arXiv subjects

A. Cappelli

Publications and source records attributed to A. Cappelli.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2009

Chiral Partition Functions of Quantum Hall Droplets

Chiral partition functions of conformal field theory describe the edge excitations of isolated Hall droplets. They are characterized by an index specifying the quasiparticle sector and transform among themselves by a finite-dimensional representation of the modular group. The partition functions are derived and used to describe electron transitions leading to Coulomb blockade conductance peaks. We find the peak patterns for Abelian hierarchical states and non-Abelian Read-Rezayi states, and compare them. Experimental observation of these features can check the qualitative properties of the conformal field theory description, such as the decomposition of the Hilbert space into sectors, involving charged and neutral parts, and the fusion rules.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Matrix Model Description of Laughlin Hall States

We analyze Susskind's proposal of applying the non-commutative Chern-Simons theory to the quantum Hall effect. We study the corresponding regularized matrix Chern-Simons theory introduced by Polychronakos. We use holomorphic quantization and perform a change of matrix variables that solves the Gauss law constraint. The remaining physical degrees of freedom are the complex eigenvalues that can be interpreted as the coordinates of electrons in the lowest Landau level with Laughlin's wave function. At the same time, a statistical interaction is generated among the electrons that is necessary to stabilize the ground state. The stability conditions can be expressed as the highest-weight conditions for the representations of the W-infinity algebra in the matrix theory. This symmetry provides a coordinate-independent characterization of the incompressible quantum Hall states.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

Landau-Ginzburg Description of Boundary Critical Phenomena in Two Dimensions

The Virasoro minimal models with boundary are described in the Landau-Ginzburg theory by introducing a boundary potential, function of the boundary field value. The ground state field configurations become non-trivial and are found to obey the soliton equations. The conformal invariant boundary conditions are characterized by the reparametrization-invariant data of the boundary potential, that are the number and degeneracies of the stationary points. The boundary renormalization group flows are obtained by varying the boundary potential while keeping the bulk critical: they satisfy new selection rules and correspond to real deformations of the Arnold simple singularities of A_k type. The description of conformal boundary conditions in terms of boundary potential and associated ground state solitons is extended to the N=2 supersymmetric case, finding agreement with the analysis of A-type boundaries by Hori, Iqbal and Vafa.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

On the c-theorem in more than two dimensions

Several pieces of evidence have been recently brought up in favour of the c-theorem in four and higher dimensions, but a solid proof is still lacking. We present two basic results which could be useful for this search: i) the values of the putative c-number for free field theories in any even dimension, which illustrate some properties of this number; ii) the general form of three-point function of the stress tensor in four dimensions, which shows some physical consequences of the c-number and of the other trace-anomaly numbers.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

A Unified Conformal Field Theory Description of Paired Quantum Hall States

The wave functions of the Haldane-Rezayi paired Hall state have been previously described by a non-unitary conformal field theory with central charge c=-2. Moreover, a relation with the c=1 unitary Weyl fermion has been suggested. We construct the complete unitary theory and show that it consistently describes the edge excitations of the Haldane-Rezayi state. Actually, we show that the unitary (c=1) and non-unitary (c=-2) theories are related by a local map between the two sets of fields and by a suitable change of conjugation. The unitary theory of the Haldane-Rezayi state is found to be the same as that of the 331 paired Hall state. Furthermore, the analysis of modular invariant partition functions shows that no alternative unitary descriptions are possible for the Haldane-Rezayi state within the class of rational conformal field theories with abelian current algebra. Finally, the known c=3/2 conformal theory of the Pfaffian state is also obtained from the 331 theory by a reduction of degrees of freedom which can be physically realized in the double-layer Hall systems.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

Numerical Study of Hierarchical Hall Edge States on the Disk Geometry

We present a detailed analysis of the exact numerical spectrum of up to ten interacting electrons in the first Landau level on the disk geometry. We study the edge excitations of the hierarchical plateaus and check the predictions of two relevant conformal field theories: the multi-component Abelian theory and the W-infinity minimal theory of the incompressible fluids. We introduce two new criteria for identifying the edge excitations within the low-lying states: the plot of their density profiles and the study of their overlaps with the Jain wave functions in a meaningful basis. We find that the exact bulk and edge excitations are very well reproduced by the Jain states; these, in turn, can be described by the multi-component Abelian conformal theory. Most notably, we observe that the edge excitations form sub-families of the low-lying states with a definite pattern, which is explained by the W-infinity minimal conformal theory. Actually, the two conformal theories are related by a projection mechanism whose effects are observed in the spectrum. Therefore, the edge excitations of the hierarchical Hall states are consistently described by the W-infinity minimal theory, within the finite-size limitations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv1995

