Bichromatic microwave photoresistance of a two-dimensional electron system

We explore experimentally bichromatic (frequencies omega(1) and omega(2)) photoresistance of a two-dimensional electron system in the regimes of microwave-induced resistance oscillations and zero-resistance states. We find bichromatic resistance to be well described by a superposition of omega(1) and omega(2) and components, provided that both monochromatic resistances are positive. This relation holds even when the oscillation amplitudes are small and one could expect additive contributions from monochromatic photoresistances. In contrast, whenever a zero-resistance state is formed by one of the frequencies, such superposition relation breaks down and the bichromatic resistance is strongly suppressed.     

Circular-polarization-dependent study of the microwave-induced magneto-resistance oscillations in the 2D electron system

We have investigated the influence of the polarization of the incident radiation on the recently discovered microwave-induced resistance oscillations in state-of-the-art highest purity 2D electron systems. A quasi-optical setup allows us to tune in situ between different circular as well as linear polarization states. We find that the microwave-induced zero resistance and the resistance oscillations are notably immune to changes in the polarization. This observation is discrepant with a number of proposed theories. Deviations for different polarizations only occur for a bolometric contribution to the resistance associated with the resonant heating at the cyclotron resonance itself.     

Circular-polarization-dependent study of the microwave-induced magneto-resistance oscillations in the 2D electron system

We have investigated the influence of the polarization of the incident radiation on the recently discovered microwave-induced resistance oscillations in state-of-the-art highest purity 2D electron systems. A quasi-optical setup allows us to tune in situ between different circular as well as linear polarization states. We find that the microwave-induced zero resistance and the resistance oscillations are notably immune to changes in the polarization. This observation is discrepant with a number of proposed theories. Deviations for different polarizations only occur for a bolometric contribution to the resistance associated with the resonant heating at the cyclotron resonance itself.     

New type of B-periodic magneto-oscillations in a two-dimensional electron system induced by microwave irradiation

We observe a new type of magneto-oscillations in the photovoltage and the longitudinal resistance of a two-dimensional electron system. The oscillations are induced by microwave radiation and are periodic in magnetic field. The period is determined by the microwave frequency, the electron density, and the distance between potential probes. The phenomenon is accounted for by interference of coherently excited edge magnetoplasmons in the contact regions and offers perspectives for developing new tunable microwave and terahertz detection schemes and spectroscopic techniques.     

The microwave Hall effect of a two-dimensional electron gas

The integer Quantum Hall effect has been recently observed in the Hall conductivity _xy at microwave frequencies. Here we present a calculation of the wave propagation in the crossed waveguide system used in the experiments. The field pattern is more complicated than in the case of a pure plane wave. The essential result, however, remains unchanged: The field strength in the second (crossed) waveguide is proportional to _xy of the two-dimensional electron gas. Dedicated to Professor Karlheinz Seeger on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Observation of the variations of the domain structure of a spontaneous electric field in a two-dimensional electron system under microwave irradiation

It has been found on a sample of the GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure with the two-dimensional electron system that different configurations of domains of a spontaneous electric field are possible within one microwave- induced state with the resistance tending to zero. Transitions between such configurations are observed at the variation of the radiation power and magnetic field. In the general case, the configuration of domains is more complicated than existing models. The fragment of the distribution of the electric field in the sample for one of the observed configurations is in agreement with the rhombic domain structure considered by I. G. Finkler and B. I. Halperin, Phys. Rev. B 79, 085315 (2009).     

Phase diagram of a two-dimensional electron system

The melting curve of the two-dimensional electron system is interpolated between the known classical and ground state limits. The coexistence curve encloses a finite solid-phase domain, as in the three-dimensional case.     

Inductive excitation of a two-dimensional electron system

The possibility of measuring the off-diagonal component of the magnetoconductivity tensor of a two-dimensional electron gas excited by a linear alternating current is discussed.     

Nonexponential relaxations in a two-dimensional electron system in silicon

The relaxations of conductivity have been studied in a strongly disordered two-dimensional (2D) electron system in Si after excitation far from equilibrium by a rapid change of carrier density ns at low temperatures T. The dramatic and precise dependence of the relaxations on ns and T strongly suggests (a) the transition to a glassy phase as T-->0, and (b) the Coulomb interactions between 2D electrons play a dominant role in the observed out-of-equilibrium dynamics.     

