Flavor Quantum Dots and Artificial Quark Model in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

TL;DR

This paper explores how triply degenerate valleys in transition metal dichalcogenides can simulate flavor SU(3) symmetry, creating artificial quark-like states in quantum dots with unique many-body effects and fractional conductance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel platform using transition metal dichalcogenides to emulate quark models and demonstrates flavor Kondo effects with fractional conductance in artificial quark transistors.

Findings

Observation of triply degenerate Q valleys enabling SU(3) symmetry

Identification of Coulomb peaks with irrational height ratios

Detection of flavor Kondo effects with fractional conductance

Abstract

We show that the triply degenerate Q valleys in few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides provide a unique platform for exploring the rare flavor SU(3) symmetry in quantum dot geometry. The single and double dots are reminiscent of the quark model and eightfold way, and their many-body triplets and octets may be regarded as artificial quarks and hadrons. For the artificial quark transistor, each level hosts one central and two side Coulomb peaks of irrational height ratios, and flavor Kondo effects occur at 1/3 and 2/3 fillings with fractional conductance quantization in the unitary limit.