Tunneling conductance of a two-dimensional electron gas with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

We theoretically studied the spin-dependent charge transport in a two-dimensional electron gas with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (DSOC) and metal junctions. It is shown that the DSOC energy can be directly measured from the tunneling conductance spectrum. We found that spin polarization of the conductance in the propagation direction can be obtained by injecting from the DSOC system. We also considered the effect of the interfacial scattering barrier (both spin-flip and non-spin-flip scattering) on the overall conductance and the spin polarization of the conductance. It is found that the increase of spin-flip scattering can enhance the conductance under certain conditions. Moreover, both types of scattering can increase the spin polarization below the branches crossing of the energy band.     

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations of a two-dimensional electron gas in a one-dimensional lattice of antidots

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations of a two-dimensional electron gas in a one-dimensional periodic array of antidots have been studied experimentally, for the first time. The fluctuations show a quasiperiodic behaviour on magnetic field, with period corresponding to the quantization of magnetic flux through the area of a unit cell of the one-dimensional array. The existence of the quasiperiodic component is explained by an anomalous area distribution of interfering trajectories.     

Thermal conductance of ballistic point contacts

We study the thermal conductance of ballistic point contacts. These contacts are realized as few nanometer long pillars in so-called air-gap heterostructures (AGHs). The pillar length is orders of magnitude smaller than the mean free path of the phonons up to room temperature. Because of the small dimension and the low density of the pillars, the thermal conductance of the AGHs is several orders of magnitude reduced in comparison to bulk structures. The measurement results are in quantitative agreement with a simple model that is based on the Boltzmann transport equation.     

Solitons in a two-dimensional electron gas

The non-linear spectrum of a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) formed at the interface of a heterostructure is investigated. This spectrum is found to contain a new type of localized excitation exhibiting soliton behavior. A matrix formulation of the model equations permits the extraction of the equation of evolution in space for these excitations. Results are presented for the boundary value problem excited by temporal Gaussian pulses.     

Magnetotransport in a modulated two-dimensional electron gas

We propose a semiclassical theory of dc magnetotransport in a two-dimensional electron gas modulated along one direction with weak electrostatic modulations. We show that oscillations of the magnetoresistivity ρ_∥ corresponding to the current driven along the modulation lines observed at moderately low magnetic fields can be explained as commensurability oscillations.     

Spectroscopy of transverse-quantization levels in two-dimensional point contacts in a transverse-focusing geometry

It is shown that the focusing signal in a two-dimensional electron gas contains features corresponding to quantization levels of the transverse motion of an electron in the emitter. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 8, 604–607 (25 April 1996)     

Spatial correlations of a two-dimensional electron gas

The pair distribution function of a two-dimensional degenerate electron gas is evaluated in the chain diagram approximation and its asymptotic behavior is investigated. It shows characteristic oscillations at large distances. A sum rule of the eigenvalues of the free particle propagator is obtained. It can be used for the evaluation of the exchange energy and other purposes.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation.     

Quantum magnetotransport in a modulated two-dimensional electron gas

Quantum mechanical calculations of the magnetotransport coefficients of a modulated two-dimensional electron gas in a perpendicular magnetic field are presented using the Kubo method. The model modulation potential used is such that the effect of the steepness of the potential and its strength on the band part of the longitudinal resistivity ρ_xxand the Hall resistivity ρ_xycould be studied. In the extreme limit of a very steep potential, a two-dimensional square array of antidots is simulated. Impurity scattering is included in the self-consistent t-matrix approximation. The results show that for a strong lateral superlattice potential, ρ_xyis quenched in the low magnetic field regime and as the magnetic field increases there is a large negative Hall resistivity. The intensity of this negative peak is suppressed as the strength of the modulation potential is decreased. It is also shown that the height of the negative peak depends on the steepness of the potential. The longitudinal resistivity also has some interesting features. There are Aharonov–Bohm oscillations and a double peak structure which depends on both the strength of the modulation potential as well as its slope. The numerical results show that the position and intensity of the lower peak is not very sensitive to a change in the strength of the lattice potential or its steepness. However, the upper peak is greatly reduced when the lattice potential is diminished in strength. The double peak feature in ρ_xxand the negative peak and quenching of the Hall effect at low magnetic fields have been observed experimentally for antidots in both the quasiclassical and quantum regimes.     

Magnetic ratchet effects in a two-dimensional electron gas

The effect of the magnetic field on the generation of an electric current in a two-dimensional electronic ratchet is theoretically studied. Mechanisms of the formation of magnetically induced photocurrent are proposed for a structure with a two-dimensional electron gas (quantum well, graphene, or topological insulator) with a lateral asymmetric superlattice consisting of metallic strips on the external surface of the structure. The ratchet with the spatially oscillating magnetic field generated by the ferromagnetic lattice, as well as the nonmagnetic ratchet placed in the uniform magnetic field both classically weak and strong quantizing, is considered. It is established that the ratio of the amplitude of the magnetic oscillations of photocurrent to the ratchet photocurrent in zero field can exceed two orders of magnitude.