Fermi contour anisotropy of GaAs electron-flux composite fermions in parallel magnetic fields

Abstract

In high-quality two-dimensional electrons confined to GaAs quantum wells, near Landau level filling factors $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$ and 1/4, we observe signatures of the commensurability of the electron-flux composite fermion cyclotron orbits with a unidirectional periodic density modulation. Focusing on the data near $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$, we directly and quantitatively probe the shape of the composite fermions' cyclotron orbit, and therefore their Fermi contour, as a function of magnetic field (${B}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$) applied parallel to the sample plane. The composite fermion Fermi contour becomes severely distorted with increasing ${B}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ and appears to be elliptical, in sharp contrast to the electron Fermi contour which splits as the system becomes bilayerlike at high ${B}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$. We present a simple, qualitative model to interpret our findings.