Radiation-induced magnetotransport in high-mobility two-dimensional systems: Role of electron heating

TL;DR

This paper investigates how microwave radiation affects magnetoresistance in high-mobility two-dimensional systems, emphasizing electron heating and scattering effects, and aligns theoretical predictions with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive balance-equation model that accounts for electron heating, photon-assisted transitions, and impurity scattering, providing new insights into radiation-induced magnetotransport phenomena.

Findings

Short-range impurity scattering dominates photoresistance oscillations.

Electron temperature oscillates resonantly with radiation.

Microwave radiation modulates Shubnikov de Haas oscillations and suppresses magnetoresistance.

Abstract

Effects of microwave radiation on magnetoresistance are analyzed in a balance-equation scheme that covers regimes of inter- and intra-Landau level processes and takes account of photon-asissted electron transitions as well as radiation-induced change of the electron distribution for high mobility two-dimensional systems. Short-range scatterings due to background impurities and defects are shown to be the dominant direct contributors to the photoresistance oscillations. The electron temperature characterizing the system heating due to irradiation, is derived by balancing the energy absorption from the radiation field and the energy dissipation to the lattice through realistic electron-phonon couplings, exhibiting resonant oscillation. Microwave modulations of Shubnikov de Haas oscillation amplitude are produced together with microwave-induced resistance oscillations, in agreement with experimental findings. In addition, the suppression of the magnetoresistance caused by low-frequency radiation in the higher magnetic field side is also demonstrated.