Two-dimensional electron honey: highly viscous electron fluid in which transverse magnetosonic waves can propagate

TL;DR

This paper develops high-frequency hydrodynamics for two-dimensional highly viscous electron fluids in magnetic fields, revealing viscous resonance phenomena that explain experimental observations in ultra-high mobility GaAs quantum wells.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for viscous resonance in 2D electron fluids, linking elastic and plasmonic excitations to experimental photoresponse features.

Findings

Viscous resonance occurs due to rotation of the viscous stress tensor.

Both elastic stress and charge density fluctuations can exhibit resonance.

Resonance explains peaks in photoresistance and photovoltage in GaAs quantum wells.

Abstract

One of the main macroscopic differences between ordinary and highly viscous fluids is the lack of transverse sound in the first and possibility of its excitation in the second. In modern high-mobility conductors (Weyl semimetals, best-quality quantum wells, and graphene) electrons can form a viscous fluid at low temperatures. In this work we develop high-frequency hydrodynamics of two-dimensional highly viscous electron fluids in magnetic field. Such fluids are characterized by simultaneous presence of the excitations associated with the elastic stress (transverse sound) as well as with the violation of the local charge neutrality (plasmons). We demonstrate that both the viscoelastic and the plasmonic components of a flow can exhibit the viscous resonance that was recently proposed for charged viscous fluids. This resonance is related to rotation of the viscous stress tensor of a charged fluid in magnetic field. We argue that the viscous resonance is responsible for the peak and the peculiarities observed in photoresistance and photovoltage of the ultra-high mobility GaAs quantum wells. We conclude that a highly viscous electron fluid ("electron honey") is realized in those structures.