Integer quantum Hall effect

The quantization of Hall conductance in a two-dimensional electron system at low temperature and strong magnetic field, in integer multiples of e²/h. Its plateaus are robust against disorder and characterize topological phases of matter.

Landau quantization: The discrete energy levels of charged particles moving in a magnetic field. A strong perpendicular field divides electron energies into the levels whose filling sets the Hall plateau.
Two-dimensional electron gas: A system in which electrons are confined to move freely in two dimensions. The effect emerges when charge carriers are restricted to a plane.
Klaus von Klitzing: A German physicist who discovered the integer quantum Hall effect in 1980. His measurements revealed precisely quantized Hall resistance plateaus.
Fractional quantum Hall effect: A Hall phenomenon with fractional conductance plateaus arising from strongly correlated electron states. Unlike the integer effect, its fractional plateaus require electron-electron interactions.
Filling factor: The ratio of particle density to the degeneracy of a quantum level. Integer filling determines which Hall conductance plateau appears.
Magnetic flux quantum: The quantum of magnetic flux associated with a charged particle or superconducting pair. Flux through the sample sets the degeneracy of each Landau level.
University of Würzburg: A public research university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. Von Klitzing observed the effect there in a silicon MOSFET experiment.
Classical Hall effect: A transverse voltage produced by the magnetic deflection of charge carriers in a conductor. The classical Hall response varies continuously rather than forming quantized plateaus.
Chiral edge state: A one-way conducting mode that propagates along the boundary of a two-dimensional system. These boundary channels carry current while resisting backscattering.
Elementary charge: The magnitude of the electric charge carried by a proton or electron. It appears squared in the conductance quantum e²/h.

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