MAGNETOTUNNELING RELAXATION OF ELECTRONS IN DOUBLE-QUANTUM WELLS

Electron tunneling relaxation in double quantum wells subject to a tra nsverse magnetic field is studied. The resonant peaks in the tunneling relaxation rate appear when the energy splitting DELTA of the tunnel- coupled pair of the left- and right- well electron states is a multipl e of the cyclotron energy HBARomega(c) and two series of the Landau le vels coincide. The shape of such resonant oscillations of the relaxati on rate is determined by the Landau levels' broadening (which is assoc iated with the intrawell scattering in the case of small tunnel coupli ng), but it is not expressed through the electron density of states di rectly. The dependence of the tunneling relaxation rate on HBARomega(c ) and DELTA is calculated taking into account elastic scattering of th e electrons by the inhomogeneities of the structure in the limit when the scattering potential is slowly changing on the magnetic length sca le.