Two-Dimensional Wigner Crystal in Anisotropic Semiconductor

TL;DR

This paper explores how mass anisotropy influences the formation and stability of Wigner crystals in two-dimensional electron gases, revealing significant changes in crystal structure and melting density.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of static and dynamical properties of 2D Wigner crystals with anisotropic mass, identifying the most stable lattice configurations.

Findings

Mass anisotropy significantly alters the crystal structure.

The melting density of the electron lattice changes with anisotropy.

The study identifies the lattice with the lowest ground state energy.

Abstract

We investigate the effect of mass anisotropy on the Wigner crystallization transition in a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. The static and dynamical properties of a 2D Wigner crystal have been calculated for arbitrary 2D Bravais lattices in the presence of anisotropic mass, as may be obtainable in Si MOSFETs with (110) surface. By studying the stability of all possible lattices, we find significant change in the crystal structure and melting density of the electron lattice with the lowest ground state energy.