A continuous transition between fractional quantum Hall and superfluid states

Abstract

We develop a theory of a direct, continuous quantum phase transition between a bosonic Laughlin fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state and a superfluid, generalizing the Mott insulator to superfluid phase diagram of bosons to allow for the breaking of time-reversal symmetry. The direct transition can be protected by a spatial symmetry, and the critical theory is a pair of Dirac fermion fields coupled to an emergent Chern-Simons gauge field. The transition may be achieved in optical traps of ultracold atoms by starting with a $\nu = 1/2$ bosonic Laughlin state and tuning an appropriate periodic potential to change the topology of the composite fermion band structure.