Magnetoresistance calculations for a two-dimensional electron gas with unilateral short-period strong modulation

Abstract

The linear response theory is used to describe magnetoresistance oscillations of short-period unilateral superlattices with strong modulation (or alternatively arrays of coupled quantum wires). The semiclassical description of this system fails for strong magnetic fields (magnetic breakdown) and we employ a simple fully-quantum-mechanical tight-binding model in conjunction with Kubo's formula instead. The resulting magnetoresistance data nicely compare to the experiments while the model opens good intuitive insight into the effects taking place in the system.