At fixed total density, the unpolarized and fully polarized candidate energies arePolarization increases the kinetic energy because one spin species must occupy a larger Fermi sphere, but gains negative exchange energy. The fully polarized candidate wins this endpoint comparison ifUsing the defined givesThus the specified two-state comparison indeed predicts a polarized state below the unpolarized state's energy for .
The endpoint and continuous polarization thresholds of a contact electron gas are different. To check the actual onset within the same uniform Hartree-Fock model, allow to vary continuously. In units ,The unpolarized state loses local stability already at . Full polarization becomes the minimizing endpoint only when , or . Between those values the optimum is partly polarized. Consequently is the requested endpoint crossing, not the exact onset of spontaneous polarization after all spin populations are allowed.
