Multiphoton processes in microwave photoresistance of 2D electron system

Abstract

We extend our studies of microwave photoresistance of ultra-high mobility two-dimensional electron system (2DES) into the high-intensity, non-linear regime employing both monochromatic and bichromatic radiation. Under high-intensity monochromatic radiation $ω$ we observe new zero-resistance states (ZRS) which correspond to rational values of $ε=ω/ω_C$ ($ω_C$ is the cyclotron frequency) and can be associated with multiphoton processes. %Formation of these rational ZRS is accompanied by a dramatic reconstruction of the photoresistance spectrum which reveals diminishing, narrowing, and phase reduction of the resistance peaks, as well as overall suppression of resistance at $ε<1/2$. Under bichromatic radiation $ω_1,ω_2$ we discover new resistance minimum, possibly a precursor of bichromatic ZRS, which seems to originate from a frequency mixing process, $ω_1+ω_2$. These findings indicate that multiphoton processes play important roles in the physics of non-equilibrium transport of microwave-driven 2DES, and suggest new directions for theoretical and experimental studies.