Resistivity saturation in a weakly interacting 2D Fermi liquid at intermediate temperatures

Xiaoqing Zhou, B. Schmidt, L. W. Engel, G. Gervais, L. N. Pfeiffer, K. W. West, S. Das Sarma

Published 2011-10-31, updated 2012-02-03Version 2

We report a highly unusual temperature dependence in the magnetoresistance of a weakly interacting high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) under a parallel magnetic field and when the current is perpendicular to the field. While the linear temperature dependence below 10 K and the exponential temperature dependence above 40 K agree with existing theory of electron-phonon scattering, a field induced resistivity saturation behaviour characterized by an almost complete suppression of the temperature dependence is observed from approximately 20 to 40 K, which is in sharp contrast to the phenomenology observed when the current is parallel to the field. Possible origins of this intriguing intermediate temperature phenomenon are discussed.