Universality and Phase Diagram around Half-filled Landau Level

TL;DR

This study investigates the phase diagram of a two-dimensional electron gas near half-filled Landau level, revealing universal behaviors, phase boundaries, and the absence of a true metallic phase around nu=1/2.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence for the phase boundaries and universality around nu=1/2, including the levitation of delocalized states and the non-existence of a true metallic phase.

Findings

Identified a temperature-independent Hall conductivity line at sigma_{xy}=0.5 (e^{2}/h).

Observed levitation of delocalized states at phase boundaries.

Data suggest no true metallic phase exists around nu=1/2.

Abstract

Gated GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures were used to determine the low-temperature behavior of the two-dimensional electron gas near filling factor nu=1/2 in the disorder-magnetic-field plane. We identify a line on which sigma_{xy} is temperature independent, has value sigma_{xy}=0.5 (e^{2}/h), and a distinct line on which rho_{xy}=2 (h/e^{2}). The phase boundaries between the Hall insulator and the principal quantum Hall liquids at nu=1 and 1/3 show levitation of the delocalized states of the first Landau levels for electrons and composite fermions. Finally, the data suggest that there is no true metallic phase around nu=1/2.