Unlocking Transition for Modulated Surfaces and Quantum Hall Stripes
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
2009-10-31 v1
Abstract
We develop a sine-Gordon model of layered systems of two-dimensional modulated surfaces and one dimensional stripes, and demonstrate that these systems can undergo a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in which the modulations unlock as a result of thermal or quantum fluctuations, respectively. The unlocked phase is interpreted as an anisotropic crystal in which soliton-antisoliton pairs proliferate. The properties of such a state for modulated stripes in quantum Hall systems and its possible relevance to recent anomalies in transport data are discussed.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9903417,
title = {Unlocking Transition for Modulated Surfaces and Quantum Hall Stripes},
author = {H. A. Fertig},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9903417},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
5 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Physical Review Letters