Quantum Hall effect in graphene: Disorder effect and phase diagram

Abstract

We numerically study the interplay of band structure, topological invariant and disorder effect in two-dimensional electron system of graphene in a magnetic field. Two \emph{distinct} quantum Hall effect (QHE) regimes exist in the energy band with the unconventional "half-integer" QHE appearing near the band center, consistent with the experimental observation. The latter is more robust against disorder scattering than the conventional QHE states near the band edges. The phase diagram for the unconventional QHE is obtained where the destruction of the Hall plateaus at strong disorder is through the float-up of extended levels toward band center and higher plateaus always disappear first. We further predict a new insulating phase between $\nu =\pm 2$ QHE states at the band center, which may explain the experimentally observed resistance discontinuity near zero gate voltage.