Onset of an insulating zero-plateau quantum hall state in graphene

We analyze the dissipative conductance of the zero-plateau quantum Hall state appearing in undoped graphene in strong magnetic fields. Charge transport in this state is assumed to be carried by a magnetic domain wall, which forms by hybridization of two counterpropagating edge states of opposing spin due to interactions. The resulting nonchiral edge mode is a Luttinger liquid of parameter K, which enters a gapped, perfectly conducting state below a critical value Kc≈1/2. Backscattering in this system involves spin flip, so that interaction with localized magnetic moments generates a finite resistivity Rxx via a "chiral Kondo effect." At finite temperatures T, Rxx(T) exhibits a crossover from metallic to insulating behavior as K is tuned across a threshold KMI. For T→0, Rxx in the intermediate regime KMI<K<Kc is finite, but diverges as K approaches Kc. This model provides a natural interpretation of recent experiments.