Murthy, GanpathySachdev, Subir2012-01-102008Murthy, Ganpathy, and Subir Sachdev. 2008. Quantum hall to insulator transition in the bilayer quantum hall ferromagnet. Physical Review Letters 101(22): 226801.1079-7114http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:7522128We describe a phase transition of the bilayer quantum Hall ferromagnet at \(\nu=1\). In the presence of static disorder (modeled by a periodic potential), bosonic \(S=\frac{1}{2}\) spinons undergo a superfluid-insulator transition while preserving ferromagnetism. The Mott insulating phase has an emergent \(U(1)\) photon, and the transition is between Higgs and Coulomb phases of this photon. Consequences for charge and counterflow conductivity and for interlayer tunneling conductance are discussed.en-USmesoscale and nanoscale physicsJournal Article2012-01-1010.1103/PhysRevLett.101.226801