On a New Universal Class of Phase Transitions and Quantum Hall Effect

Abstract

We study the possible phase transitions between (2+1)-dimensional abelian Chern-Simons theories. We show that they may be described by non-unitary rational conformal field theories with c_eff = 1. As an example we choose the fractional quantum Hall effect and derive all its main features from the discrete fractal structure of the moduli space of these non-unitary transition conforma lfield theories and some large scale principles. Rationality of these theories is intimately related to the modular group yielding sever conditions on the possible phase transitions. This gives a natural explanation for both, the values and the widths, of the observed fractional Hall plateaux.