The renormalization group and quantum edge states

The role of edge states in phenomena like the quantum Hall effect is well known, and the basic physics has a wide field-theoretic interest. In this paper we introduce a new model exhibiting quantum Hall-like features. We show how the choice of boundary conditions for a one-particle Schrödinger equation can give rise to states localized at the edge of the system. We consider both the example of a free particle and the more involved example of a particle in a magnetic field. In each case, edge states arise from a non-trivial scaling limit involving the boundary condition, and chirality of the boundary condition plays an essential role. Second quantization of these quantum mechanical systems leads to a multi-particle ground state carrying a persistent current at the edge. We show that the theory quantized with this vacuum displays an “anomaly” at the edge which is the mark of a quantized Hall conductivity in the presence of an external magnetic field. These models therefore possess characteristics which make them indistinguishable from the quantum Hall effect at macroscopic distances. We also offer interpretations for the physics of such boundary conditions which may have a bearing on the nature of the excitations in these models.