Chiral Surface States in the Bulk Quantum Hall Effect

Abstract

In layered samples which exhibit a bulk quantum Hall effect (QHE), a two-dimensional (2d) surface ``sheath" of gapless excitations is expected. These excitations comprise a novel 2d chiral quantum liquid which should dominate the low temperature transport along the field (z-axis). For the integer QHE, we show that localization effects are completely absent in the ``sheath", giving a metallic z-axis conductivity. For fractional filling $ν=1/3$, the ``sheath" is a 2d non-Fermi liquid, with incoherent z-axis transport and $σ_{zz} \sim T^3$. Experimental implications for the Bechgaard salts are discussed.

4 pages, RevTeX 3.0, with two encapsulated postscript figures, which can be automatically included in-text if desired. The complete postscript file is available on the WWW at http://www.itp.ucsb.edu/~balents/sheath.ps