Theoretical investigation of edge reconstruction in the $\nu$=5/2 and 7/3 fractional quantum Hall states

Abstract

The edge physics of the $\nu=5/2$ fractional quantum Hall state is of relevance to several recent experiments that use it as a probe to gain insight into the nature of the bulk state. We perform calculations in a semi-realistic setup with positive background charge at a distance $d$, by exact diagonalization both in the full Hilbert space (neglecting Landau level mixing) and in the restricted Pfaffian basis of edge excitations. Our principal finding is that the 5/2 edge is unstable to a reconstruction except for very small $d$. In addition, the interactions between the electrons in the second Landau level and the lowest Landau level enhance the tendency toward edge reconstruction. We identify the bosonic and fermionic modes of edge excitations and obtain their dispersions by back-calculating from the energy spectra as well as directly from appropriate trial wave functions. We find that the edge reconstruction is driven by an instability in the fermionic sector for setback distances close to the critical ones. We also study the edge of the $\nu=7/3$ state and find that edge reconstruction occurs here more readily than for the $\nu=1/3$ state. Our study indicates that the $\nu=5/2$ and 7/3 edge states are reconstructed for all experimental systems investigated so far and thus must be taken into account when analyzing experimental results. We also consider an effective field theory to gain insight into how edge reconstruction might influence various observable quantities.