Coulomb drag in the quantum Hall $\nu = 1/2$ state: Role of disorder

Abstract

We consider Coulomb drag between two layers of two-dimensional electron gases subject to a strong magnetic field, with the Landau level filling factor in each layer being 1/2. We find $\rho_D$ to be very large, as compared to the zero magnetic field case. We attribute this enhancement to the slow decay of density fluctuations in a strong magnetic field. For a clean system, the linear $q$-dependence of the longitudinal conductivity, characteristic of the $\nu=1/2$ state, leads a unique temperature dependence---$\rd \propto T^{4/3}$. Within a semiclassical approximation, disorder leads to a decrease of the transresistivity as compared with the clean case, and a temperature dependence of $T^2\log T$ at low temperatures.