Tunable Inter-Edge Interactions in a Bilayer Graphene Quantum Hall Antidot

Abstract

Electronic interferometers in the quantum Hall regime are one of the best tools to study the statistical properties of localized quasiparticles in the topologically protected bulk. However, since their behavior is probed via chiral edge modes, bulk-to-edge and inter-edge interactions are two important effects that affect the observations. Moreover, almost all kinds of interferometers heavily rely on a pair of high-quality quantum point contacts where the presence of impurities significantly modifies the behavior of such constrictions, which in turn can alter the outcome of the measurements. Antidots, potential hills in the quantum Hall regime, are particularly valuable in this context, as they overcome the geometric limitations of conventional geometries and act as controlled impurities within a quantum point contact. Furthermore, antidots allow for quasiparticle charge detection through simple conductance measurements, replacing the need for complex techniques such as shot noise. Here, we use a gate-defined bilayer graphene antidot, operated in the Coulomb-dominated regime. By varying the antidot potential, we can tune inter-edge interactions, enabling a crossover from a single-dot to a double-dot behavior. In the latter, strong coupling between the two edge states leads to edge-state pairing, resulting in a measured doubling of the tunneling charge. We find that in certain regimes, the inter-edge coupling completely dominates over other energy scales of the system, overshadowing the interference effects these devices are mainly designed to probe. These results highlight the significant role of inter-edge interactions and establish antidots as a versatile platform for exploring quantum Hall interferometry.