Broken Symmetry Ground States in ν=2 Bilayer Quantum Hall Systems

Abstract

We report on a study of a bilayer two-dimensional electron gas at Landau level filling factor $ν=2$. The system exhibits both magnetic and spontaneous interlayer phase coherence broken symmetries. We propose a 3-parameter Slater determinant variational wavefunction which describes the ground state over the full range of bias potential ($Δ_V$) Zeeman coupling ($Δ_z$) and interlayer tunneling amplitude ($Δ_t$) strengths. Broken symmetry states occur inside a volume in this three-dimensional phase diagram near the $Δ_z^2=Δ_V^2+Δ_t^2$ surface. We have obtained analytic results for the intersections of the phase diagram with the $Δ_t=0$, $Δ_z=0$, and $Δ_V=0$, planes and show that the differential capacitance of the bilayer system is singular at the phase boundary.