Liouvillian Approach to the Integer Quantum Hall Effect Transition

We present a novel approach to the localization-delocalization transition in the integer quantum Hall effect. The Hamiltonian projected onto the lowest Landau level can be written in terms of the projected density operators alone. This and the closed set of commutation relations between the projected densities leads to simple equations for the time evolution of the density operators. These equations can be used to map the problem of calculating the disorder averaged and energetically unconstrained density-density correlation function to the problem of calculating the one-particle density of states of a dynamical system with a novel action. At the self-consistent mean-field level, this approach yields normal diffusion and a finite longitudinal conductivity. While we have not been able to go beyond the saddle point approximation analytically, we show numerically that the critical localization exponent can be extracted from the energetically integrated correlation function yielding $\nu=2.33 \pm 0.05$ in excellent agreement with previous finite-size scaling studies.Comment: 9 pages, submitted to PR

Wave-packet dynamics at the mobility edge in two- and three-dimensional systems

We study the time evolution of wave packets at the mobility edge of disordered non-interacting electrons in two and three spatial dimensions. The results of numerical calculations are found to agree with the predictions of scaling theory. In particular, we find that the $k$-th moment of the probability density $(t)$ scales like $t^{k/d}$ in $d$ dimensions. The return probability $P(r=0,t)$ scales like $t^{-D_2/d}$, with the generalized dimension of the participation ratio $D_2$. For long times and short distances the probability density of the wave packet shows power law scaling $P(r,t)\propto t^{-D_2/d}r^{D_2-d}$. The numerical calculations were performed on network models defined by a unitary time evolution operator providing an efficient model for the study of the wave packet dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 4 figures included, published versio

Integer quantum Hall effect of interacting electrons: dynamical scaling and critical conductivity

We report on a study of interaction effects on the polarization of a disordered two-dimensional electron system in a strong magnetic field. Treating the Coulomb interaction within the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation we find numerical evidence for dynamical scaling with a dynamical critical exponent z=1 at the integer quantum Hall plateau transition in the lowest Landau level. Within the numerical accuracy of our data the conductivity at the transition and the anomalous diffusion exponent are given by the values for non-interacting electrons, independent of the strength of the interaction.Comment: Minor changes. Final version to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. June 2

Current-voltage characteristics and the zero-resistance state in a 2DEG

We study the current-voltage characteristics (CVC) of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) with microwave induced negative conductance in a magnetic field. We show that due to the Hall effect, strictly speaking there is no distinction between N- and S-shaped CVCs. Instead the observed CVC depends on the experimental setup with, e.g., an N-shaped CVC in a Corbino disc geometry corresponding to an S-shaped CVC in a Hall bar geometry in a strong magnetic field. We argue that instabilities of homogeneous states in regions of negative differential conductivity lead to the observation of zero resistance in Hall bars and zero conductance in Corbino discs and we discuss the structure of current and electric field domains.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; replaced with final versio

Metal-insulator transitions in anisotropic 2d systems

Several phenomena related to the critical behaviour of non-interacting electrons in a disordered 2d tight-binding system with a magnetic field are studied. Localization lengths, critical exponents and density of states are computed using transfer matrix techniques. Scaling functions of isotropic systems are recovered once the dimension of the system in each direction is chosen proportional to the localization length. It is also found that the critical point is independent of the propagation direction, and that the critical exponents for the localization length for both propagating directions are equal to that of the isotropic system (approximately 7/3). We also calculate the critical value of the scaling function for both the isotropic and the anisotropic system. It is found that the isotropic value equals the geometric mean of the two anisotropic values. Detailed numerical studies of the density of states for the isotropic system reveals that for an appreciable amount of disorder the critical energy is off the band center.Comment: 6 pages RevTeX, 6 figures included, submitted to Physical Review

Streda-like formula in spin Hall effect

A generalized Streda formula is derived for the spin transport in spin-orbit coupled systems. As compared with the original Streda formula for charge transport, there is an extra contribution of the spin Hall conductance whenever the spin is not conserved. For recently studied systems with quantum spin Hall effect in which the z-component spin is conserved, this extra contribution vanishes and the quantized value of spin Hall conductivity can be reproduced in the present approach. However, as spin is not conserved in general, this extra contribution can not be neglected, and the quantization is not exact.Comment: 4 pages, no figur

Scaling in the Integer Quantum Hall Effect: interactions and low magnetic fields

Recent developments in the scaling theory of the integer quantum Hall effect are discussed. In particular, the influence of electron-electron interactions on the critical behavior are studied. It is further argued that recent experiments on the disappearance of the quantum Hall effect at low magnetic fields support rather than disprove the scaling theory, when interpreted properly.Comment: 13 pages, invited talk at DPG spring meeting, Regensburg, March 2000, to appear in Advances in Solid State Physics, ed. B. Krame

Isolated resonances in conductance fluctuations in ballistic billiards

We study numerically quantum transport through a billiard with a classically mixed phase space. In particular, we calculate the conductance and Wigner delay time by employing a recursive Green's function method. We find sharp, isolated resonances with a broad distribution of resonance widths in both the conductance and the Wigner time, in contrast to the well-known smooth conductance fluctuations of completely chaotic billiards. In order to elucidate the origin of the isolated resonances, we calculate the associated scattering states as well as the eigenstates of the corresponding closed system. As a result, we find a one-to-one correspondence between the resonant scattering states and eigenstates of the closed system. The broad distribution of resonance widths is traced to the structure of the classical phase space. Husimi representations of the resonant scattering states show a strong overlap either with the regular regions in phase space or with the hierarchical parts surrounding the regular regions. We are thus lead to a classification of the resonant states into regular and hierarchical, depending on their phase space portrait.Comment: 2 pages, 5 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., proceedings Localisation 2002 (Tokyo, Japan

Magnetization and Level Statistics at Quantum Hall Liquid-Insulator Transition in the Lattice Model

Statistics of level spacing and magnetization are studied for the phase diagram of the integer quantum Hall effect in a 2D finite lattice model with Anderson disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure