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arXiv:2102.11313 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Microscopic derivation of Dirac composite fermion theory: Aspects of noncommutativity and pairing instabilities

Dragoljub Gočanin, Sonja Predin, Marija Dimitrijević Ćirić, Voja Radovanović, Milica V. Milovanović

Published Sep 23, 2021• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Building on previous work [N. Read, Phys. Rev. B 58, 16262 (1998); Z. Dong and T. Senthil, Phys. Rev. B 102, 205126 (2020)] on the system of bosons at filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$, we derive the Dirac composite fermion theory for a half-filled Landau level from first principles and apply the Hartree-Fock approach in a preferred representation. On the basis of the microscopic formulation, in the long-wavelength limit, we propose a noncommutative field-theoretical description, which in a commutative limit reproduces the Son's theory, with additional terms that may be expected on physical grounds. The microscopic representation of the problem is also used to discuss pairing instabilities of composite fermions. We find that a presence of a particle-hole symmetry breaking leads to a weak (BCS) coupling $p$-wave pairing in the lowest Landau level, and strong coupling $p$-wave pairing in the second Landau level that occurs in a band with nearly flat dispersion, a third power function of momentum.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.104.115150

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We propose a particle-hole symmetric theory of the Fermi-liquid ground state of a half-filled Landau level. This theory should be applicable for a Dirac fermion in the magnetic field at charge neutrality, as well as for the v = 1/2 quantum Hall ground state of nonrelativistic fermions in the limit of negligible inter-Landau-level mixing. We argue that when particle-hole symmetry is exact, the composite fermion is a massless Dirac fermion, characterized by a Berry phase of π around the Fermi circle. We write down a tentative effective field theory of such a fermion and discuss the discrete symmetries, in particular, C P. The Dirac composite fermions interact through a gauge, but non-Chern-Simons, interaction. The particle-hole conjugate pair of Jain-sequence states at filling factors n/(2n + 1) and (n + 1)/(2n + 1), which in the conventional composite fermion picture corresponds to integer quantum Hall states with different filling factors, n and n + 1, is now mapped to the same half-integer filling factor n + 1/2 of the Dirac composite fermion. The Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian states are interpreted as d -wave Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer paired states of the Dirac fermion with orbital angular momentum of opposite signs, while s -wave pairing would give rise to a particle-hole symmetric non-Abelian gapped phase. When particle-hole symmetry is not exact, the Dirac fermion has a C P -breaking mass. The conventional fermionic Chern-Simons theory is shown to emerge in the nonrelativistic limit of the massive theory.

