Low-temperature mobility of surface electrons and ripplon-phonon interaction in liquid helium

Abstract

The low-temperature dc mobility of the two-dimensional electron system localized above the surface of superfluid helium is determined by the slowest stage of the longitudinal momentum transfer to the bulk liquid, namely, by the interaction of surface and volume excitations of liquid helium, which rapidly decreases with temperature. Thus, the temperature dependence of the low-frequency mobility is \mu_{dc} = 8.4x10^{-11}n_e T^{-20/3} cm^4 K^{20/3}/(V s), where n_e is the surface electron density. The relation T^{20/3}E_\perp^{-3} << 2x10^{-7} between the pressing electric field (in kV/cm) and temperature (in K) and the value \omega < 10^8 T^5 K^{-5}s^{-1} of the driving-field frequency have been obtained, at which the above effect can be observed. In particular, E_\perp = 1 kV/cm corresponds to T < 70 mK and \omega/2\pi < 30 Hz.