We analyze the experimental observation of metastable anisotropy resistance orientation at half filled quantum Hall fluids by means of a model of a quantum nematic liquid in an explicit symmetry breaking potential. We interpret the observed ``rotation'' of the anisotropy axis as a process of nucleation of nematic domains and compute the nucleation rate within this model. By comparing with experiment, we are able to predict the critical radius of nematic bubbles, Rc∼2.6μm. Each domain contains about 104 electrons.
@article{arxiv.0803.1578,
title = {Metastable anisotropy orientation of nematic quantum Hall fluids},
author = {Daniel G. Barci and Zochil González Arenas},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0803.1578},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
10 pages, 8 figures, final version as will appear in PRB