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Building on previous work [N. Read, Phys. Rev. B 58, 16262 (1998); Z. Dong and T. Senthil, Phys. Rev. B 102, 205126 (2020)] on the system of bosons at filling factor \ensuremathν=1\ensuremath{\nu}=1\ensuremathν=1, we derive the Dirac composite fermion theory for a half-filled Landau level from first principles and apply the Hartree-Fock approach in a preferred representation. On the basis of the microscopic formulation, in the long-wavelength limit, we propose a noncommutative field-theoretical description, which in a commutative limit reproduces the Son's theory, with additional terms that may be expected on physical grounds. The microscopic representation of the problem is also used to discuss pairing instabilities of composite fermions. We find that a presence of a particle-hole symmetry breaking leads to a weak (BCS) coupling ppp-wave pairing in the lowest Landau level, and strong coupling ppp-wave pairing in the second Landau level that occurs in a band with nearly flat dispersion, a third power function of momentum.
Recently, a Dirac (particle-hole symmetric) description of composite fermions in the half-filled Landau level (LL) was proposed [D. T. Son, Phys. Rev. X 5, 031027 (2015)], and we study its possible consequences on BCS (Cooper) pairing of composite fermions (CFs). One of the main consequences is the existence of anisotropic states in single-layer and bilayer systems, which was previously suggested in Jeong and Park [J. S. Jeong and K. Park, Phys. Rev. B 91, 195119 (2015)]. We argue that in the half-filled LL in the single-layer case the gapped states may sustain anisotropy, because isotropic pairings may coexist with anisotropic ones. Furthermore, anisotropic pairings with the addition of a particle-hole symmetry-breaking mass term may evolve into rotationally symmetric states, i.e., Pfaffian states of Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) ordinary CFs. On the basis of the Dirac formalism, we argue that in the quantum Hall bilayer at total filling factor 1, with decreasing distance between the layers, weak pairing of ppp-wave paired CFs is gradually transformed from Dirac to ordinary, HLR-like, with a concomitant decrease in the CF number. Global characterization of low-energy spectra based on the Dirac CFs agrees well with previous calculations performed by exact diagonalization on a torus. Finally, we discuss features of the Dirac formalism when applied in this context.
Motivated by the issue of particle-hole symmetry for the composite fermion Fermi sea at the half filled Landau level, Dam T. Son has made an intriguing proposal [Phys. Rev. X {\bf 5}, 031027 (2015)] that composite fermions are Dirac particles. We ask what features of the Dirac-composite fermion theory and its various consequences may be reconciled with the well established microscopic theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect and the 1/2 state, which is based on {\em non-relativistic} composite fermions. Starting from the microscopic theory, we derive the assertion of Son that the particle-hole transformation of electrons at filling factor ν=1/2\nu=1/2ν=1/2 corresponds to an effective time reversal transformation (i.e. {k⃗j}\{\vec{k}_j\}{kj​}→\rightarrow→{−k⃗j}\{-\vec{k}_j\}{−kj​}) for composite fermions, and discuss how this connects to the absence of 2kF2k_{\rm F}2kF​ backscattering in the presence of a particle-hole symmetric disorder. By considering bare holes in various composite-fermion Λ\LambdaΛ levels (analogs of electronic Landau levels) we determine the Λ\LambdaΛ level spacing and find it to be very nearly independent of the Λ\LambdaΛ level index, consistent with a parabolic dispersion for the underlying composite fermions. Finally, we address the compatibility of the Chern-Simons theory with the lowest Landau level constraint, and find that the wave functions of the mean-field Chern-Simons theory, as well as a class of topologically similar wave functions, are surprisingly accurate when projected into the lowest Landau level. These considerations lead us to introduce a normal form for the unprojected wave functions of the n/(2pn−1)n/(2pn-1)n/(2pn−1) states that correctly capture the topological properties even without lowest Landau level projection.
An effective field theory of composite Dirac fermions was proposed by Son [Phys. Rev. X 5, 031027 (2015)] as a theory of the half-filled Landau level with explicit particle-hole symmetry. We compute the electromagnetic response of this Son-Dirac theory on the level of the random phase approximation (RPA), where we pay particular attention to the effect of an additional composite-fermion dipole term that is needed to restore Galilean invariance. We find that once this dipole correction is taken into account, spurious interband transitions and collective modes that are present in the response of the unmodified theory either cancel or are strongly suppressed. We demonstrate that this gives rise to a consistent theory of the half-filled Landau level valid at all frequencies, at least to leading order in the momentum. In addition, the dipole contribution modifies the Fermi-liquid response at small frequency and momentum, which is a prediction of the Son-Dirac theory within the RPA that distinguishes it from a separate description of the half-filled Landau level by Halperin, Lee, and Read within the RPA.
The theory of composite fermion provides a simple and unified picture to understand a vast amount of phenomenology in the quantum Hall regime. However it has remained challenging to formulate this concept properly within a single Landau level, which provides the relevant degrees of freedom in the limit of strong magnetic field. Recently a low-energy noncommutative field theory for bosons at Landau-level filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$ has been formulated by Dong and Senthil [Z. Dong and T. Senthil, Phys. Rev. B 102, 205126 (2020)]. In the limit of long-wavelength and small-amplitude gauge fluctuation, they found it reduces to the celebrated Halperin-Lee-Read theory of a composite fermion liquid. In this work we consider a Bose-Fermi mixture at total filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$. Different from previous work, the number density of composite fermions in the mixture and corresponding Fermi momentum can be tuned by changing the filling factor of bosons, ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{b}=1\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{f}$. This tunability enables us to study the dilute limit ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{b}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, which allows for a controlled and asymptotically exact calculation of the energy dispersion and effective mass of composite fermions. Furthermore, the approximation of the low-energy description by a commutative field theory is manifestly justified. Most importantly, we demonstrate that gauge fluctuations acquire a Higgs mass due to the presence of a composite boson condensate, as a result of which the system behaves like a genuine Landau- Fermi liquid. Combined with the irrelevance of four-fermion interaction in the dilute limit, we are able to obtain asymptotically exact properties of this composite fermion Fermi liquid. In the opposite limit of ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{f}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, the Higgs mass goes to zero and we find crossover between Fermi liquid and non-Fermi liquid as temperature increases. Observing these properties either experimentally or numerically provides unambiguous evidence of not only the composite fermions and the Fermi surface they form, but also the presence of emergent gauge fields and their fluctuations due to strong correlation.
Motivated by the particle-hole symmetry at the half-filled lowest Landau level, many articles have taken the point of view, following D. T. Son, that composite fermions are Dirac particles and their Fermi sea is akin to that occurring at the surface of a three dimensional topological insulator. This presents a paradox, because the microscopic theory of composite fermions, which treats composite fermions as non-relativistic particles, has been confirmed in great detail. The authors discuss what features of the Dirac-composite fermion view can be reconciled with the microscopic theory. They also show how particle-hole symmetry can emerge in the Chern-Simons formulation of composite fermions.
We propose a particle-hole symmetric theory of the Fermi-liquid ground state of a half-filled Landau level. This theory should be applicable for a Dirac fermion in the magnetic field at charge neutrality, as well as for the v = 1/2 quantum Hall ground state of nonrelativistic fermions in the limit of negligible inter-Landau-level mixing. We argue that when particle-hole symmetry is exact, the composite fermion is a massless Dirac fermion, characterized by a Berry phase of π around the Fermi circle. We write down a tentative effective field theory of such a fermion and discuss the discrete symmetries, in particular, C P. The Dirac composite fermions interact through a gauge, but non-Chern-Simons, interaction. The particle-hole conjugate pair of Jain-sequence states at filling factors n/(2n + 1) and (n + 1)/(2n + 1), which in the conventional composite fermion picture corresponds to integer quantum Hall states with different filling factors, n and n + 1, is now mapped to the same half-integer filling factor n + 1/2 of the Dirac composite fermion. The Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian states are interpreted as d -wave Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer paired states of the Dirac fermion with orbital angular momentum of opposite signs, while s -wave pairing would give rise to a particle-hole symmetric non-Abelian gapped phase. When particle-hole symmetry is not exact, the Dirac fermion has a C P -breaking mass. The conventional fermionic Chern-Simons theory is shown to emerge in the nonrelativistic limit of the massive theory.