Levitation of Extended States in a Random Magnetic Field with a Finite Mean

We study the localization properties of electrons in a two-dimensional system in a random magnetic field B(r)=B₀+δB(r) with the average B₀ and the amplitude of the magnetic field fluctuations δB. The localization length of the system is calculated by using the finite-size scaling method combined with the transfer-matrix technique. In the case of weak δB, we find that the random magnetic field system is equivalent to the integer quantum Hall effect system, namely, the energy band splits into a series of disorder broadened Landau bands, at the centers of which states are extended with the localization length exponent ν=2.34±0.02. With increasing δB, the extended states float up in energy, which is similar to the levitation scenario proposed for the integer quantum Hall effect.