Interplay of filling fraction and coherence in symmetry broken graphene p-n junction

TL;DR

This study investigates how the filling fraction influences the coherence of quantum Hall edges in a graphene p-n junction, revealing tunable scattering mechanisms crucial for developing graphene-based electron interferometers.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of edge coherence and scattering dynamics at symmetry-broken QH edges in graphene p-n junctions using conductance and shot noise measurements.

Findings

Edge symmetry breaking follows spin selective equilibration.

Scattering mechanisms depend on filling factors.

Coherence can be tuned from incoherent to coherent regimes.

Abstract

The coherence of quantum Hall (QH) edges play the deciding factor in demonstrating an electron interferometer, which has potential to realize a topological qubit. A Graphene p-n junction (PNJ) with co-propagating spin and valley polarized QH edges is a promising platform for studying an electron interferometer. However, though a few experiments have been attempted for such PNJ via conductance measurements, the edge dynamics (coherent or incoherent) of QH edges at a PNJ, where either spin or valley symmetry or both are broken, remain unexplored. In this work, we have carried out the measurements of conductance together with shot noise, an ideal tool to unravel the dynamics, at low temperature (~ 10mK) in a dual graphite gated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) encapsulated high mobility graphene device. The conductance data show that the symmetry broken QH edges at the PNJ follow spin selective equilibration. The shot noise results as a function of both p and n side filling factors reveal the unique dependence of the scattering mechanism with filling factors. Remarkably, the scattering is found to be fully tunable from incoherent to coherent regime with the increasing number of QH edges at the PNJ, shedding crucial insights into graphene based electron interferometer.