Compressibility of a two-dimensional electron gas in a parallel magnetic field

Abstract

The thermodynamic compressibility of a two-dimensional electron system in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field is calculated. We use accurate correlation energy results from quantum Monte Carlo simulations to construct the ground state energy and obtain the critical magnetic field Bc required to fully spin polarize the system. Inverse compressibility as a function of density shows a kink-like behavior in the presence of an applied magnetic field, which can be identified as Bc. Our calculations suggest an alternative approach to transport measurements of determining full spin polarization.