Half-Integral Spin-Singlet Quantum Hall Effect

Abstract

We provide numerical evidence that the ground state of a short range interaction model at $\nu =1/2$ is incompressible and spin-singlet for a wide range of repulsive interactions. Furthermore it is accurately described by a trial wave function studied earlier. For the Coulomb interaction we find that this wave function provides a good description of the lowest lying spin-singlet state, and propose that fractional quantum Hall effect would occur at $\nu =1/2$ if this state became the global ground state.

Latex 13 pages, 3 figures upon request