  The polarization dependence of the low field microwave photoconductivity and
absorption of a two-dimensional electron system has been investigated in a
quasi-optical setup in which linear and any circular polarization can be
produced in-situ. The microwave induced resistance oscillations and the zero
resistance regions are notedly immune to the sense of circular polarization.
This observation is discrepant with a number of proposed theories. Deviations
only occur near the cyclotron resonance absorption where an unprecedented large
resistance response is observed.
