PAIR DESCRIPTION OF THE FRACTIONAL QUANTUM HALL-EFFECT WITH APPLICATION TO EDGE WAVES

Pairs of particles of definite total and relative angular momentum pro vide a natural description for a two-dimensional electron gas in a str ong magnetic field. Two body operators take a simple form when express ed in terms of pair creation and destruction operators. The pair forma lism is applied to the study of edge-wave excitations. For v=1 the ope rators which create edge excitations are identified and the role the i nteraction potential plays in the long wavelength limit is clarified. This picture also describes edge excitations on the v=1/m Laughlin sta tes.