686 Ch.

12 Quantum Hall Effect

and

(remember that (d/az)t = -a/&*). The eigenstates are generated

according to (12.51). Let us first find the vacuum state. It is easily
verified that a10,O) = b10,O) = 0 for
1 zz* 1 zz*
l0,O) = -exp(-q)- -exp(--). (12.58)
fi rn 41
(In the last step, we show how to reattribute to z its proper dimension
1 ) . We may regard (0,O) as the state for which the center of the cyclotron
orbit is as localized as possible. Namely, (12.49) can be associated with
the Heisenberg uncertainty relation

(12.59)

If we insist on specifying, say, yo with complete precision then we have

to make AZOdivergent (or at least as large as the sample). This was
the case with the Landau eigenstates which are yo-eigenstates. If we
want to know Ax0 and Ayo with equal accuracy then the most we can
achieve is to know that the center of orbit is somewhere within a disk
of radius 1.N

The next state of the lowest level is

I1,O) = btl0,O) = exp(--) zz* = -exp(--).

z 1212
4 & 4
(12.60)
Generallv
(12.61)

Introducing z = pexp (icp), the solutions Im, 0) cx pm exp (irncp) are

seen to be eigenstates of the angular momentum component Lz =
(l/i)(d/dcp) with eigenvalue m. This follows from the axial symme-
try of the problem and holds for all Landau levels. However, electrons
in the lowest Landau level can go around only in one direction (counter-
clockwise): all the L” eigenvalues are non-negative. The non-equivalence