On Hofstadter butterfly spectrum: Chern-Simons theory, subband gap mapping, IQHE and FQHE labelling

TL;DR

This paper uses Chern-Simons theory to analyze the Hofstadter spectrum, identifying regions responsible for IQHE and FQHE through subband gap mapping and spectral restructuring at high magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces a novel subband-gap mapping algorithm based on Maxwell Chern-Simons gauge theory to analyze the Hofstadter spectrum and quantum Hall effects.

Findings

Identification of IQHE regions in the Hofstadter spectrum

High magnetic field effects on subband restructuring

Hierarchical scaling explains FQHE features

Abstract

The magnetic field affects the Bloch band structure in a couple of ways. First it breaks the Bloch band into magnetic subbands or the Landau levels are broadened into magnetic Bloch bands. The resulting group of subbands in the central portion of the energy scale is associated with the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE). Then at high fields it changes the integrated density of states of the remaining lowest and topmost subband, respectively, which can be associated with fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). Here, we employ the Maxwell Chern-Simons gauge theory to formulate the subband-gap mapping algorithm and to construct the butterfly profile of the Hofstadter spectrum. The two regions in the spectrum responsible for the IQHE are identified. At very high magnetic fields the highest and lowest subband are affected by magnetic-field induced restructuring of the integrated density of states in each subband, respectively. The resulting transformation of each of the two subband is responsible for the FQHE. Thus, in the central regions of the energy scale, the principal group of subbands defined by the gap mapping is responsible for the IQHE. The fine structure of the topmost and lowest subband, which convey an iterative nature of the magnetic spectrum is a result of a hierarchical scaling and restructuring by the magnetic fields on the integrated density of states in each respective subband and is responsible for the FQHE.