Effective mass suppression in dilute, spin-polarized two-dimensional electron systems.

We report effective mass (m*) measurements, via analyzing the temperature dependence of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, for dilute, interacting, two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) occupying a single conduction-band valley in AlAs quantum wells. When the 2DES is partially spin-polarized, m* is larger than its band value, consistent with previous results on various 2DESs. However, as we fully spin-polarize the 2DES by subjecting it to strong parallel magnetic fields, m* is unexpectedly suppressed and falls even below the band mass.