Magnetoresistance of two-dimensional electron systems with several occupied
subbands oscillates owing to periodic modulation of the probability of
intersubband transitions by the quantizing magnetic field. In addition to
previous investigations of these magneto-intersubband (MIS) oscillations in
two-subband systems, we report on both experimental and theoretical studies of
such a phenomenon in three-subband systems realized in triple quantum wells. We
show that the presence of more than two subbands leads to a qualitatively
different MIS oscillation picture, described as a superposition of several
oscillating contributions. Under a continuous microwave irradiation, the
magnetoresistance of triple-well systems exhibits an interference of MIS
oscillations and microwaveinduced resistance oscillations. The theory
explaining these phenomena is presented in the general form, valid for an
arbitrary number of subbands. A comparison of theory and experiment allows us
to extract temperature dependence of quantum lifetime of electrons and to
confirm the applicability of the inelastic mechanism of microwave
photoresistance for the description of magnetotransport in multilayer systems.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
