Effects of Quantum Hall Edge Reconstruction on Momenum-Resolved Tunneling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum Hall edge reconstruction affects electron spectral functions and momentum-resolved tunneling, revealing distinct features that can serve as experimental signatures of edge structure changes.

Contribution

It applies a theoretical framework to calculate spectral functions for reconstructed edges, identifying observable effects of edge reconstruction on tunneling spectra.

Findings

Reconstructed edges exhibit additional excitation modes.

Distinct features appear in energy and momentum dependence of spectral functions.

Results suggest experimental detection methods for edge reconstruction.

Abstract

During the reconstruction of the edge of a quantum Hall liquid, Coulomb interaction energy is lowered through the change in the structure of the edge. We use theory developed earlier by one of the authors [K. Yang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 036802 (2003)] to calculate the electron spectral functions of a reconstructed edge, and study the consequences of the edge reconstruction for the momentum-resolved tunneling into the edge. It is found that additional excitation modes that appear after the reconstruction produce distinct features in the energy and momentum dependence of the spectral function, which can be used to detect the presence of edge reconstruction.