Influence of the Zeeman Effect on the Quantum 3D–2D Crossover in Layered Conductors

Abstract

A strong magnetic field suppresses interlayer tunneling in layered conductors and leads to a transition from a quasi-three-dimensional to a quasi-two-dimensional electron regime. The influence of this quantum 3D‒2D crossover on the thermodynamic properties has been examined in this work taking into account the Zeeman splitting of spin states. It has been shown that orbital coherence suppression and the Zeeman effect jointly change the electron spectrum and redistribute the subband populations, leading to a nonmonotonic dependence of the magnetization on the magnetic field in the crossover region. In the high-field region, the system transitions to a spin-polarized state, and the magnetization saturates. The obtained results indicate the important role of spin effects in the formation of the response in the crossover region.