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Hofstadter's butterfly
About: Hofstadter's butterfly is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 43 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4018 citations.
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TL;DR: In this paper, an effective single-band Hamiltonian representing a crystal electron in a uniform magnetic field is constructed from the tight-binding form of a Bloch band by replacing the operator of the Schr\"odinger equation with a matrix method, and the graph of the spectrum over a wide range of "rational" fields is plotted.
Abstract: An effective single-band Hamiltonian representing a crystal electron in a uniform magnetic field is constructed from the tight-binding form of a Bloch band by replacing $\ensuremath{\hbar}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}$ by the operator $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{p}}\ensuremath{-}\frac{e\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{A}}{c}$. The resultant Schr\"odinger equation becomes a finite-difference equation whose eigenvalues can be computed by a matrix method. The magnetic flux which passes through a lattice cell, divided by a flux quantum, yields a dimensionless parameter whose rationality or irrationality highly influences the nature of the computed spectrum. The graph of the spectrum over a wide range of "rational" fields is plotted. A recursive structure is discovered in the graph, which enables a number of theorems to be proven, bearing particularly on the question of continuity. The recursive structure is not unlike that predicted by Azbel', using a continued fraction for the dimensionless parameter. An iterative algorithm for deriving the clustering pattern of the magnetic subbands is given, which follows from the recursive structure. From this algorithm, the nature of the spectrum at an "irrational" field can be deduced; it is seen to be an uncountable but measure-zero set of points (a Cantor set). Despite these-features, it is shown that the graph is continuous as the magnetic field varies. It is also shown how a spectrum with simplified properties can be derived from the rigorously derived spectrum, by introducing a spread in the field values. This spectrum satisfies all the intuitively desirable properties of a spectrum. The spectrum here presented is shown to agree with that predicted by A. Rauh in a completely different model for crystal electrons in a magnetic field. A new type of magnetic "superlattice" is introduced, constructed so that its unit cell intercepts precisely one quantum of flux. It is shown that this cell represents the periodicity of solutions of the difference equation. It is also shown how this superlattice allows the determination of the wave function at nonlattice sites. Evidence is offered that the wave functions belonging to irrational fields are everywhere defined and are continuous in this model, whereas those belonging to rational fields are only defined on a discrete set of points. A method for investigating these predictions experimentally is sketched.
2,656 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that moiré superlattices arising in bilayer graphene coupled to hexagonal boron nitride provide a periodic modulation with ideal length scales of the order of ten nanometres, enabling unprecedented experimental access to the fractal spectrum.
Abstract: Moire superlattices arising in bilayer graphene coupled to hexagonal boron nitride provide a periodic potential modulation on a length scale ideally suited to studying the fractal features of the Hofstadter energy spectrum in large magnetic fields. In 1976 Douglas Hofstadter predicted that electrons in a lattice subjected to electrostatic and magnetic fields would show a characteristic energy spectrum determined by the interplay between two quantizing fields. The expected spectrum would feature a repeating butterfly-shaped motif, known as Hofstadter's butterfly. The experimental realization of the phenomenon has proved difficult because of the problem of producing a sufficiently disorder-free superlattice where the length scales for magnetic and electric field can truly compete with each other. Now that goal has been achieved — twice. Two groups working independently produced superlattices by placing ultraclean graphene (Ponomarenko et al.) or bilayer graphene (Kim et al.) on a hexagonal boron nitride substrate and crystallographically aligning the films at a precise angle to produce moire pattern superstructures. Electronic transport measurements on the moire superlattices provide clear evidence for Hofstadter's spectrum. The demonstrated experimental access to a fractal spectrum offers opportunities for the study of complex chaotic effects in a tunable quantum system. Electrons moving through a spatially periodic lattice potential develop a quantized energy spectrum consisting of discrete Bloch bands. In two dimensions, electrons moving through a magnetic field also develop a quantized energy spectrum, consisting of highly degenerate Landau energy levels. When subject to both a magnetic field and a periodic electrostatic potential, two-dimensional systems of electrons exhibit a self-similar recursive energy spectrum1. Known as Hofstadter’s butterfly, this complex spectrum results from an interplay between the characteristic lengths associated with the two quantizing fields1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, and is one of the first quantum fractals discovered in physics. In the decades since its prediction, experimental attempts to study this effect have been limited by difficulties in reconciling the two length scales. Typical atomic lattices (with periodicities of less than one nanometre) require unfeasibly large magnetic fields to reach the commensurability condition, and in artificially engineered structures (with periodicities greater than about 100 nanometres) the corresponding fields are too small to overcome disorder completely11,12,13,14,15,16,17. Here we demonstrate that moire superlattices arising in bilayer graphene coupled to hexagonal boron nitride provide a periodic modulation with ideal length scales of the order of ten nanometres, enabling unprecedented experimental access to the fractal spectrum. We confirm that quantum Hall features associated with the fractal gaps are described by two integer topological quantum numbers, and report evidence of their recursive structure. Observation of a Hofstadter spectrum in bilayer graphene means that it is possible to investigate emergent behaviour within a fractal energy landscape in a system with tunable internal degrees of freedom.
1,438 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a short-period square lateral superlattices are fabricated on a two-dimensional electron gas located close to the sample surface for weak potential modulation, band conductivity dominates the low-field magnetoresistance leading to pronounced commensurability oscillations.
Abstract: Short-period square lateral superlattices are fabricated on a two-dimensional electron gas located close to the sample surface. For weak potential modulation, band conductivity dominates the low-field magnetoresistance leading to pronounced commensurability oscillations. For increasing potential modulation, band conductivity breaks down and scattering conductivity dominates indicating our beginning to resolve the internal structure of a Landau band. For strong potential modulation the maxima of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations split up into submaxima related to the number of flux quanta penetrating a unit cell.
82 citations
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the quantum A-period, determining the relation between the energy eigenvalue and the Kahler modulus of the Calabi-Yau geometry, can be found explicitly when the quantum parameter $q=e^{i\hbar}$ is a root of unity, and that its branch cuts are given by Hofstadter's butterfly.
Abstract: We point out that the recent conjectural solution to the spectral problem for the Hamiltonian $H=e^{x}+e^{-x}+e^{p}+e^{-p}$ in terms of the refined topological invariants of a local Calabi-Yau geometry has an intimate relation with two-dimensional non-interacting electrons moving in a periodic potential under a uniform magnetic field. In particular, we find that the quantum A-period, determining the relation between the energy eigenvalue and the Kahler modulus of the Calabi-Yau, can be found explicitly when the quantum parameter $q=e^{i\hbar}$ is a root of unity, that its branch cuts are given by Hofstadter's butterfly, and that its imaginary part counts the number of states of the Hofstadter Hamiltonian. The modular double operation, exchanging $\hbar$ and $4\pi^2/\hbar$, plays an important role.
63 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a cold-atom realization of quantum maps with Hofstadter's butterfly spectrum is proposed and connections and differences between their realization and the kicked Harper model are identified.
Abstract: Quantum systems with Hofstadter's butterfly spectrum are of fundamental interest to many research areas. Based upon slight modifications of existing cold-atom experiments, a cold-atom realization of quantum maps with Hofstadter's butterfly spectrum is proposed. Connections and differences between our realization and the kicked Harper model are identified. This work also exposes, for the first time, a simple connection between the kicked Harper model and the kicked rotor model, the two paradigms of classical and quantum chaos.
47 citations