# Electron Bubbles and the Structure of the Orbital Wavefunction

## TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of electron bubble patterns in a high Landau level, revealing that their complexity arises from the nodal structure of the electronic wavefunction, contrasting classical bubble systems.

## Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of diverse multi-electron bubble phases in quantum systems and links their structure to the orbital wavefunction's nodal features.

## Key findings

- Rich pattern of multi-electron bubble phases observed
- Bubble morphology linked to wavefunction nodal structure
- Distinct from classical bubble systems

## Abstract

Stripe-like and bubble-like patterns spontaneously form in numerous physical, chemical, and biological systems when competing long-range and short-range interactions banish uniformity. Stripe-like and the related nematic morphology are also under intense scrutiny in various strongly correlated electron systems. In contrast, the electronic bubble morphology is rare. Some of the most intriguing electron bubbles develop in the two-dimensional electron gas subjected to a perpendicular magnetic field. However, in contrast to bubbles forming in classical systems such as the Turing activator-inhibitor reaction or Langmuir films, bubbles in electron gases owe their existence to elementary quantum mechanics: they are stabilized as wavefunctions of individual electrons overlap. Here we report a rich pattern of multi-electron bubble phases in a high Landau level and we conclude that this richness is due to the nodal structure of the orbital component of the electronic wavefunction.