Vector-mean-field theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect

A mean-field theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect is formulated based on the adiabatic principle of Greiter and Wilczek. The theory is tested on known bulk properties (excitation gap, fractional charge, and statistics), and then applied to a confined region in a two-dimensional electron gas (quantum dot). For a small number N of electrons in the dot, the exact ground-state energy has cusps at the same angular momentum values as the mean-field theory. For large N, Wen’s algebraic decay of the probability for resonant tunneling through the dot is reproduced, albeit with a different exponent.