Weiss oscillations in the presence of small-angle impurity scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates how small-angle impurity scattering influences Weiss oscillations in the magnetoresistivity of a 2D electron gas with a periodic potential, aligning theoretical models with experimental observations.

Contribution

It provides a realistic classical transport model showing the significant impact of small-angle scattering on Weiss oscillations, matching experimental data.

Findings

Small-angle scattering strongly affects Weiss oscillations.

Theoretical results agree with experimental measurements.

Impurity scattering models are crucial for accurate magnetoresistivity predictions.

Abstract

We calculate the magnetoresistivity of a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of a periodic potential within classical transport theory, using realistic models of impurity scattering. The magnetooscillations induced by geometric resonance of the cyclotron orbits in the periodic grating, known as Weiss oscillations, are shown to be affected strongly by the small-angle scattering processes dominant in conventional semiconductor heterostructures. Our results are in full agreement with experimental findings.