John Chalker

Abstract:

We study localization in layered, three-dimensional conductors in strong magnetic fields. We demonstrate the existence of three phases - insulator, metal and quantized Hall conductor - in the two-dimensional parameter space obtained by varying the Fermi energy and the interlayer coupling strength. Transport in the quantized Hall conductor occurs via extended surface states. These surface states constitute a subsystem at a novel critical point, which we describe using a new, directed network model.

Abstract:

We present an interpretation of recent cyclotron resonance experiments on the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. We show that the observed dependence of the resonance spectrum on Landau level occupancy and temperature arises from the interplay of three factors: spin-splitting of the cyclotron frequency; thermal population of the two spin states; and coupling of the resonances for each spin orientation by Coulomb interactions. In addition, we derive an $f$-sum rule which allows spin polarisation to be determined directly from resonance spectra.