Microwave photoconductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas due to intra-Landau-level transitions

TL;DR

This paper investigates microwave-induced photoconductivity in a two-dimensional electron gas, explaining experimental observations by modeling intra-Landau-level transitions influenced by periodic and impurity potentials.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical model that accounts for intra-Landau-level transitions and explains experimental phenomena like photocurrent sign and oscillation suppression.

Findings

Explains the sign of the photocurrent.

Describes dependence on magnetic field and microwave frequency.

Accounts for suppression of Shubnikov-deHaas oscillations.

Abstract

Motivated by a recent experiment, we study the microwave-induced photoconductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas arising from intra-Landau-level transitions within a model where the electrons are subject to a unidirectional periodic potential in addition to a weaker impurity potential. With appropriate identifications, our results can be compared to experiment and allow us to explain the sign of the photocurrent, its dependence on magnetic field and microwave frequency as well as the microwave-induced suppression of the Shubnikov-deHaas oscillations.