Tunneling Density of States of the Interacting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

We investigate the influence of electron--electron interactions on the density of states of a ballistic two--dimensional electron gas. The density of states is determined nonperturbatively by means of path integral techniques allowing for reliable results near the Fermi surface, where perturbation theory breaks down. We find that the density of states is suppressed at the Fermi level to a finite value. This suppression factor grows with decreasing electron density and is weakened by the presence of gates.