title: Electron localization in the quantum Hall regime.
abstract: The theory of the insulating state discriminates between insulators and metals by means of a localization tensor, which is finite in insulators and divergent in metals. In absence of time-reversal symmetry, this same tensor acquires an off-diagonal imaginary part, proportional to the dc transverse conductivity, leading to quantization of the latter in two-dimensional systems. I provide evidence that electron localization--in the above sense--is the common cause for both vanishing of the dc longitudinal conductivity and quantization of the transverse one in quantum Hall fluids.
authors.affiliation: INFM DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center, via Beirut 2, I-34014 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Resta