Quantum Phase Transition in Skyrmion Lattices

Abstract

We investigate the ground state of 2D electron gas in Quantum Hall regime at the filling factor slightly deviating from unity, that can be viewed as a sparse lattice of skyrmions. We have found that in the low density limit skyrmions are bound in pairs, those forming the actual lattice. We have shown that at further density increase the lattice undergoes a quantum phase transition, an analogue of superconducting phase transition in Josephson junction arrays.