Magnetic breakdown and magnetoresistance oscillations in a periodically modulated two-dimensional electron gas

Abstract

We develop a semiclassical theory for the magnetoresistance oscillations recently observed in two-dimensional systems with periodically modulated potentials. We show that these oscillations may be thought of as oscillations in the probability of magnetic breakdown. Our theory demonstrates a connection between the magnitude of the oscillations and the size of the positive magnetoresistance at weak magnetic fields.