Localization and ordering of carriers in a quasi-one-dimensional electron system on liquid helium

Charge transport in a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) electron system on liquid helium surface is studied in a temperature range 0.1-1.3 K at linear electron densities 6 × 10 ³-10 ⁵ cm ^-1 in confining electric fields up to 1000 V/cm. It is shown that the electron conductivity increases with decreasing temperature T and starts to decrease passing through a maximum at T ≈ 0.8 K. The plasma frequency ω _p of the electrons in Q1D channels has been estimated; the value of ω _p is much larger than that for free electrons. We attribute this effect to localization of carriers and the formation of polarons (microdimples on the liquid helium surface). The mobility of polarons is smaller than that for free electrons. The decrease in the conductivity at T < 0.8 K may be connected with spatial ordering of the polarons in Q1D channels.