Insulating state to quantum Hall-like state transition in a spin-orbit-coupled two-dimensional electron system

Abstract

We study interference and interactions in an InAs/InAsSb two-dimensional electron system. In such a system, spin-orbit interactions are shown to be strong, which result in weak antilocalization (WAL) and thereby positive magnetoresistance around zero magnetic field. After suppressing WAL by the magnetic field, we demonstrate that classical positive magnetoresistance due to spin-orbit coupling plays a role. With further increasing the magnetic field, the system undergoes a direct insulator-quantum Hall transition. By analyzing the magnetotransport behavior in different field regions, we show that both electron-electron interactions and spin-related effects are essential in understanding the observed direct transition. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.