Anti-Levitation in the Integer Quantum Hall Systems

Abstract

Two-dimensional electron gas in the integer quantum Hall regime is investigated numerically by studying the dynamics of an electron hopping on a square lattice subject to a perpendicular magnetic field and random on-site energy with white noise distribution. Focusing on the lowest Landau band we establish an anti-levitation scenario of the extended states: As either the disorder strength $W$ increases or the magnetic field strength $B$ decreases, the energies of the extended states move below the Landau energies pertaining to a clean system. Moreover, for strong enough disorder, there is a disorder dependent critical magnetic field $B_c(W)$ below which there are no extended states at all. A general phase diagram in the $W-1/B$ plane is suggested with a line separating domains of localized and delocalized states.