Two-dimensional quantum dots in high magnetic fields: Rotating-electron-molecule versus composite-fermion approach

Exact diagonalization results are reported for the lowest rotational band of $N=6$ electrons in strong magnetic fields in the range of high angular momenta, $70<~L<~140$ (covering the corresponding range of fractional filling factors, 1/5>~ν>~1/9). A detailed comparison of energetic, spectral, and transport properties (specifically, magic angular momenta, radial electron densities, occupation number distributions, overlaps and total energies, and exponents of current-voltage power law) shows that the recently discovered rotating-electron-molecule wave functions [Phys. Rev. B 66, 115315 (2002)] provide a superior description compared to the composite-fermion--Jastrow-Laughlin ones.