Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:cond-mat/0303487 · Physical Review Letters

Two-Dimensional Electron System in High Magnetic Fields: Wigner Crystal versus Composite-Fermion Liquid

Sudhansu S. Mandal, Michael R. Peterson, Jainendra K. Jain

Published Mar 14, 2003• 27 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The two-dimensional system of electrons in a high magnetic field offers an opportunity to investigate a phase transition from a quantum liquid into a Wigner solid. Recent experiments have revealed an incipient composite fermion liquid in a parameter range where theory and many experiments had previously suggested the Wigner crystal phase, thus calling into question our current understanding. This Letter shows how very small quantitative corrections (<1%) in the energy due to the weak interaction between composite fermions can cause a fundamental change in the nature of the ground state, thus providing insight into the puzzling experimental results.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.90.106403

Related papers

Phase boundary between the fractional quantum Hall liquid and the Wigner crystal at low filling factors and low temperatures: A path integral Monte Carlo study

W. J. He, T. Cui, Yanming Ma +3 more

We generalize a path integral Monte Carlo formula to investigate the phase boundary between the fractional quantum Hall liquid and the Wigner crystal for a two-dimensional electron (fermion) system in the presence of strong magnetic fields and at low temperatures. At very low temperature, the state of the system is found to be a solid at filling factors $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕7$, $1∕9$, and $1∕11$, while the state remains liquidlike at $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕3$ and $1∕5$. The temperature-density phase diagrams are obtained at low filling factors. At $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕7$ and a fixed electron density, the calculated melting temperature is $\ensuremath{\sim}220\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}$, in good agreement with some experimental results. The nature of the phase transition is suggested to be continuous.

Physical Review B•Nov 4, 2005•13 citations

Quantum Phase Transitions in Two-Dimensional Electron

Systems Alexander Shashkin, Sergey Kravchenko

Alexander Shashkin Institute of Solid State Physics, Chernogolovka, Moscow District 142432, Russia Sergey Kravchenko Physics Department, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, U.S.A. Two-dimensional (2D) electron systems are realized when the electrons are free to move in a plane but their motion perpendicular to the plane is quantized in a confining potential well. Quantum phase transitions realized experimentally in such systems so far include metal-insulator transitions in perpendicular magnetic fields, metal-insulator transition in zero magnetic field, and a possible transition to a Wigner crystal. The first transition is governed by the externally controlled electron density or magnetic field, while the other two are governed by the electron density. At low electron densities in 2D systems, the strongly-interacting limit is reached because the kinetic energy is overwhelmed by the energy of electron-electron interactions. The interaction strength is characterized by the ratio between the Coulomb energy and the Fermi energy, r∗s = Eee/EF . Assuming that the effective electron mass is equal to the band mass, the interaction parameter r∗s in the single-valley case reduces to the Wigner-Seitz radius, rs = 1/(πns)1/2aB, and therefore increases as the electron density, ns, decreases (here aB is the Bohr radius in the semiconductor). Possible candidates for the ground state of the system include a Wigner crystal characterized by spatial and spin ordering [1], a ferromagnetic Fermi liquid with spontaneous spin ordering [2], a paramagnetic Fermi liquid [3], etc. In the strongly-interacting limit (rs 1), no analytical theory has been developed to date. According to numerical simulations [4], Wigner crystallization is expected in a very dilute regime, when rs reaches approximately 35. Refined numerical simulations [5] have predicted that prior to the crystallization, in the range of the interaction parameter 25 ≤ rs ≤ 35, the ground state of the system is a strongly correlated ferromagnetic Fermi liquid. At higher electron densities, rs ∼ 1, the electron liquid is expected to be paramagnetic, with the effective mass, m, and Lande´ g factor renormalized by interactions. Apart from the ferromagnetic Fermi liquid, other intermediate phases between the Wigner crystal and the paramagnetic Fermi liquid may also exist.

