Local Geometry of the Fermi Surface and the Cyclotron Resonance in Metals in a Normal Magnetic Field

Abstract

In this paper we present a detailed theoretical analysis of the cyclotron resonance in metals in the magnetic field directed along a normal to the surface of a sample. We show that this resonance occurs due to local geometry of the Fermi surface of a metal. When the Fermi surface (FS) includes segments where its curvature turns zero or diverges, this could give rise to resonance features in the frequency/magnetic field dependence of the surface impedance or its derivative with respect to the field. Otherwise the resonance is scarcely detectable unlike the well-known cyclotron resonance in a parallel magnetic field. The proposed theory agrees with experimantal results concerning both convenient and organic metals.

10 pages, 5 figures, text revised. accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B vol. 71, xxxx (2005)