Novel effects of electron-phonon interaction in quasi-two-dimensional structures located in a magnetic field

This paper studies the interaction of electrons and acoustic phonons in a quasi-two-dimensional system with an asymmetric quantizing potential in a magnetic field that is parallel to the structure's plane. It is demonstrated that the electron-phonon interaction in such a system generates an emf when there is a standing acoustic wave, as well as when the structure is heated uniformly. These phenomena are macroscopic manifestations of a universal quantum effect, which amounts to an emf being generated by any isotropic perturbation of any electron system in which the energy depends asymmetrically on the velocity upsilon, i.e., epsilon(upsilon) not equal epsilon(-upsilon). (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7761(99)01303-7].