Energy relaxation in edge modes in the quantum Hall effect

Abstract: Studies of energy flow in quantum systems complement the information provided by common conductance measurements. The quantum limit of heat flow in one dimensional (1D) ballistic modes was predicted, and experimentally demonstrated, to have a universal value for bosons, fermions, and fractionally charged anyons. A fraction of this value is expected in non-abelian states. Nevertheless, open questions about energy relaxation along the propagation length in 1D modes remain. Here, we introduce a novel experimental setup that measures the energy relaxation in chiral 1D modes of the quantum Hall effect (QHE). Edge modes, emanating from a heated reservoir, are partitioned by a quantum point contact (QPC) located at their path. The resulting noise allows a determination of the 'effective temperature' at the location of the QPC. We found energy relaxation in all the tested QHE states, being integers or fractional. However, the relaxation was found to be mild in particle-like states, and prominent in hole-conjugate states.