Quenching of electron-acoustic phonon scattering in quantum wires by a magnetic field

Abstract

We demonstrate the possibility of a dramatic quenching of acoustic phonon scattering in semiconductor quantum wires due to an external magnetic field. This quenching is important in understanding the suppression of inelastic backscattering at high magnetic fields which leads to the quantum Hall effect (in the Büttiker picture). Additionally, such quenching can give rise to strong negative magnetoresistance in narrow quantum wires which may have important applications in electronic devices and magnetic field sensors.