On the Interpretation of Thermal Conductance of the nu=5/2 Edge

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the unexpected quantized thermal conductance of the nu=5/2 edge can be explained if the Majorana edge mode does not fully equilibrate with other modes, challenging previous assumptions about edge state behavior.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that partial equilibration of edge modes can account for the observed thermal conductance, offering a new perspective on edge state dynamics in the nu=5/2 quantum Hall state.

Findings

Thermal conductance measured as approximately 5/2, inconsistent with the predicted 3/2 for the Anti-Pfaffian.

Partial equilibration of Majorana and other edge modes can explain the higher conductance.

Further experiments are needed to verify the non-equilibration hypothesis.

Abstract

Recent experiments [Banerjee et al, arXiv:1710.00492] have measured thermal conductance of the nu=5/2 edge in a GaAs electron gas and found it to be quantized as K \approx 5/2 (in appropriate dimensionless units). This result is unexpected, as prior numerical work predicts that the nu=5/2 state should be the Anti-Pfaffian phase of matter, which should have quantized K=3/2. The purpose of this paper is to propose a possible solution to this conflict: if the Majorana edge mode of the Anti-Pfaffian does not thermally equilibrate with the other edge modes, then K=5/2 is expected. I briefly discuss a possible reason for this nonequilibration, and what should be examined further to determine if this is the case.