  We have investigated electron transport in a quasi-one dimensional (quasi-1D)
electron gas as a function of the confinement potential. At a particular
potential configuration, and electron concentration, the ground state of a 1D
quantum wire splits into two rows to form an incipient Wigner lattice. It was
found that application of a transverse magnetic field can transform a
double-row electron configuration into a single-row due to magnetic enhancement
of the confinement potential. The movements of the energy levels have been
monitored under varying conditions of confinement potential and in-plane
magnetic field. It is also shown that when the confinement is weak, electron
occupation drives a reordering of the levels such that the normal ground state
passes through the higher levels. The results show that the levels can be
manipulated by utilising their different dependence on spatial confinement and
electron concentration, thus enhancing the understanding of many body
interactions in mesoscopic 1D quantum wires.
