Quantum Phase Transition in a Clean Two-Dimensional Electron System

A quantum phase transition that was recently observed in a high-mobility silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is analyzed in terms of a scaling theory. The most striking characteristic of the transition is a divergence of the thermopower, according to an inverse linear law, as a critical value of the electron density is approached. A scaling description of this transition yields predictions about the critical behavior of other observables, e. g., the specific heat. We also explore the possibility that this transition realizes a recently predicted transition from a Fermi liquid to a non-Fermi-liquid state.