states, advancing understanding of quantum interference in donor systems.

Findings

Interference between Kondo channels depends on Aharonov-Bohm phase.

Non-monotonic conductance observed as a function of magnetic field.

Donors can be coherently coupled via many-body states.

Abstract

We report the results of an experiment investigating coherence and correlation effects in a system of coupled donors. Two donors are strongly coupled to two leads in a parallel configuration within a nano-wire field effect transistor. By applying a magnetic field we observe interference between two donor-induced Kondo channels, which depends on the Aharonov-Bohm phase picked up by electrons traversing the structure. This results in a non-monotonic conductance as a function of magnetic field and clearly demonstrates that donors can be coupled through a many-body state in a coherent manner. We present a model which shows good qualitative agreement with our data. The presented results add to the general understanding of interference effects in a donor-based correlated system which may allow to create artificial lattices that exhibit exotic many-body excitations.