The quantum Wigner crystal is a many-body state where Coulombic repulsion quenches the kinetic energy of electrons, causing them to crystallize into a lattice. Experimental realization of a quantum Wigner crystal at zero magnetic field has been a long-sought goal. Here, we report on the experimental evidence of a Wigner solid in ultra-thin films of cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2) at zero magnetic field. We show that a finite bias depins the domains and produces an unusually sharp-threshold current-voltage behavior. Hysteresis and voltage fluctuations point to domain motion across the pinning potential and disappear at finite temperature as thermal fluctuations overcome the potential. The application of a small magnetic field destroys the Wigner solid, pointing to an unconventional origin. We use Landau-level spectroscopy to show that the formation of the Wigner solid is closely connected to a topological transition as the film thickness is reduced. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

中文翻译：

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砷化镉超薄膜中零场 Wigner 固体的证据


量子维格纳晶体是一种多体态，其中库仑排斥猝灭电子的动能，使它们结晶成晶格。在零磁场下实验实现量子 Wigner 晶体一直是一个寻求已久的目标。在这里，我们报告了在零磁场下砷化镉 （Cd3As2） 超薄膜中 Wigner 固体的实验证据。我们表明，有限偏置会去固定域并产生异常尖锐的阈值电流-电压行为。磁滞和电压波动指向跨固定电位的域运动，并在有限温度下随着热波动克服电位而消失。小磁场的应用会破坏 Wigner 固体，指向一个非常规的起源。我们使用朗道能谱表明，随着薄膜厚度的减小，Wigner 固体的形成与拓扑转变密切相关。美国物理学会 2024 年出版