Two-dimensional metal in a parallel magnetic field.

We have investigated the effect of an in-plane parallel magnetic field (B(axially) on two high mobility metallic-like dilute two-dimensional hole gas systems in GaAs quantum wells. The experiments reveal that, while suppressing the magnitude of the low temperature resistance drop, B(axially) does not affect E(a), the characteristic energy scale of the metallic resistance drop. The field B(c) at which the metallic-like resistance drop vanishes is dependent on both the width of the quantum well and the orientation of B(axially). It is unexpected that E(a) is unaffected by B(axially) up to B(c) despite the fact that the Zeeman energy at B(c) is roughly equal to E(a).