Magnetic Bloch states and Hall conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas in a periodic potential without inversion center

Abstract

Quantum states of 2D electrons are studied in a periodic potential without inversion center in the presence of a magnetic field. It is shown that the energy spectrum in magnetic subbands is not symmetric about the center of magnetic Brillouin zone E(k)≠E(−k). Singularities (phase branching points) of the electron wave function, which determine the quantization law of Hall conductivity σxy, are studied in the k space. It is found that a sharp change takes place in the number of points in the magnetic Brillouin zone and in the corresponding values of topological invariants determining the Hall conductivity of filled subbands. It is noted that the longitudinal conductivity of a lattice without inversion center placed in a magnetic field is not invariant with respect to a change in sign of the electric field, and a photovoltaic effect must arise in an ac electromagnetic field.