TRANSIENT-RESPONSE OF HOT-ELECTRONS IN NARROW-GAP SEMICONDUCTORS AT LOW-TEMPERATURES IN THE PRESENCE OF A LONGITUDINAL QUANTIZING MAGNETIC-FIELD

Transient response of hot electrons in narrow-gap semiconductors to a step electric field in the presence of a longitudinal quantizing magne tic field has been studied at low temperatures using displaced Maxwell ian distribution. The energy and momentum balance equations are used a ssuming acoustic phonon scattering via deformation potential responsib le for the energy relaxation and elastic acoustic phonon scattering to gether with ionized impurity scattering for momentum relaxation. The c alculations for the variation of drift velocity and electron temperatu re as functions of time are made for n-Hg0.8Cd0.2Te in the extreme qua ntum limit at 1.5 K and 4.2 K. The momentum and energy relaxation time s are found to be of the same order of magnitudes as with the experime ntal values. The magnetic field and lattice temperature dependences of the relaxation rates have been investigated.