at the same time, the quantization of resistance and anisotropic transport, suggesting a possible coexistence of an incompressible liquid with a compressible (“nematic") phase [@mulligan].

Theoretical understanding of the FQHE was pioneered by Laughlin’s method of many-body trial wavefunctions [@laughlin]. Model wavefunctions can be formulated using the conformal field theory [@mr], and conveniently evaluated in finite-size systems via exact diagonalization of the parent Hamiltonians [@haldane_prange]. In addition, excitation spectra containing quasiparticles/quasiholes above the ground state can be studied. Such analytical and numerical studies are made much easier by exploiting symmetry and the corresponding quantum numbers to characterize the ground state and excitations. To this end, rotational symmetry has been very useful [@haldane_sphere]; ocassionally, periodic boundary conditions have also been used [@yhl; @duncan_translations].

However, as it was recently pointed out [@duncan], rotational symmetry is not fundamental to the appearance of FQHE. In a theoretical treatment of the FQHE, it is important to distinguish several “metrics" that naturally arise in the problem. The band mass tensor yields a metric that defines the shape of the LL orbitals. A second metric derives from the dielectric tensor of the semiconducting material, and defines the shape of the equipotential contours around an electron. Rotational invariance 