Abstract
We perform unrestricted Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations for electrons in a parabolic quantum dot at zero magnetic field. The crossover from Fermi liquid to Wigner molecule behavior is studied for up to eight electrons and various spin components We compare the results with numerically exact path-integral Monte Carlo simulations and earlier HF studies. Even in the strongly correlated regime the symmetry-breaking HF solutions provide accurate estimates for the energies and describe the one-particle densities qualitatively. However, the HF approximation favors the formation of a Wigner molecule and produces azimuthal modulations of the density for even numbers of electrons in one spatial shell.
- Received 30 August 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.63.113313
©2001 American Physical Society