Non-linear magnetotransport in microwave-illuminated two-dimensional electron systems

A. T. Hatke, H. -S. Chiang, M. A. Zudov, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. W. West

Published 2008-04-18, updated 2008-05-24Version 2

We study magnetoresistivity oscillations in a high-mobility two-dimensional electron system subject to both microwave and dc electric fields. First, we observe that the oscillation amplitude is a periodic function of the inverse magnetic field and is strongly suppressed at microwave frequencies near half-integers of the cyclotron frequency. Second, we obtain a complete set of conditions for the differential resistivity extrema and saddle points. These findings indicate the importance of scattering without microwave absorption and a special role played by microwave-induced scattering events antiparallel to the electric field.