# Apparent temperature-induced reorientation of quantum Hall stripes

## TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the orientation of quantum Hall stripes in a GaAs quantum well can be reoriented by temperature changes, revealing complex symmetry-breaking behavior and cautioning against assuming low-temperature data always reflect the true ground state.

## Contribution

It uncovers temperature-induced reorientation of quantum Hall stripes and identifies two distinct minima in the symmetry-breaking potential, advancing understanding of stripe orientation mechanisms.

## Key findings

- Stripe orientation can be changed by temperature.
- Hysteresis indicates two minima in the potential.
- Low-temperature data may not reflect the true ground state.

## Abstract

Our magnetotransport measurements of quantum Hall stripes in a high-quality GaAs quantum well in a slightly tilted magnetic field reveal that the orientation of stripes can be changed by temperature. Field-cooling and field-warming measurements, as well as observation of hysteresis at intermediate temperatures allow us to conclude that the observed temperature-induced reorientation of stripes is owing to the existence of two distinct minima in the symmetry-breaking potential. We also find that the native symmetry-breaking mechanism does not depend on temperature and that low-temperature magnetotransport data should be treated with caution as they do not necessarily reveal the true ground state, even in the absence of hysteresis.