CRC Press eBooks•Nov 2, 2010•1 citation

Laughlin-Jastrow-correlated Wigner crystal in a strong magnetic field

Hangmo Yi, H. A. Fertig

We propose a ground-state trial wave function for a two-dimensional Wigner crystal in a strong perpendicular magnetic field. The wave function includes Laughlin-Jastrow correlations between electron pairs, and may be interpreted as a crystal state of composite fermions or composite bosons. Treating the power $m$ of the Laughlin-Jastrow factor as a variational parameter, we use quantum Monte Carlo simulations to compute the energy of these new states. We find that our wave functions have lower energy than existing crystalline wave functions in the lowest Landau level. Our results are consistent with experimental observations of the filling factor at which the transition between the fractional quantum Hall liquid and the Wigner crystal occurs for electron systems. Exchange contributions to the wave functions are estimated quantitatively and shown to be negligible for sufficiently small filling factors.

arXiv:cond-mat/9803098•Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Aug 15, 1998•65 citations

Composite boson theory of Hall crystals and their transitions to Wigner crystals

Julian May-Mann, Sayak Bhattacharjee, S. Raghu

We consider the crystallization of a two-dimensional electron system in a perpendicular magnetic field using composite boson theory. There are three possible states to consider: the Hall liquid, the Wigner crystal, and the Hall crystal (a state with both broken translation symmetry and a quantized Hall response). Within composite boson theory, these states map onto a superconductor, a Mott insulator, and a supersolid of composite bosons respectively. We show that when a $ν= 1$ Hall liquid has a sufficiently soft roton, there is a first order transition to a triangular lattice Hall crystal. If we continue to decrease the roton mass, there is a continuous transition from the Hall crystal to a Wigner crystal. {When the Hall crystal exhibits the integer quantum Hall effect,} this transition {is} described by a free Dirac fermion and, at the critical point, the coupling to the phonons of the crystal is irrelevant, {in the {renormalization group} sense}. We extend this analysis to fractional $ν= 1/m$ Hall liquids. There, due to kinetic frustration arising from flux attachment, honeycomb lattice Hall crystals are preferred over triangular ones at intermediate interaction strength.

arXiv:2603.14680•Mar 16, 2026•0 citations

Variational quantum Monte Carlo study of two-dimensional Wigner crystals: Exchange, correlation, and magnetic-field effects

Xuejun Zhu, Steven G. Louie

The two-dimensional Wigner crystals are studied with the variational quantum Monte Carlo method. The close relationship between the ground-state wave function and the collective excitations in the system is illustrated, and used to guide the construction of the ground-state wave function of the strongly correlated solid. Exchange, correlation, and magnetic-field effects all give rise to distinct physical phenomena. In the absence of any external magnetic field, interesting spin orderings are observed in the ground state of the electron crystal in various two-dimensional lattices. In particular, two-dimensional bipartite lattices are shown not to lead necessarily to an antiferromagnetic ground state. In the quantum Hall effect regime, a strong magnetic field introduces energy and length scales. The magnetic field quenches the kinetic energy and poses constraints on how the electrons may correlate with each other. Care is taken to ensure the appropriate translational properties of the wave function when the system is in a uniform magnetic field. We have examined the exchange, intra-Landau-level correlation as well as Landau-level-mixing effects with various variational wave functions. We also determine their dependences on the experimental parameters such as the carrier effective mass at a modulation-doped semiconductor heterojunction. Our results, when combined with some recent calculations for the energy of the fractional quantum Hall liquid including Landau-level-mixing, show quantitatively that in going from n doping to p doping in GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As heterojunction systems, the crossover filling factor from the fractional quantum Hall liquid to the Wigner crystal changes from filling factor \ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\sim}1/5 to \ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\sim}1/3. This lends strong support to the claim that the observed reentrant insulating phases around \ensuremath{\nu}=1/5 for n-doped and around \ensuremath{\nu}=1/3 for p-doped high-mobility samples are primarily caused by electron-electron interaction effects. We discuss the possible implications of our theoretical results for some recent experiments carried out in the quantum Hall regime in search of the electron solid.

