The fractional quantum Hall effect has been one of the most active areas of research in quantum condensed matter physics for nearly four decades, serving as a paradigm for unexpected and exotic emergent behavior arising from interactions. This book, featuring a collection of articles written by experts and a Foreword by Klaus von Klitzing, the discoverer of quantum Hall effect and winner of 1985 Nobel Prize in physics, aims to provide a coherent account of the exciting new developments and the current status of the field.

The experimental discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) at the end of 1981 by Tsui, Stormer and Gossard was absolutely unexpected since, at this time, no theoretical work existed that could predict new struc tures in the magnetotransport coefficients under conditions representing the extreme quantum limit. It is more than thirty years since investigations of bulk semiconductors in very strong magnetic fields were begun. Under these conditions, only the lowest Landau level is occupied and the theory predicted a monotonic variation of the resistivity with increasing magnetic field, depending sensitively on the scattering mechanism. However, the ex perimental data could not be analyzed accurately since magnetic freeze-out effects and the transitions from a degenerate to a nondegenerate system complicated the interpretation of the data. For a two-dimensional electron gas, where the positive background charge is well separated from the two dimensional system, magnetic freeze-out effects are barely visible and an analysis of the data in the extreme quantum limit seems to be easier. First measurements in this magnetic field region on silicon field-effect transistors were not successful because the disorder in these devices was so large that all electrons in the lowest Landau level were localized. Consequently, models of a spin glass and finally of a Wigner solid were developed and much effort was put into developing the technology for improving the quality of semi conductor materials and devices, especially in the field of two-dimensional electron systems.

The discovery of the quantized and fractional Quantum Hall Effect phenomena is among the most important physics findings in the latter half of this century. The precise quantization of the electrical resistance involved in the quantized Hall effect phenomena has led to the new definition of the resistance standard and has metrologically affected all of science and technology. This resource consists of contributions from the top researchers in the field who present recent experimental and theoretical developments. Each chapter is self-contained and includes its own set of references guiding readers to original papers and further reading on the topic.

A pedagogical and self-contained discussion on monolayer and bilayer quantum Hall systems is given in this volume in a field-theoretical framework, with an introduction to quantum field theory, anyon physics and Chem-Simons gauge theory.

After a foreword by Klaus von Klitzing, the first chapters of this book discuss the prehistory and the theoretical basis as well as the implications of the discovery of the Quantum Hall effect on superconductivity, superfluidity, and metrology, including experimentation. The second half of this volume is concerned with the theory of and experiments on the many body problem posed by fractional effect. Specific unsolved problems are mentioned throughout the book and a summary is made in the final chapter. The quantum Hall effect was discovered on about the hundredth anniversary of Hall's original work, and the finding was announced in 1980 by von Klitzing, Dorda and Pepper. Klaus von KIitzing was awarded the 1985 Nobel prize in physics for this discovery.

This book aims to describe the physics of the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects (QHE) from a theoretical side. In the classical Hall effect, the Hall resistance is proportional to the applied magnetic field strength and varies continuously. So, the discovery of a stepwise change of the Hall resistance by von Klitzing in an ultra-thin layer of a MOSFET was a big surprise. The QHE is a macroscopic phenomenon and shows the exact quantum structure, which is one of the most fundamental phenomena in physics. The fractional quantum Hall effect has been explained assuming quasi-particles with fractional charges or Jain's composite fermions, the existence of which has not been verified experimentally. The author has been developing a theory based on a standard treatment of an interacting electron system without assuming any quasi-particle. This book will be easily understood by undergraduate students in physics. Knowledge of quantum field theory is needed to study Chapter 9.

For most of the last century, condensed matter physics has been dominated by band theory and Landau's symmetry breaking theory. In the last twenty years, however, there has been the emergence of a new paradigm associated with fractionalisation, topological order, emergent gauge bosons and fermions, and string condensation. These new physical concepts are so fundamental that they may even influence our understanding of the origin of light and fermions in the universe. This book is a pedagogical and systematic introduction to the new concepts and quantum field theoretical methods (which have fuelled the rapid developments) in condensed matter physics. It discusses many basic notions in theoretical physics which underlie physical phenomena in nature. Topics covered are dissipative quantum systems, boson condensation, symmetry breaking and gapless excitations, phase transitions, Fermi liquids, spin density wave states, Fermi and fractional statistics, quantum Hall effects, topological and quantum order, spin liquids, and string condensation. Methods covered are the path integral, Green's functions, mean-field theory, effective theory, renormalization group, bosonization in one- and higher dimensions, non-linear sigma-model, quantum gauge theory, dualities, slave-boson theory, and exactly soluble models beyond one-dimension. This book is aimed at teaching graduate students and bringing them to the frontiers of research in condensed matter physics.

One of the most exciting recent developments to have emerged from the quantum Hall effect is the subject of composite fermions. This important volume gives a self-contained, comprehensive description of the subject, including fundamentals, more advanced theoretical work, and results from experimental observations of composite fermions.

Intended for a two semester advanced undergraduate or graduate course in Solid State Physics, this treatment offers modern coverage of the theory and related experiments, including the group theoretical approach to band structures, Moessbauer recoil free fraction, semi-classical electron theory, magnetoconductivity, electron self-energy and Landau theory of Fermi liquid, and both quantum and fractional quantum Hall effects. Integrated throughout are developments from the newest semiconductor devices, e.g. space charge layers, quantum wells and superlattices. The first half includes all material usually covered in the introductory course, but in greater depth than most introductory textbooks. The second half includes most of the important developments in solid-state researches of the past half century, addressing e.g. optical and electronic properties such as collective bulk and surface modes and spectral function of a quasiparticle, which is a basic concept for understanding LEED intensities, X ray fine structure spectroscopy and photoemission. So both the fundamental principles and most recent advances in solid state physics are explained in a class-tested tutorial style, with end-of-chapter exercises for review and reinforcement of key concepts and calculations.

This book was first published in 2007. When electrons are confined to two dimensions, cooled to near absolute zero temperature, and subjected to a strong magnetic field, they form an exotic new collective state of matter. Investigations into this began with the observations of integral and fractional quantum Hall effects, which are among the most important discoveries in condensed matter physics. The fractional quantum Hall effect and a stream of other unexpected findings are explained by a new class of particles: composite fermions. This textbook is a self-contained, pedagogical introduction to the physics and experimental manifestations of composite fermions. Ideal for graduate students and academic researchers, it contains numerous exercises to reinforce the concepts presented. The topics covered include the integral and fractional quantum Hall effects, the composite-fermion Fermi sea, various kinds of excitations, the role of spin, edge state transport, electron solid, bilayer physics, fractional braiding statistics and fractional local charge.