What quantum effect is responsible for the integer quantization of Hall resistance?

The integer quantum Hall effect is responsible for the integer quantization of Hall resistance. It appears in a two-dimensional electron system exposed to a strong magnetic field and very low temperatures, where the Hall resistance settles into remarkably precise plateaus.

The resistance on these plateaus is given by Rxy = h/(νe²), where h is Planck’s constant, e is the elementary charge, and ν is an integer filling factor. Electrons occupy discrete Landau levels created by the magnetic field. Between these levels, localized electron states prevent ordinary dissipation from changing the Hall voltage, producing stable quantized values.

Klaus von Klitzing discovered the effect in 1980 while studying silicon-based devices. His observation that the Hall resistance was quantized with extraordinary precision earned him the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics and led to the use of the von Klitzing constant in resistance metrology.

The answer is sometimes confused with the fractional quantum Hall effect, which involves strongly interacting electrons and fractional filling factors. The quantum anomalous Hall and quantum spin Hall effects are related topological phenomena, but they are not the standard explanation for integer Hall-resistance quantization.