Six Impossible Things: Fractional Charge From Laughlin’s Wave Function

Abstract

The Laughlin’s wave function is found to be the zero‐energy ground state of a δ‐function Hamiltonian. The finite negative value of the ground state energy which is 91 per cent of Wigner value, can be obtained only when Coulomb correlations are introduced. The Laughlin’s wave function is of short range and it overlaps with that of the exact wave functions of small (number of electrons 2 or 5) systems. (i) It is impossible to obtain fractional charge from Laughlin’s wave function. (ii) It is impossible to prove that the Laughlin’s wave function gives the ground state of the Coulomb Hamiltonian. (iii) It is impossible to have particle‐hole symmetry in the Laughlin’s wave function. (iv) It is impossible to derive the value of m in the Laughlin’s wave function. The value of m in ψm can not be proved to be 3 or 5. (v) It is impossible to prove that the Laughlin’s state is incompressible because the compressible states are also likely. (vi) It is impossible for the Laughlin’s wave function to have spin. This effort is directed to explain the experimental data of quantum Hall effect in GaAs/AlGaAs.