THERMODYNAMICS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN A FRACTIONAL QUANTUM HALL LIQUID AND A WIGNER ELECTRON SOLID

A recent paper of Wu et al., discusses thermodynamic observables in a fractional quantum Hall (FQH) liquid. In particular the de Haas-van Alphen effect is considered theoretically. Here, it is pointed out that laboratory experiments on GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunctions, plus the analogue of the Clausius–Clapeyron equation in an applied magnetic field, allow schematic analysis of the orbital magnetism of the FQH liquid. There is general agreement with the theoretical results of Wu et al.