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arXiv · cond-mat/0307044

The Mesoscopic Quantum-Hall-Insulator Transition

Abstract

Sharp localization transitions of chiral edge states in disordered quantum wires, subject to strong magnetic field, are shown to be driven by crossovers from two- to one-dimensional localization of bulk states. As a result, the two-terminal conductance is found to exhibit at zero temperature discontinuous transitions between {\it exactly} integer plateau values and zero, reminiscent of first order phase transitions. We discuss the corresponding phase diagram. The spin of the electrons is shown to result in a multitude of phases, when the spin degeneracy is lifted by the Zeeman energy. The width of conductance plateaus is found to depend sensitively on the spin flip rate $1/τ_s$.

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S. Kettemann, B. Kramer, T. Ohtsuki. 2004-06-01. The Mesoscopic Quantum-Hall-Insulator Transition. https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0307044

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