The Tomonaga-Luttinger Model and the Chern-Simons Theory for the Edges of Multi-layer Fractional Quantum Hall Systems

Abstract

Wen's chiral Tomonaga-Luttinger model for the edge of an m-layer quantum Hall system of total filling factor nu=m/(pm +- 1) with even p, is derived as a random-phase approximation of the Chern-Simons theory for these states. The theory allows for a description of edges both in and out of equilibrium, including their collective excitation spectrum and the tunneling exponent into the edge. While the tunneling exponent is insensitive to the details of a nu=m/(pm + 1) edge, it tends to decrease when a nu=m/(pm - 1) edge is taken out of equilibrium. The applicability of the theory to fractional quantum Hall states in a single layer is discussed.