Electron scattering in quantum wells subjected to an in-plane magnetic field

It is shown that the electron scattering by static defects and acoustic or optical phonons in quantum wells subjected to an in-plane magnetic field is asymmetric. The probability of scattering contains terms which are proportional to both the electron wave vector and the magnetic field components. The terms under study are caused by the lack of an inversion center in quantum wells due to structure or bulk inversion asymmetry, although they are of pure diamagnetic origin. Such a magnetic field induced asymmetry of scattering can be responsible for a number of phenomena. In particular, the asymmetry of the electron scattering by phonons contributes to the electric current arising in quantum wells in the in-plane magnetic field when the electron gas is driven out of thermal equilibrium with the crystal lattice.