Evidence for a finite temperature phase transition in a bilayer quantum Hall system

Abstract

We study the Josephson-like interlayer tunneling signature of the strongly correlated $ν_T = 1$ quantum Hall phase in bilayer two-dimensional electron systems as a function of the layer separation, temperature and interlayer charge imbalance. Our results offer strong evidence that a finite temperature phase transition separates the interlayer coherent phase from incoherent phases which lack strong interlayer correlations. The transition temperature is dependent on both the layer spacing and charge imbalance between the layers.

4 pages and 3 postscript figures. Significantly revised version as accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters