A metallic phase in quantum Hall systems

Abstract

The electronic eigenstates of a quantum Hall (QH) system are chiral states. Strong inter-Landau-band mixings among these states can occur when the bandwidth is comparable to the spacing of two adjacent Landau bands. We show that mixing of localized states with opposite chirality can delocalize electronic states. Based on numerical results, we propose the existence of a metallic phase between two adjacent QH phases and between a QH phase and the insulating phase. This result is consistent with non-scaling behaviors observed in recent experiments on quantum-Hall-liquid-to-insulator transition.