Four-electron quantum dot in a magnetic field

Abstract

We present a theoretical treatment of four two-dimensional electrons in a harmonic confinement potential in the presence of an external magnetic field using the exact diagonalization approach. The ground state properties and the spin and angular momentum transitions for different electron interaction strengths and magnetic fields are obtained. A magnetic field-confinement strength phase diagram is presented indicating a rich variety of ground states. An interesting feature of this system is the depolarization of spins by application of a magnetic field. The results are compared to several approximate theories.