In this paper, we recall the topological approach to quantum Hall effects. We note that, in the presence of a magnetic field, trajectories representing elements of the system’s braid group are of cyclotron orbit type. In two-dimensional spaces, this leads to the restriction of the full braid group, π 1 ( Ω )—loopless generators (exchanges of M N coordinates or classical particles) are unenforceable. As a result, the identification of a possible Hall-like state comes down to the identification of a possible subgroup of π 1 ( Ω ). The latter follows from the connection between the one-dimensional unitary representation of the system’s braid group and particle statistics (unavoidable for any correlated state). In this work, we implement the topological approach to derive the lowest Landau-level pyramid of fillings. We point out that it contains all mysterious odd-denominator filling factors—like 4 11 , 4 13 or 6 17 —not trivial to explain within the standard picture. We also introduce, explicitly, cyclotron subgroup generators for all derived fractions. Preliminary results on wave functions, supported by several Monte Carlo calculations, are presented. It is worth emphasizing that not all proposed many-body functions are purely antisymmetric—they, however, transform in agreement with the scalar representations of the system’s braid group. The latter is enforced by standard quantization methods.
In this paper, we recall the topological approach to quantum Hall effects. We note that, in the presence of a magnetic field, trajectories representing elements of the system’s braid group are of cyclotron orbit type. In two-dimensional spaces, this leads to the restriction of the full braid group, π 1 ( Ω )—loopless generators (exchanges of M N coordinates or classical particles) are unenforceable. As a result, the identification of a possible Hall-like state comes down to the identification of a possible subgroup of π 1 ( Ω ). The latter follows from the connection between the one-dimensional unitary representation of the system’s braid group and particle statistics (unavoidable for any correlated state). In this work, we implement the topological approach to derive the lowest Landau-level pyramid of fillings. We point out that it contains all mysterious odd-denominator filling factors—like 4 11 , 4 13 or 6 17 —not trivial to explain within the standard picture. We also introduce, explicitly, cyclotron subgroup generators for all derived fractions. Preliminary results on wave functions, supported by several Monte Carlo calculations, are presented. It is worth emphasizing that not all proposed many-body functions are purely antisymmetric—they, however, transform in agreement with the scalar representations of the system’s braid group. The latter is enforced by standard quantization methods.
We put forward possible wave functions for quantum Hall states in the lowest Landau level. These were deduced from the topological approach based on the relation between braid groups and the quantum statistics, as well as the commensurability condition unavoidable for collective states in magnetic fields. In this paper we demonstrate that the [Formula: see text]-field imposes restrictions on braid trajectories (i.e. elements of the full braid group). This results in the appearance of cyclotron subgroups, instead of the full braid group, for certain filling factors. The fermion representation of cyclotron subgroups defines transformations of wave functions in the quantum Hall regime. Hence, it sets quantum statistics (transformations of [Formula: see text] under exchanges of arguments), which is unavoidable for collective states (in compliance with the framework of Feynman's path integrals). Finally, the topological approach allows to define the hierarchy of fillings in the lowest Landau level, which agree with the hierarchy observed in quantum Hall devices (i.e. in transport measurements). The symmetry of a many-body wave function (i.e. quantum statistics) is always determined by a 1D unitary representation of the system's braid group. Using this topologically-originated property, we demonstrate that many-body wave functions for selected fillings of the lowest Landau level may not be purely antisymmetric. Only systems composed of fermions are investigated. Additionally, we present Monte Carlo calculations in a disc geometry, which remain in a nice agreement with predictions of exact diagonalizations (expected values of potential energy and pair distribution functions are presented). No boundary potential is assumed.
