Magnetic field induced transition in a wide parabolic well superimposed with superlattice

Abstract

We study a $Al_{x}Ga_{x-1}As$ parabolic quantum wells (PQW) with $GaAs/Al_{x}Ga_{x-1}As$ square superlattice. The magnetotransport in PQW with intentionally disordered short-period superlattice reveals a surprising transition from electrons distribution over whole parabolic well to independent-layer states with unequal density. The transition occurs in the perpendicular magnetic field at Landau filling factor $\nu\approx3$ and is signaled by the appearance of the strong and developing fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states and by the enhanced slope of the Hall resistance. We attribute the transition to the possible electron localization in the x-y plane inside the lateral wells, and formation of the FQH states in the central well of the superlattice, driven by electron-electron interaction.