QUANTUM HALL FLUIDS AS W-INFINITY MINIMAL MODELS

We review our recent work on the algebraic characterization of quantum Hall fluids. Specifically, we explain how the incompressible quantum fluid ground states can be classified by effective edge field theories with the W-infinity dynamical symmetry of ``quantum area-preserving diffeomorphisms''. Using the representation theory of W-infinity, we show how all fluids with filling factors $ν= m/(pm +1)$ and $ν= m/(pm-1)$ with $m$ and $p$ positive integers, $p$ even, correspond exactly to the W-infinity {\it minimal models}.

hep-th↗

arXiv1994

$W_{1+\infty}$ Dynamics of Edge Excitations in the Quantum Hall Effect

Quantum Hall universality classes can be classified by $W_{1+\infty}$ symmetry. We show that this symmetry also governs the dynamics of quantum edge excitations. The Hamiltonian of interacting electrons in the fully-filled first Landau level is expressed in terms of $W_{1+\infty}$ generators. The spectra for both the Coulomb and generic short-range interactions are thus found algebraically. We prove the one-dimensional bosonization of edge excitations in the limit of large number of particles. Moreover, the subleading corrections are given by the higher-spin $W_{1+\infty}$ generators, which measure the radial fluctuations of the electron density. The resulting spectrum for the Coulomb interaction contains a logarithmic enhancement, in agreement with experimental observations. The spectrum for generic short-range interactions is subleading and reproduces the classical capillary frequencies. These results are also extended to fractional filling by using symmetry arguments.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1993

Classification of Quantum Hall Universality Classes by $\ W_{1+\infty}\ $ symmetry

We show how two-dimensional incompressible quantum fluids and their excitations can be viewed as $\ W_{1+\infty}\ $ edge conformal field theories, thereby providing an algebraic characterization of incompressibility. The Kac-Radul representation theory of the $\ W_{1+\infty}\ $ algebra leads then to a purely algebraic complete classification of hierarchical quantum Hall states, which encompasses all measured fractions. Spin-polarized electrons in single-layer devices can only have Abelian anyon excitations.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Large N Limit in the Quantum Hall Effect

The Laughlin states for $N$ interacting electrons at the plateaus of the fractional Hall effect are studied in the thermodynamic limit of large $N$. It is shown that this limit leads to the semiclassical regime for these states, thereby relating their stability to their semiclassical nature. The equivalent problem of two-dimensional plasmas is solved analytically, to leading order for $N\to\infty$, by the saddle point approximation - a two-dimensional extension of the method used in random matrix models of quantum gravity and gauge theories. To leading order, the Laughlin states describe classical droplets of fluids with uniform density and sharp boundaries, as expected from the Laughlin ``plasma analogy''. In this limit, the dynamical $W_\infty$-symmetry of the quantum Hall states expresses the kinematics of the area-preserving deformations of incompressible liquid droplets.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Symmetry Aspects and Finite-Size Scaling of Quantum Hall Fluids

The exactness and universality observed in the quantum Hall effect suggests the existence of a symmetry principle underlying Laughlin's theory. We review the role played by the infinite $W_{\infty }$ and conformal algebras as dynamical symmetries of incompressible quantum fluids and show how they predict universal finite-size effects in the excitation spectrum.

hep-th↗

arXiv1992

Conformal Symmetry and Universal Properties of Quantum Hall States

The low-lying excitations of a quantum Hall state on a disk geometry are edge excitations. Their dynamics is governed by a conformal field theory on the cylinder defined by the disk boundary and the time variable. We give a simple and detailed derivation of this conformal field theory for integer filling, starting from the microscopic dynamics of $(2+1)$-dimensional non-relativistic electrons in Landau levels. This construction can be generalized to describe Laughlin's fractional Hall states via chiral bosonization, thereby making contact with the effective Chern-Simons theory approach. The conformal field theory dictates the finite-size effects in the energy spectrum. An experimental or numerical verification of these universal effects would provide a further confirmation of Laughlin's theory of incompressible quantum fluids.

hep-th↗

arXiv1992

Infinite Symmetry in the Quantum Hall Effect

Free planar electrons in a uniform magnetic field are shown to possess the symmetry of area-preserving diffeomorphisms ($W$-infinity algebra). Intuitively, this is a consequence of gauge invariance, which forces dynamics to depend only on the flux. The infinity of generators of this symmetry act within each Landau level, which is infinite-dimensional in the thermodynamical limit. The incompressible ground states corresponding to completely filled Landau levels (integer quantum Hall effect) are shown to be infinitely symmetric, since they are annihilated by an infinite subset of generators. This geometrical characterization of incompressibility also holds for fractional fillings of the lowest level (simplest fractional Hall effect) in the presence of Haldane's effective two-body interactions. Although these modify the symmetry algebra, the corresponding incompressible ground states proposed by Laughlin are again symmetric with respect to the modified infinite algebra.

hep-th↗