We consider spin-polarized electrons in a single Landau level on a torus. The quantum Hall problem is mapped onto a one-dimensional lattice model with lattice constant $2\ensuremath{\pi}/{L}_{1}$, where L1 is a circumference of the torus (in units of the magnetic length). In the Tao-Thouless limit ${L}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$, the interacting many-electron problem is exactly diagonalized at any rational filling factor $\ensuremath{\nu}=p/q\ensuremath{\le}1$. For odd q, the ground state has the same qualitative properties as a bulk $({L}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty})$ quantum Hall hierarchy state and the lowest-energy quasiparticle excitations have the same fractional charges as in the bulk. These states are the ${L}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ limits of the Laughlin and Jain wave functions for filling fractions where these exist. We argue that the exact solutions generically, for odd q, are continuously connected to the two-dimensional bulk quantum Hall hierarchy states---i.e., that there is no phase transition as ${L}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ for filling factors where such states can be observed. For even-denominator fractions, a phase transition occurs as L1 increases. For $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$ this leads to the system being mapped onto a Luttinger liquid of neutral particles at small but finite L1; this then develops continuously into the composite fermion wave function that is believed to describe the bulk $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$ system. The analysis generalizes to non-Abelian quantum Hall states.
States of strongly interacting particles are of fundamental interest in physics and can produce exotic emergent phenomena and topological structures. We consider here two-dimensional electrons in a magnetic field, and, departing from the standard practice of restricting to the lowest LL, introduce a model short-range interaction that is infinitely strong compared to the cyclotron energy. We demonstrate that this model lends itself to an exact solution for the ground as well as excited states at arbitrary filling factors ν<1/2p and produces a fractional quantum Hall effect at fractions of the form ν=n/(2pn+1), where n and p are integers. The fractional quantum Hall states of our model share many topological properties with the corresponding Coulomb ground states in the lowest Landau level, such as the edge physics and the fractional charge of the excitations.
The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), now entering it's fourth decade, continues to draw attention from the condensed matter community. New experiments in recent years are raising hopes that it will be possible to observe quasi-particles with non-abelian anyonic statistics. These particles could form the building blocks of a quantum computer. The quantum Hall states have topologically protected energy gaps to the low-lying set of excitations. This topological order is not a locally measurable quantity but rather a non-local object, and it is one of the keys to it's stability. From an early stage understanding of the FQHE has been facilitate by constructing trial wave functions. The topological classification of these wave functions have given further insight to the nature of the FQHE. An early, and successful, wave function construction for filling fractions ν=p/(2p+1) was that of composite fermions on planar and spherical geometries. Recently, new developments using conformal field theory have made it possible to also construct the full Haldane-Halperin hierarchy wave functions on planar and spherical geometries. In this thesis we extend this construction to a toroidal geometry, i.e. a flat surface with periodic boundary conditions. One of the defining features of topological states of matter in two dimensions is that the ground state is not unique on surfaces with non trivial topology, such as a torus. The archetypical example is the fractional quantum Hall effect, where a state at filling fraction ν=p/q, has at least a q-fold degeneracy on a torus. This has been shown explicitly for a few cases, such as the Laughlin states and the the Moore-Read states, by explicit construction of candidate electron wave functions with good overlap with numerically found states. In this thesis, we construct explicit torus wave functions for a large class of experimentally important quantum liquids, namely the chiral hierarchy states in the lowest Landau level. These states, which includes the prominently observed positive Jain sequence at filling fractions ν=p/(2p+1), are characterized by having boundary modes with only one chirality. Our construction relies heavily on previous work that expressed the hierarchy wave functions on a plane or a sphere in terms of correlation functions in a conformal field theory. This construction can be taken over to the torus when care is taken to ensure correct behaviour under the modular transformations that leave the geometry of the torus unchanged. Our construction solves the long standing problem of engineering torus wave functions for multi-component many-body states. Since the resulting expressions are rather complicated, we have carefully compared the simplest example, that of ν=2/5, with numerically found wave functions. We have found an extremely good overlap for arbitrary values of the modular parameter τ, that describes the geometry of the torus. Having explicit torus wave functions allows us to use the methods developed by Read and Read \\& Rezayi to numerically compute the quantum Hall viscosity. Hall viscosity is conjectured to be a topologically protected macroscopic transport coefficient characterizing the quantum Hall state. It is related to the shift of the same QH-fluid when it is put on a sphere. The good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the 2/5 state strongly suggests that our wave functions encodes all relevant topologically information. We also consider the Hall viscosity in the limit of a very thin torus. There we find that the viscosity changes as we approach the thin torus limit. Because of this we study the Laughlin state in that limit and see how the change in viscosity arises from a change in the Hamiltonian hopping elements. Finally we conclude that there are both qualitative and quantitative difference between the thin and the square torus. Thus, one has to be careful when interpreting results in the thin torus limit.
