Annular confinement for electrons on liquid helium

TL;DR

This paper explores how annular confinement of electrons on liquid helium, induced by a submerged tubular electrode, can be used to observe symmetry transitions and magnetic flux quantization effects through microwave spectroscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control electron confinement on liquid helium using a tubular electrode, enabling the study of magnetic flux effects on electron states.

Findings

Potential minimum off the axis for shallow liquid layers

Discontinuities in absorption lines linked to magnetic flux quanta

Different confinement radii in Rydberg subbands enable spectroscopic resolution

Abstract

We discuss annular confinement for electrons on liquid helium surface induced by a tubular electrode submerged beneath the surface. For shallow liquid layer above the tube the resulting potential has a minimum off the axis of the tube. The symmetry transitions in the ground-state driven by external magnetic field can be resolved by the microwave spectroscopy provided that the confinement radii in the first and second Rydberg subbands of the vertical quantization are different. This condition can be fulfilled for submersion depth of the tube comparable to its radius. Then, discontinuities in the main absorption line appear with the period that corresponds to the subsequent magnetic flux quanta passing across the area within the ground-state confinement radius.