Interactions and non-magnetic fractional quantization in one-dimension

In this Perspective article, we present recent developments on interaction effects on the carrier transport properties of one-dimensional (1D) semiconductor quantum wires fabricated using the GaAs/AlGaAs system, particularly the emergence of the long predicted fractional quantization of conductance in the absence of a magnetic field. Over three decades ago, it was shown that transport through a 1D system leads to integer quantized conductance given by N·2e(2)/h, where N is the number of allowed energy levels (N = 1, 2, 3, …). Recent experiments have shown that a weaker confinement potential and low carrier concentration provide a testbed for electrons strongly interacting. The consequence leads to a reconfiguration of the electron distribution into a zigzag assembly which, unexpectedly, was found to exhibit quantization of conductance predominantly at 1/6, 2/5, 1/4, and 1/2 in units of e(2)/h. These fractional states may appear similar to the fractional states seen in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect; however, the system does not possess a filling factor and they differ in the nature of their physical causes. The states may have promise for the emergent topological quantum computing schemes as they are controllable by gate voltages with a distinct identity.