A quantum phase transition is an unequivocal signature of strongly correlated many-body physics. Signatures of such phenomena are yet to be observed in ballistic transport through quantum wires. Recent developments in quantum wires have made it possible to enhance the interaction between the electrons. Here we show that hitherto unexplained anticrossing between conduction energy subbands, observed in such experiments, can be explained through a simple yet effective discretized model which undergoes a second-order quantum phase transition within the Ising universality class. Accordingly, we observe how the charge distribution, transverse to the direction of the wire, will vary across the phase transition. We show that data coming from three different samples with differing electron densities and gate voltages show a remarkable universal scaling behavior, determined by the relevant critical exponent, which is only possible near a quantum phase transition.

• Received 25 October 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.041116