A magnetic field usually leads to polarization of electron spins. It is shown that in a system of strongly interacting particles applying a magnetic field may lead to the opposite effect: depolarization of electron spins. Results of the work are based on an exact-diagonalization study of quantum-dot lithium—a system of three Coulomb interacting two-dimensional electrons in a parabolic confinement potential.

• Received 14 February 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.66.033307