Hall effect in viscous flows of two-dimensional electrons in samples with edges of arbitrary roughness

Abstract

In ultra-clean conductors, fast inter-particle collisions can lead to the formation of a viscous electron fluid and realization of the hydrodynamic transport regime. Here we develop a theory of hydrodynamic magnetotransport of two-dimensional (2D) electrons in samples with low densities of defects and edges of arbitrary roughness. Within our model the roughness is described by a single parameter with the dimension of speed in the boundary conditions on sample edges. The electron-fluid flow profiles in long samples, as well as the corresponding longitudinal and Hall resistances, are calculated. The contribution to the Hall resistance associated with the relaxation processes exhibits a saturation in the limit of high magnetic field and a minimum as a function of the magnetic field for sufficiently rough edges. The minimum disappears as the edge roughness decreases or the sample width and bulk scattering by defects increase. These properties of the Hall resistance can serve as the signs to identify the hydrodynamic regime of electron transport in experiments and can be used to determine its parameters, in particular, the degree of edge roughness.