arXiv subjects

N. Read

Publications and source records attributed to N. Read.

81 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv1996

Edge excitations of paired fractional quantum Hall states

The Hilbert spaces of the edge excitations of several ``paired'' fractional quantum Hall states, namely the Pfaffian, Haldane-Rezayi and 331 states, are constructed and the states at each angular momentum level are enumerated. The method is based on finding all the zero energy states for those Hamiltonians for which each of these known ground states is the exact, unique, zero-energy eigenstate of lowest angular momentum in the disk geometry. For each state, we find that, in addition to the usual bosonic charge-fluctuation excitations, there are fermionic edge excitations. The edge states can be built out of quantum fields that describe the fermions, in addition to the usual scalar bosons (or Luttinger liquids) that describe the charge fluctuations. The fermionic fields in the Pfaffian and 331 cases are a non-interacting Majorana (i.e., real Dirac) and Dirac field, respectively. For the Haldane-Rezayi state, the field is an anticommuting scalar. For this system we exhibit a chiral Lagrangian that has manifest SU(2) symmetry but breaks Lorentz invariance because of the breakdown of the spin statistics connection implied by the scalar nature of the field and the positive definite norm on the Hilbert space. Finally we consider systems on a cylinder where the fluid has two edges and construct the sectors of zero energy states, discuss the projection rules for combining states at the two edges, and calculate the partition function for each edge excitation system at finite temperature in the thermodynamic limit. It is pointed out that the conformal field theories for the edge states are examples of orbifold constructions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Continuum quantum ferromagnets at finite temperature and the Quantum Hall effect

We study finite temperature ($T$) properties of the continuum quantum field theory of systems with a ferromagnetic ground state. A scaling theory of the $T=0$ system is discussed carefully, and its consequences for crossovers between different finite $T$ regimes in dimensions 1, 2, and 3 are described. The results are compared with recent NMR measurements of the magnetization of a quantum Hall system with filling factor $ν=1$; we predict that the relaxation rate $1/T_1$ of this system may have a finite $T$ ``ferromagnetic coherence peak''.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Quantum field theory of metallic spin glasses

We introduce an effective field theory for the vicinity of a zero temperature quantum transition between a metallic spin glass (``spin density glass'') and a metallic quantum paramagnet. Following a mean field analysis, we perform a perturbative renormalization-group study and find that the critical properties are dominated by static disorder-induced fluctuations, and that dynamic quantum-mechanical effects are dangerously irrelevant. A Gaussian fixed point is stable for a finite range of couplings for spatial dimensionality $d > 8$, but disorder effects always lead to runaway flows to strong coupling for $d \leq 8$. Scaling hypotheses for a {\em static\/} strong-coupling critical field theory are proposed. The non-linear susceptibility has an anomalously weak singularity at such a critical point. Although motivated by a perturbative study of metallic spin glasses, the scaling hypotheses are more general, and could apply to other quantum spin glass to paramagnet transitions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Theory of the half-filled Landau level

A recent theory of a compressible Fermi-liquid like state at Landau level filling factors $ν=1/q$ or $1-1/q$, $q$ even, is reviewed, with emphasis on the basic physical concepts.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Behaviour of the energy gap near a commensurate-incommensurate transition in double layer quantum Hall systems at nu=1

The charged excitations in the system of the title are vortex-antivortex pairs in the spin-texture described in the theory by Yang et al which, in the commensurate phase, are bound together by a ``string''. It is shown that their excitation energy drops as the string lengthens as the parallel magnetic field approaches the critical value, then goes up again in the incommensurate phase. This produces a sharp downward cusp at the critical point. An alternative description based on the role of disorder in the tunnelling and which appears not to produce a minimum in the excitation energy is also discussed. It is suggested that a similar transition could also occur in compressible Fermi-liquid-like states.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Landau theory of quantum spin glasses of rotors and Ising spins

We consider quantum rotors or Ising spins in a transverse field on a $d$-dimensional lattice, with random, frustrating, short-range, exchange interactions. The quantum dynamics are associated with a finite moment of inertia for the rotors, and with the transverse field for the Ising spins. For a suitable distribution of exchange constants, these models display spin glass and quantum paramagnet phases and a zero temperature quantum transition between them. An earlier exact solution for the critical properties of a model with infinite-range interactions can be reproduced by minimization of a Landau effective-action functional for the model in finite $d$ with short-range interactions. The functional is expressed in terms of a composite spin field which is bilocal in time. The mean-field phase diagram near the zero temperature critical point is mapped out as a function of temperature, strength of the quantum coupling, and applied fields. The spin glass ground state is found to be replica symmetric, with replica symmetry breaking appearing only at finite temperatures. Next we examine the consequences of fluctuations about mean-field for the critical properties. Above $d=8$, and with certain restrictions on the values of the Landau couplings, we find that the transition is controlled by a Gaussian fixed point with mean-field critical exponents. For couplings not attracted by the Gaussian fixed point above $d=8$, and for all physical couplings below $d=8$, we find runaway renormalization group flows to strong coupling. General scaling relations that should be valid even at the strong coupling fixed point are proposed and compared with Monte Carlo simulations.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Rezayi and Read Reply

Reply to comment by Jain, Cond-mat 9409012 published in the Physical Review Letters, Number 73, 1052 (1994).

cond-mat↗

arXiv1992

A Solvable Spin-Glass of Quantum Rotors

We examine a model of $M$-component quantum rotors coupled by Gaussian-distributed random, infinite-range exchange interactions. A complete solution is obtained at $M=\infty$ in the spin-glass and quantum-disordered phases. The quantum phase transition separating them is found to possess logarithmic violations of scaling, with no further modifications to the leading critical behavior at any order in $1/M$; this suggests that the critical properties of the transverse-field Ising model (believed to be identical to the $M\rightarrow 1$ limit) are the same as those of the $M=\infty$ quantum rotors.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1992

Fractional quantum Hall effect and nonabelian statistics

It is argued that fractional quantum Hall effect wavefunctions can be interpreted as conformal blocks of two-dimensional conformal field theory. Fractional statistics can be extended to nonabelian statistics and examples can be constructed from conformal field theory. The Pfaffian state is related to the 2D Ising model and possesses fractionally charged excitations which are predicted to obey nonabelian statistics.

hep-th↗