Interaction of microwave radiation with the high mobility two-dimensional electron system in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures

The influence of microwave excitation on the magnetotransport properties of the high mobility two-dimensional electron system (2DES) in the GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure system is investigated by exploring (a) the dependence of the amplitude of the microwave-induced magnetoresistance-oscillations on the polarization direction of the linearly polarized microwaves and (b) the microwave reflection from the 2DES. The polarization study indicates that the amplitude of the magnetoresistance oscillations is remarkably responsive to the relative orientation between the linearly polarized microwaves and the current-axis in the specimen. At low microwave power, P, experiments indicate a strong sinusoidal variation in the diagonal resistance Rxx vs. θ at the oscillatory extrema of the microwave-induced magnetoresistance oscillations. The reflection study indicates strong correlations between the microwave induced magnetoresistance oscillations and oscillatory features in the microwave reflection in a concurrent measurement of the magnetoresistance and the microwave magnetoreflection from the 2DES. The correlations are followed as a function of the microwave frequency and the microwave power, and the results are reported.