Quantum Hall to Insulator Transition in the Bilayer Quantum Hall Ferromagnet

Abstract

We describe a new phase transition of the bilayer quantum Hall ferromagnet at filling fraction $\nu = 1$. In the presence of static disorder (modeled by a periodic potential), bosonic $S=1/2$ spinons can undergo a superfluid-insulator transition while preserving the ferromagnetic order. The Mott insulating phase has an emergent U(1) photon, and the transition is between Higgs and Coulomb phases of this photon. Physical consequences for charge and counterflow conductivity, and for interlayer tunneling conductance in the presence of quenched disorder are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, no figure