Theory of the oscillatory photoconductivity of a 2D electron gas

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework to explain magnetooscillations in the photoconductivity of a 2D electron gas, emphasizing the roles of microwave radiation, nonlinearity, and temperature effects.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive theory linking microwave-induced changes in electron distribution to observed oscillations in photoconductivity.

Findings

Photoconductivity oscillations are driven by microwave-induced electron distribution changes.

Nonlinear effects depend on dc field and microwave power.

Temperature influences oscillation amplitude via inelastic relaxation rate.

Abstract

We develop a theory of magnetooscillations in the photoconductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas observed in recent experiments. The effect is governed by a change of the electron distribution function induced by the microwave radiation. We analyze a nonlinearity with respect to both the dc field and the microwave power, as well as the temperature dependence determined by the inelastic relaxation rate.