Evidence that voltage rather than resistance is quantized in breakdown of the quantum Hall effect

Abstract

Quantized longitudinal voltage drops are observed along a length of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure quantum Hall effect device at applied currents large enough for the device to be in the breakdown regime. The range of currents is extensive enough to demonstrate that it is the longitudinal voltage that is quantized, rather than the longitudinal resistance. A black-box and a quasi-elastic inter-Landau level scattering (QUILLS) model are then employed to calculate the fraction of electrons making transitions into higher Landau levels, the transition rates, and the maximum electric field across the device.