Properties of Paired Quantum Hall States at $\nu =2$

Abstract

The energetic properties of a paired quantum Hall state at Landau level filling $\nu =2$ are investigated using variational Monte Carlo techniques. Pairing is found to be energetically favorable in small magnetic fields because it introduces correlations between up and down spins that are absent in the traditional $\nu =2$ state. We find that pairing survives extrapolation to the thermodynamic limit.

4 page Revtex file, 3 postscript figures included