Microwave photoconductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas due to intra-Landau-level transitions

Abstract

Motivated by a recent experiment, we study the microwave-induced photoconductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas arising from intra-Landau-level transitions within a model where the electrons are subject to a unidirectional periodic potential in addition to a weaker impurity potential. With appropriate identifications, our results can be compared to experiment and allow us to explain the sign of the photocurrent, its dependence on magnetic field and microwave frequency as well as the microwave-induced suppression of the Shubnikov-deHaas oscillations.