Charge density wave-assisted tunneling between Hall edge states

We study the intraplanar tunneling between quantum Hall samples separated by a quasi-one-dimensional barrier, induced through the interaction of edge degrees of freedom with the charge density waves of a Hall crystal defined in a parallel layer. A field theory formulation is set up in terms of bosonic (formula presented)-dimensional excitations coupled to (formula presented)-dimensional fermions. Parity symmetry is broken at the quantum level by the confinement of soliton-antisoliton pairs near the tunneling region. The usual Peierls argument allows estimation of the critical temperature (formula presented) so that for (formula presented) mass corrections due to longitudinal density fluctuations disappear from the edge spectrum. We compute the gap dependence upon the random global phase of the pinned charge density wave, as well as the effects of a voltage bias applied across the tunneling junction. © 2001 The American Physical Society.