Transport through the network of topological channels in HgTe based quantum well

Topological insulators represent a new quantum state of matter which is characterized by edge or surface states and an insulating band gap in the bulk. In a two dimensional (2D) system based on the HgTe quantum well (QW) of critical width random deviations of the well width from its average value result in local crossovers from zero gap 2D Dirac fermion system to either the 2D topological insulator or the ordinary insulator, forming a complicated in-plane network of helical channels along the zero-gap lines. We have studied experimentally the transport properties of the critical width HgTe quantum wells near the Dirac point, where the conductance is determined by a percolation along the zero-gap lines. The experimental results confirm the presence of percolating conducting channels of a finite width. Our work establishes the critical width HgTe QW as a promising platform for the study of the interplay between topology and localization.

Transport in helical Luttinger liquids in the fractional quantum Hall regime

Domain walls in fractional quantum Hall ferromagnets are gapless helical one-dimensional channels formed at the boundaries of topologically distinct quantum Hall (QH) liquids. Naïvely, these helical domain walls (hDWs) constitute two counter-propagating chiral states with opposite spins. Coupled to an s-wave superconductor, helical channels are expected to lead to topological superconductivity with high order non-Abelian excitations1–3. Here we investigate transport properties of hDWs in the ν = 2/3 fractional QH regime. Experimentally we found that current carried by hDWs is substantially smaller than the prediction of the naïve model. Luttinger liquid theory of the system reveals redistribution of currents between quasiparticle charge, spin and neutral modes, and predicts the reduction of the hDW current. Inclusion of spin-non-conserving tunneling processes reconciles theory with experiment. The theory confirms emergence of spin modes required for the formation of fractional topological superconductivity.

Experimental study on enhancement characteristics of steam/nitrogen condensation inside horizontal multi-start helical channels

The aim of this study was to reveal the internal mechanism of enhanced condensation heat transfer, by experimentally performing steam condensation with higher inlet velocity in the horizontal multi-start helical channels (HMSHCs), and investigating the influences of pressure of steam, mass flowrate of cooling water, and mass fraction of noncondensable (NC) gas on steam condensation performance. Taking steam condensation in horizontal circular condensation channel (HCCC) as a reference, the condensation heat transfer coefficients (CHTCs), the outlet condensate mass flowrates (CMFRs), and the total steam condensation pressure drops (SCPDs) were compared and discussed, respectively. The results indicated that NC gas had a strong inhibitory effect on steam condensation, and average condensation characteristics decreased with the increase in NC gas fraction for lower Rem. But for higher Rem, the gas–liquid interfacial shearing stress can likely weaken the negative effect of NC gas. In addition, increasing the cooling water flowrate can entirety promote steam condensation. The comparison results indicated that steam condensation performance of HMSHC is better than that of HCCC under same experimental conditions. For the specific experimental scope, the average CHTCs and the outlet CMFRs in HMSHC are approximately 2.35 and 1.25 times of that inside HCCC, respectively, while the overall SCPDs in HMSHC are about 1.16 times of that inside HCCC. After introducing the performance evaluation factor, the calculation results revealed that the performance evaluation factor h PEC {h}_{\text{PEC}} of the average CHTCs in HMSHC is approximately 2.02, and the performance evaluation factor m PEC {{m}}_{\text{PEC}} of the outlet CMFRs in HMSHC is approximately 1.08. The two evaluating values are reasonable.