Chester Supersolid of Spatially Indirect Excitons in Double-Layer Semiconductor Heterostructures

Sara Conti, Andrea Perali, Alexander R. Hamilton, Milorad V. Milošević, François M. Peeters, and David Neilson
Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 057001 – Published 1 February 2023

Abstract

A supersolid, a counterintuitive quantum state in which a rigid lattice of particles flows without resistance, has to date not been unambiguously realized. Here we reveal a supersolid ground state of excitons in a double-layer semiconductor heterostructure over a wide range of layer separations outside the focus of recent experiments. This supersolid conforms to the original Chester supersolid with one exciton per supersolid site, as distinct from the alternative version reported in cold-atom systems of a periodic density modulation or clustering of the superfluid. We provide the phase diagram augmented by the supersolid. This new phase appears at layer separations much smaller than the predicted exciton normal solid, and it persists up to a solid-solid transition where the quantum phase coherence collapses. The ranges of layer separations and exciton densities in our phase diagram are well within reach of the current experimental capabilities.

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  • Received 13 May 2022
  • Revised 4 August 2022
  • Accepted 16 December 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.057001

© 2023 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Sara Conti1,*, Andrea Perali2, Alexander R. Hamilton3, Milorad V. Milošević1,4, François M. Peeters1,5, and David Neilson1,3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
  • 2Supernano Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino (MC), Italy
  • 3ARC Centre of Excellence for Future Low Energy Electronics Technologies, School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
  • 4NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
  • 5Universitade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Física, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Brazil

  • *Corresponding author. sara.conti@uantwerpen.be

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Vol. 130, Iss. 5 — 3 February 2023

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