In a quasi two-dimensional electron system with non-zero layer thickness, a parallel magnetic field (B||) can couple to the out-of-plane electron motion and lead to a severe distortion and eventual disintegration of the Fermi contour. Here we directly and quantitatively probe this evolution through commensurability and Shubnikov-de Haas measurements on electrons confined to a 40-nm-wide GaAs (001) quantum well. We are able to observe the Fermi contour disintegration phenomenon, in good agreement with the results of semi-classical calculations. Experimentally we also observe intriguing features, suggesting magnetic-breakdown-type behavior when the Fermi contour disintegrates.
@article{arxiv.1502.03047,
title = {Fermi Contour Disintegration of Quasi-2D Electrons in Parallel Magnetic Fields},
author = {M. A. Mueed and D. Kamburov and M. Shayegan and L. N. Pfeiffer and K. W. West and K. W. Baldwin and R. Winkler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1502.03047},
year = {2015}
}