Electric-field breakdown of absolute negative conductivity and supersonic streams in two-dimensional electron systems with zero resistance/conductance states

We calculate the current-voltage characteristics of a two-dimensional electron system (2DES) subjected to a magnetic field at strong electric fields. The interaction of electrons with piezoelectric acoustic phonons is considered to be a major scattering mechanism governing the current-voltage characteristics. It is shown that at a sufficiently strong electric field corresponding to the Hall drift velocity exceeding the velocity of sound, the dissipative current exhibits an overshoot. The overshoot of the dissipative current can result in a breakdown of the absolute negative conductivity caused by microwave irradiation and, therefore, can substantially affect the formation of the domain structures with the so-called zero-resistance and zero-conductance states and supersonic electron streams.