Relevance of multiple-quasiparticle tunneling between edge states at ν =p/(2np+1)

Dario Ferraro, Alessandro Braggio, Matteo Merlo, Nicodemo Magnoli, Maura Sassetti

Published 2008-05-22Version 1

We present an explanation for the anomalous behavior in tunneling conductance and noise through a point contact between edge states in the Jain series $\nu=p/(2np+1)$, for extremely weak-backscattering and low temperatures [Y.C. Chung, M. Heiblum, and V. Umansky, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf{91}}, 216804 (2003)]. We consider edge states with neutral modes propagating at finite velocity, and we show that the activation of their dynamics causes the unexpected change in the temperature power-law of the conductance. Even more importantly, we demonstrate that multiple-quasiparticles tunneling at low energies becomes the most relevant process. This result will be used to explain the experimental data on current noise where tunneling particles have a charge that can reach $p$ times the single quasiparticle charge. In this paper we analyze the conductance and the shot noise to substantiate quantitatively the proposed scenario.