Electron-electron scattering and the propagation of electron beams in a two-dimensional electron gas

Experimental studies of electron-beam propagation in a degenerate 2DEG in a GaAs-(Al,Ga)As heterostructure are presented for a wide range of injection energies, 0 < E less than or equal to E-F The electron beam is injected :Ind detected in the 2DEG via electrostatically defined quantum point-contacts with typical distances of 3.4 mu m. Energy-dependent beam injection is used to reveal the characteristics of the electron-beam propagation. Considering the specific character for electron-electron scattering events in 2D systems Linearized Boltzmann equations could be used to model the experimental observations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.