Theoretical approach to microwave-radiation-induced zero-resistance states in 2D electron systems -: art. no. 016806

We present a theoretical model in which the existence of radiation-induced zero-resistance states is analyzed. An exact solution for the harmonic oscillator wave function in the presence of radiation, and a perturbation treatment for elastic scattering due to randomly distributed charged impurities, form the foundations of our model. Following this model most experimental results are reproduced, including the formation of resistivity oscillations, their dependence on the intensity and frequency of the radiation, temperature effects, and the locations of the resistivity minima. The existence of zero-resistance states is thus explained in terms of the interplay of the electron microwave-driven orbit dynamics and the Pauli exclusion principle.