Spin droplets in confined quantum Hall systems

Two-dimensional semiconductor quantum dots are studied in the filling-factor range 2<v<3. We find both theoretical and experimental evidence of a collective many-body phenomenon, where a fraction of the trapped electrons form an incompressible spin droplet on the highest occupied Landau level. The phenomenon occurs only when the number of...

Real-time detection of single-electron tunneling using a quantum point contact

We observe individual tunnel events of a single electron between a quantum dot and a reservoir, using a nearby quantum point contact (QPC) as a charge meter. The QPC is capacitively coupled to the dot, and the QPC conductance changes by about 1% if the number of electrons on the dot changes by one. The QPC is voltage biased and the current is...

Excited-state spectroscopy on a nearly closed quantum dot via charge detection

We demonstrate a method for measuring the discrete energy spectrum of a quantum dot connected very weakly to a single lead. A train of voltage pulses applied to a metal gate induces tunneling of electrons between the quantum dot and a reservoir. The effective tunnel rate depends on the number and nature of the energy levels in the dot made...