Abstract
We investigate equilibrium electron currents and magnetization in an ideal two-dimensional disk of radius R placed in a strong magnetic field H. The most striking results emerge when the conditions for the existence of edge and bulk states are met, namely, R≫=(ħc/eH. When the Fermi energy is locked on a Landau level, the current as a function of electron density is quantized in units of (e/h)ħ/2, where is the cyclotron frequency. We argue that this effect survives against weak disorder. It is also shown that the persistent current has an approximately periodic dependence on 1/H.
- Received 17 February 1993
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.279
©1993 American Physical Society