Transition between Compressible and Incompressible States in Infinite-Layer Fractional Quantum Hall Systems

Abstract

Possible phase transitions between incompressible quantum Hall states and compressible three-dimensional states are discussed for infinite-layer electron systems in strong magnetic field. By variational Monte Carlo calculation, relative stability of some trial states is studied. If the inter-layer distance is large enough, the Laughlin state is stabilized for the Landau-level filling ν=1/3 of each layer. When the inter-layer distance is comparable to the magnetic length, the Laughlin state becomes unstable against a different fractional quantum Hall state with inter-layer correlation, and/or against a three-dimensional compressible state. It is discussed how the quantum phase transition between them can be controlled in actual systems.

REVTex,10 pages,9 figures. To be published in Phys.Rev.B