Strong-magnetic-field states of the pure electron plasma

Abstract

We study the zero-temperature electron plasma in a strong magnetic field in the Hartree-Fock approximation. The calculations are based on an expression for the density matrix which allows all Coulomb integrals to be performed explicitly and allows exchange to be treated exactly. We find that the ground state changes from a charge-density-wave state with Q parallel to the field, to a uniform-density state, then to a crystal state in the holes of the lowest Landau level, and finally to an electron-crystal state as the magnetic field is increased.