Current-induced anisotropy and reordering of the electron liquid-crystal phases in a two-dimensional electron system

The correlated phases in a two-dimensional electron system with a high index partially filled Landau level are studied in transport under nonequilibrium conditions by imposing a dc-current drive. At filling 1/4 and 3/4 of these Landau levels, where the charge density wave picture predicts an isotropic bubble phase, the dc drive induces anisotropic transport behavior consistent with stripe order. The easy axis of the emerging anisotropic phase is perpendicular to the drive. At half filling the anisotropic stripe phase is stabilized by the dc drive provided drive and easy-axis directions coincide.     

Indication of the ferromagnetic instability in a dilute two-dimensional electron system

The magnetic field B(c), in which the electrons become fully spin polarized, is found to be proportional to the deviation of the electron density from the zero-field metal-insulator transition in a two-dimensional electron system in silicon. The tendency of B(c) to vanish at a finite electron density suggests a ferromagnetic instability in this strongly correlated electron system.     

Quantum pump effect induced by a linearly polarized microwave in a two-dimensional electron gas

A quantum pump effect is predicted in an ideal homogeneous two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) that is normally irradiated by linearly polarized microwaves (MW). Without considering effects from spin-orbital coupling or the magnetic field, it is found that a polarized MW can continuously pump electrons from the longitudinal to the transverse direction, or from the transverse to the longitudinal direction, in the central irradiated region. The large pump current is obtained for both the low frequency limit and the high frequency case. Its magnitude depends on sample properties such as the size of the radiated region, the power and frequency of the MW, etc. Through the calculated results, the pump current should be attributed to the dominant photon-assisted tunneling processes as well as the asymmetry of the electron density of states with respect to the Fermi energy.     

Magnetoplasma oscillations of a two-dimensional electron layer in a bounded system

The spectrum of magnetoplasma oscillations of a two-dimensional electron layer in a transversal magnetic field is studied under the condition that the electron system is unbounded along the layer plane and screened in the perpendicular direction. It is shown that under certain conditions oscillation frequencies much lower than the electron cyclotron frequency exist. Also the electromagnetic wave-guided oscillations in the system are described. It is shown that a strong magnetic field causes a frequency shift and splitting, depending inversely on the external magnetic field and the transversal specific dimension.     

Absence of strict crystalline order in a two-dimensional electron system

It is shown that no long-range crystalline order is possible in a two-dimensional electron system, in spite of the long-range nature of the forces. The order is destroyed by the transverse phonons, as can be seen either by Peierls' argument or more rigorously by a modification of Mermin's argument.     

Interaction effects observed in the magnetization of a bilayer two-dimensional electron system

We present magnetization measurements of a bilayer two-dimensional electron system with strong coupling between the wells. Magnetization steps related to transitions of the chemical potential between Landau levels and between anti-symmetric and symmetric states are observed; however, the step sizes do not fit into a simple single-particle figure. A further indication of interaction effects is a peculiar magnetization peak that arises on top of the magnetization step associated with the transition to the lowest Landau level.     

Thermodynamic magnetization of a strongly correlated two-dimensional electron system

We measure thermodynamic magnetization of a low-disordered, strongly correlated two-dimensional electron system in silicon. Pauli spin susceptibility is observed to grow critically at low electron densities—behavior that is characteristic of the existence of a phase transition. A new, parameter-free method is used to directly determine the spectrum characteristics (Landé g-factor and the cyclotron mass) when the Fermi level lies outside the spectral gaps and the inter-level interactions between quasiparticles are avoided. It turns out that, unlike in the Stoner scenario, the critical growth of the spin susceptibility originates from the dramatic enhancement of the effective mass, while the enhancement of the g-factor is weak and practically independent of the electron density.     

Molecular dynamics study of a classical two-dimensional electron system: positional and orientational orders

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to investigate the crystallization of a classical two-dimensional electron system, in which electrons interact with the Coulomb repulsion. From the positional and the orientational correlation functions, we have found an indication that the solid phase has a quasi-long-range (power-law correlated) positional order and a long-range orientational order. This implies that the long-range 1/r system shares the absence of the true long-range crystalline order at finite temperatures with short-range ones to which Mermin's theorem applies. We also discuss the existence of the “hexatic” phase predicted by the Kosterlitz–Thouless–Halperin–Nelson–Young theory.