Quantum Hall skyrmions with higher topological charge

Abstract

We have investigated ν=1 quantum Hall skyrmions with more than one unit of topological, and hence electric, charge. Using a combination of analytic and numerical methods we find the counterintuitive result that when the Zeeman energy is tuned to values much smaller than the interaction energy (gμBB/(e2/el)<8.4×10−5), the creation energy of a charge two skyrmion becomes less than twice the creation energy of a charge one skyrmion, i.e. skyrmions bind in pairs. The doubly charged skyrmions are stable to further accretion of charge and exhibit a 10% larger spin per unit charge than charge one skyrmions which would, in principle, signal this pairing. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.