Dirty quantum Hall ferromagnets and quantum Hall spin glasses

Abstract

We study quantum Hall ferromagnets in the presence of a random electrostatic impurity potential, within the framework of a classical non-linear sigma model. We discuss the behaviour of the system using a heuristic picture for the competition between exchange and screening, and test our conclusions with extensive numerical simulations. We obtain a phase diagram for the system as a function of disorder strength and deviation of the average Landau level filling factor from unity. Screening of an impurity potential requires distortions of the spin configuration. In the absence of Zeeman coupling there is a disorder-driven, zero-temperature phase transition from a ferromagnet at weak disorder and small deviation from integer filling to a spin glass at stronger disorder or large charge deviation. We characterise the spin glass phase in terms of its magnetic and charge response, as well as its ac conductivity.