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Fingering of Electron Droplets in Nonuniform Magnetic Fields

Taylor L. Hughes, A. D. Klironomos, Alan T. Dorsey

cond-mat.mes-hallarXiv:cond-mat/0209018

Abstract

A semiclassical analysis of a two-dimensional electron droplet in a high, nonuniform magnetic field predicts that the droplet will form ``fingered'' patterns upon increasing the number of electrons. We construct explicit examples of these patterns using methods first developed for the flow of two-dimensional viscous fluids. We complement our analytical results with Monte Carlo simulations of the droplet wavefunction, and find that at the point where the semiclassical analysis predicts a cusp on the interface, the droplet fissions--a type of ``quantum breakup'' phenomenon.

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