Intuitive arguments and numerical simulations have long been used to argue for the incompressibility of fractionally quantized Hall states at the most prominent odd-denominator Landau-level filling fractions $\ensuremath{\nu}$ = p/(p (m - 1) + 1), where p is an integer and m an odd integer. Here, the authors strengthen the case by deriving these states more rigorously via adiabatic localization of magnetic flux onto the particles. They arrive at wave functions suggested by Jain's composite-fermion picture.
The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), now entering it's fourth decade, continues to draw attention from the condensed matter community. New experiments in recent years are raising hopes that it will be possible to observe quasi-particles with non-abelian anyonic statistics. These particles could form the building blocks of a quantum computer.The quantum Hall states have topologically protected energy gaps to the low-lying set of excitations. This topological order is not a locally measurable quantity but rather a non-local object, and it is one of the keys to it's stability. From an early stage understanding of the FQHE has been facilitate by constructing trial wave functions. The topological classification of these wave functions have given further insight to the nature of the FQHE.An early, and successful, wave function construction for filling fractions ν=p/(2p+1) was that of composite fermions on planar and spherical geometries. Recently, new developments using conformal field theory have made it possible to also construct the full Haldane-Halperin hierarchy wave functions on planar and spherical geometries. In this thesis we extend this construction to a toroidal geometry, i.e. a flat surface with periodic boundary conditions.One of the defining features of topological states of matter in two dimensions is that the ground state is not unique on surfaces with non trivial topology, such as a torus. The archetypical example is the fractional quantum Hall effect, where a state at filling fraction ν=p/q, has at least a q-fold degeneracy on a torus. This has been shown explicitly for a few cases, such as the Laughlin states and the the Moore-Read states, by explicit construction of candidate electron wave functions with good overlap with numerically found states. In this thesis, we construct explicit torus wave functions for a large class of experimentally important quantum liquids, namely the chiral hierarchy states in the lowest Landau level. These states, which includes the prominently observed positive Jain sequence at filling fractions ν=p/(2p+1), are characterized by having boundary modes with only one chirality.Our construction relies heavily on previous work that expressed the hierarchy wave functions on a plane or a sphere in terms of correlation functions in a conformal field theory. This construction can be taken over to the torus when care is taken to ensure correct behaviour under the modular transformations that leave the geometry of the torus unchanged. Our construction solves the long standing problem of engineering torus wave functions for multi-component many-body states. Since the resulting expressions are rather complicated, we have carefully compared the simplest example, that of ν=2/5, with numerically found wave functions. We have found an extremely good overlap for arbitrary values of the modular parameter τ, that describes the geometry of the torus.Having explicit torus wave functions allows us to use the methods developed by Read and Read \& Rezayi to numerically compute the quantum Hall viscosity. Hall viscosity is conjectured to be a topologically protected macroscopic transport coefficient characterizing the quantum Hall state. It is related to the shift of the same QH-fluid when it is put on a sphere. The good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the 2/5 state strongly suggests that our wave functions encodes all relevant topologically information.We also consider the Hall viscosity in the limit of a very thin torus. There we find that the viscosity changes as we approach the thin torus limit. Because of this we study the Laughlin state in that limit and see how the change in viscosity arises from a change in the Hamiltonian hopping elements. Finally we conclude that there are both qualitative and quantitative difference between the thin and the square torus. Thus, one has to be careful when interpreting results in the thin torus limit.