Transition from free to interacting composite fermions away from ν=1/3

Spin excitations from a partially populated composite fermion level are studied above and below ν=1/3. In the range 2/7<ν<2/5, the experiments uncover significant departures from the noninteracting composite fermion picture that demonstrate the increasing impact of interactions as quasiparticle Landau levels are filled. The observed onset of a transition from free to interacting composite fermions could be linked to condensation into the higher order states suggested by transport experiments and numerical evaluations performed in the same filling factor range.