Strong-field magnetoresistance anisotropy in thin composite films with a periodic microstructure

The possibility of observing angular magnetotransport anisotropy in a thin conducting film with a periodic array of macroscopic inclusions is discussed. We consider a geometry in which the magnetic field and the volume-averaged current density are mutually perpendicular and both lie in the plane of the film and we study how the resistivity changes when they are rotated in this plane. We show that magnetotransport anisotropy, similar to what has recently been predicted to occur for infinite three-dimensional periodic composites, should appear even in the case of a thin film.