Cyclotron resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when charged particles, such as electrons or ions, oscillate in a magnetic field at a specific frequency, known as the cyclotron frequency. This frequency is determined by the charge of the particle, its mass, and the strength of the magnetic field. In a magnetic field, charged particles experience a Lorentz force, which causes them to move in spiral or circular paths rather than in straight lines.
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Cyclotron resonance is resonant absorption by charged particles in a magnetic field when an applied oscillating electric field drives their cyclotron motion. For a parabolic band, the resonance frequency is , so measuring it determines the cyclotron effective mass. In the quantum description, transverse electric dipole transitions connect adjacent Landau levels, whose separation is . For an electron and a field along , only the circular polarization rotating in the electron's orbital sense drives the positive-frequency resonance. Scattering broadens the absorption peak; resolving it requires an orbital period short compared with the relaxation time.