Spontaneous Coherence and Collective Modes in Double-Layer Quantum Dot Systems

We study the ground state and the collective excitations of parabolically-confined double-layer quantum dot systems in a strong magnetic field. We identify parameter regimes where electrons form maximum density droplet states, quantum-dot analogs of the incompressible states of the bulk integer quantum Hall effect. In these regimes the Hartree-Fock approximation and the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximations can be used to describe the ground state and collective excitations respectively. We comment on the relationship between edge excitations of dots and edge magneto-plasmon excitations of bulk double-layer systems.