Theory of Current-Induced Breakdown of the Quantum Hall Effect

Abstract

By studying the quantum Hall effect of stationary states with high values of injected current using a von Neumann lattice representation, we found that broadening of extended state bands due to a Hall electric field occurs and causes the breakdown of the quantum Hall effect. The Hall conductance agrees with a topological invariant that is quantized exactly below a critical field and is not quantized above a critical field. The critical field is proportional to $B^{3/2}$ and is enhanced substantially if the extended states occupy a small fraction of the system.

5 pages, RevTeX, final version to appear in PRB

References in corpus (2)

• Electronic transport and the localization length in the quantum Hall effect
• Duality Relation among Periodic Potential Problems in the Lowest Landau Level

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Electronic Processes at the Breakdown of the Quantum Hall Effect
• Field Theory of Anisotropic Quantum Hall Gas: Metrology and a Novel Quantum Hall Regime
• Pressure, Resistance, and Current Activation of Anisotropic Compressible Hall States