arXiv:cond-mat/9505074•Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Aug 15, 1995•58 citations

Intermediate liquid-solid regime near the quantum melting of a two dimensional Wigner molecule

Georgios Katomeris, Jean‐Louis Pichard

For intermediate values of the Coulomb energy to Fermi energy ratio $r_s$, the ground state of a few spinless fermions confined on a two dimensional torus is the quantum superposition of a floppy Wigner molecule with delocalized vacancies and of a Fermi liquid of intersticial particles. This raises the question of the existence of an unnoticed liquid-solid phase between the Fermi liquid and the Wigner crystal for fermionic systems in two dimensions.

arXiv:cond-mat/0012213•Dec 12, 2000•0 citations
The two-dimensional system of electrons in a high magnetic field offers an opportunity to investigate a phase transition from a quantum liquid into a Wigner solid. Recent experiments have revealed an incipient composite fermion liquid in a parameter range where theory and many experiments had previously suggested the Wigner crystal phase, thus calling into question our current understanding. This Letter shows how very small quantitative corrections (<1%) in the energy due to the weak interaction between composite fermions can cause a fundamental change in the nature of the ground state, thus providing insight into the puzzling experimental results.
We generalize a path integral Monte Carlo formula to investigate the phase boundary between the fractional quantum Hall liquid and the Wigner crystal for a two-dimensional electron (fermion) system in the presence of strong magnetic fields and at low temperatures. At very low temperature, the state of the system is found to be a solid at filling factors $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕7$, 1∕91∕91∕9, and 1∕111∕111∕11, while the state remains liquidlike at $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕3$ and 1∕51∕51∕5. The temperature-density phase diagrams are obtained at low filling factors. At $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕7$ and a fixed electron density, the calculated melting temperature is $\ensuremath{\sim}220\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}$, in good agreement with some experimental results. The nature of the phase transition is suggested to be continuous.
Alexander Shashkin Institute of Solid State Physics, Chernogolovka, Moscow District 142432, Russia Sergey Kravchenko Physics Department, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, U.S.A. Two-dimensional (2D) electron systems are realized when the electrons are free to move in a plane but their motion perpendicular to the plane is quantized in a confining potential well. Quantum phase transitions realized experimentally in such systems so far include metal-insulator transitions in perpendicular magnetic fields, metal-insulator transition in zero magnetic field, and a possible transition to a Wigner crystal. The first transition is governed by the externally controlled electron density or magnetic field, while the other two are governed by the electron density. At low electron densities in 2D systems, the strongly-interacting limit is reached because the kinetic energy is overwhelmed by the energy of electron-electron interactions. The interaction strength is characterized by the ratio between the Coulomb energy and the Fermi energy, r∗s = Eee/EF . Assuming that the effective electron mass is equal to the band mass, the interaction parameter r∗s in the single-valley case reduces to the Wigner-Seitz radius, rs = 1/(πns)1/2aB, and therefore increases as the electron density, ns, decreases (here aB is the Bohr radius in the semiconductor). Possible candidates for the ground state of the system include a Wigner crystal characterized by spatial and spin ordering [1], a ferromagnetic Fermi liquid with spontaneous spin ordering [2], a paramagnetic Fermi liquid [3], etc. In the strongly-interacting limit (rs 1), no analytical theory has been developed to date. According to numerical simulations [4], Wigner crystallization is expected in a very dilute regime, when rs reaches approximately 35. Refined numerical simulations [5] have predicted that prior to the crystallization, in the range of the interaction parameter 25 ≤ rs ≤ 35, the ground state of the system is a strongly correlated ferromagnetic Fermi liquid. At higher electron densities, rs ∼ 1, the electron liquid is expected to be paramagnetic, with the effective mass, m, and Lande´ g factor renormalized by interactions. Apart from the ferromagnetic Fermi liquid, other intermediate phases between the Wigner crystal and the paramagnetic Fermi liquid may also exist.
