Theory of Anomalous Quantum Hall Effects in Graphene

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding the anomalous quantum Hall effects in graphene, emphasizing the role of disorder and symmetry in determining Hall quantization.

Contribution

It introduces a theory linking Landau levels, disorder symmetry, and localization to explain anomalous quantum Hall effects in graphene.

Findings

Hall quantization depends on disorder symmetry.

Unique disorder effects lead to anomalous quantum Hall states.

Landau levels alone do not determine Hall effects.

Abstract

Recent successes in manufacturing of atomically thin graphite samples (graphene) have stimulated intense experimental and theoretical activity. The key feature of graphene is the massless Dirac type of low-energy electron excitations. This gives rise to a number of unusual physical properties of this system distinguishing it from conventional two-dimensional metals. One of the most remarkable properties of graphene is the anomalous quantum Hall effect. It is extremely sensitive to the structure of the system; in particular, it clearly distinguishes single- and double-layer samples. In spite of the impressive experimental progress, the theory of quantum Hall effect in graphene has not been established. This theory is a subject of the present paper. We demonstrate that the Landau level structure by itself is not sufficient to determine the form of the quantum Hall effect. The Hall quantization is due to Anderson localization which, in graphene, is very peculiar and depends strongly on the character of disorder. It is only a special symmetry of disorder that may give rise to anomalous quantum Hall effects in graphene. We analyze the symmetries of disordered single- and double-layer graphene in magnetic field and identify the conditions for anomalous Hall quantization.