Effective mass suppression upon complete spin-polarization in an isotropic two-dimensional electron system

We measure the effective mass (m(*)) of interacting two-dimensional electrons confined to a 4.5-nm-wide AlAs quantum well. The electrons in this well occupy a single out-of-plane conduction-band valley with an isotropic in-plane Fermi contour. When the electrons are partially spin polarized, m(*) is larger than its band value and increases as the density is reduced. However, as the system is driven to full spin-polarization via the application of a strong parallel magnetic field, m(*) is suppressed down to values near or even below the band mass. Our results are consistent with the previously reported measurements on wide AlAs quantum wells where the electrons occupy an in-plane valley with an anisotropic Fermi contour and effective mass, and suggest that the effective mass suppression upon complete spin-polarization is a genuine property of interacting two-dimensional electrons.