English

Fingering of Electron Droplets in Nonuniform Magnetic Fields

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2009-11-07 v2

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.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0209018,
  title  = {Fingering of Electron Droplets in Nonuniform Magnetic Fields},
  author = {Taylor L. Hughes and A. D. Klironomos and Alan T. Dorsey},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0209018},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures; various referee suggested modifications, scheduled to appear in PRL