We propose a ground-state trial wave function for a two-dimensional Wigner crystal in a strong perpendicular magnetic field. The wave function includes Laughlin-Jastrow correlations between electron pairs, and may be interpreted as a crystal state of composite fermions or composite bosons. Treating the power mmm of the Laughlin-Jastrow factor as a variational parameter, we use quantum Monte Carlo simulations to compute the energy of these new states. We find that our wave functions have lower energy than existing crystalline wave functions in the lowest Landau level. Our results are consistent with experimental observations of the filling factor at which the transition between the fractional quantum Hall liquid and the Wigner crystal occurs for electron systems. Exchange contributions to the wave functions are estimated quantitatively and shown to be negligible for sufficiently small filling factors.
We consider the crystallization of a two-dimensional electron system in a perpendicular magnetic field using composite boson theory. There are three possible states to consider: the Hall liquid, the Wigner crystal, and the Hall crystal (a state with both broken translation symmetry and a quantized Hall response). Within composite boson theory, these states map onto a superconductor, a Mott insulator, and a supersolid of composite bosons respectively. We show that when a ν=1ν= 1ν=1 Hall liquid has a sufficiently soft roton, there is a first order transition to a triangular lattice Hall crystal. If we continue to decrease the roton mass, there is a continuous transition from the Hall crystal to a Wigner crystal. {When the Hall crystal exhibits the integer quantum Hall effect,} this transition {is} described by a free Dirac fermion and, at the critical point, the coupling to the phonons of the crystal is irrelevant, {in the {renormalization group} sense}. We extend this analysis to fractional ν=1/mν= 1/mν=1/m Hall liquids. There, due to kinetic frustration arising from flux attachment, honeycomb lattice Hall crystals are preferred over triangular ones at intermediate interaction strength.
The two-dimensional Wigner crystals are studied with the variational quantum Monte Carlo method. The close relationship between the ground-state wave function and the collective excitations in the system is illustrated, and used to guide the construction of the ground-state wave function of the strongly correlated solid. Exchange, correlation, and magnetic-field effects all give rise to distinct physical phenomena. In the absence of any external magnetic field, interesting spin orderings are observed in the ground state of the electron crystal in various two-dimensional lattices. In particular, two-dimensional bipartite lattices are shown not to lead necessarily to an antiferromagnetic ground state. In the quantum Hall effect regime, a strong magnetic field introduces energy and length scales. The magnetic field quenches the kinetic energy and poses constraints on how the electrons may correlate with each other. Care is taken to ensure the appropriate translational properties of the wave function when the system is in a uniform magnetic field. We have examined the exchange, intra-Landau-level correlation as well as Landau-level-mixing effects with various variational wave functions. We also determine their dependences on the experimental parameters such as the carrier effective mass at a modulation-doped semiconductor heterojunction. Our results, when combined with some recent calculations for the energy of the fractional quantum Hall liquid including Landau-level-mixing, show quantitatively that in going from n doping to p doping in GaAs/Alx{\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}Alx​${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As heterojunction systems, the crossover filling factor from the fractional quantum Hall liquid to the Wigner crystal changes from filling factor \ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\sim}1/5 to \ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\sim}1/3. This lends strong support to the claim that the observed reentrant insulating phases around \ensuremath{\nu}=1/5 for n-doped and around \ensuremath{\nu}=1/3 for p-doped high-mobility samples are primarily caused by electron-electron interaction effects. We discuss the possible implications of our theoretical results for some recent experiments carried out in the quantum Hall regime in search of the electron solid.
For intermediate values of the Coulomb energy to Fermi energy ratio rsr_srs​, the ground state of a few spinless fermions confined on a two dimensional torus is the quantum superposition of a floppy Wigner molecule with delocalized vacancies and of a Fermi liquid of intersticial particles. This raises the question of the existence of an unnoticed liquid-solid phase between the Fermi liquid and the Wigner crystal for fermionic systems in two dimensions.