Quantum Hall to charge-density-wave phase transitions in ABC-trilayer graphene

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Sep 21;109(12):126804. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.126804. Epub 2012 Sep 18.

Abstract

ABC-stacked trilayer graphene's chiral band structure results in three (n=0, 1, 2) Landau level orbitals with zero kinetic energy. This unique feature has important consequences on the interaction-driven states of the 12-fold degenerate (including spin and valley) N=0 Landau level. In particular, at many filling factors ν(T) = ±5, ±4, ±2, ±1 a quantum phase transition from a quantum Hall liquid state to a triangular charge-density wave occurs as a function of the single particle-induced Landau level orbital splitting Δ(LL). Experimental signatures of this phase transition are also discussed.