Effect of quantum entanglement on Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, spin-polarized transport and current magnification effect

We present a simple model of transmission across a metallic mesoscopic ring. In one of its arm an electron interacts with a single magnetic impurity via an exchange coupling. We show that entanglement between electron and spin impurity states leads to reduction of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the transmission coefficient. The spin-conductance is asymmetric in the flux reversal as opposed to the two-probe electrical conductance which is symmetric. In the same model, in contradiction to the naive expectation of a current magnification effect, we observe enhancement as well as suppression of this effect depending on the system parameters. The limitations of this model to the general notion of dephasing or decoherence in quantum systems are pointed out.     

Quantum interference of electrons in a ring: tuning of the geometrical phase

We calculate the oscillations of the dc conductance across a mesoscopic ring, simultaneously tuned by applied magnetic and electric fields orthogonal to the ring. The oscillations depend on the Aharonov-Bohm flux and of the spin-orbit coupling. They result from mixing of the dynamical phase, including the Zeeman spin splitting, and of geometric phases. By changing the applied fields, the geometric phase contribution to the conductance oscillations can be tuned from the adiabatic (Berry) to the nonadiabatic (Ahronov-Anandan) regime. To model a realistic device, we also include nonzero backscattering at the connection between ring and contacts, and a random phase for electron wave function, accounting for dephasing effects.     

A continuum model for dephasing in mesoscopic systems

A model of continuous dephasing for one-dimensional mesoscopic conductors is proposed. The model is based on Büttiker's fictitious-probe model which is extended by attaching an infinite number of probes uniformly to various points on the conductor. The associated scattering problem is then solved. When the continuum limit is taken, it becomes possible to describe the dephasing as taking place everywhere. The dephasing rate enters into the model as an adjustable parameter. The effect of dephasing on the conductance for a double-barrier system is also studied numerically.     

Complex wave-interference phenomena: From the atomic nucleus to mesoscopic systems to microwave cavities

Universal statistical aspects of wave scattering by a variety of physical systems ranging from atomic nuclei to mesoscopic systems and microwave cavities are described. A statistical model for the scattering matrix is employed to address the problem of quantum chaotic scattering. The model, introduced in the past in the context of nuclear physics, discusses the problem in terms of a prompt and an equilibrated component: it incorporates the average value of the scattering matrix to account for the prompt processes and satisfies the requirements of flux conservation, causality and ergodicity. The main application of the model is the analysis of electronic transport through ballistic mesoscopic cavities: it describes well the results from the numerical solutions of the Schrödinger equation for two-dimensional cavities.     

Aharonov-Bohm effect as a probe of interaction between magnetic impurities

We study the effects of the RKKY interaction between magnetic impurities on the mesoscopic conductance fluctuations of a metal ring with dilute magnetic impurities. At sufficiently low temperatures and strong magnetic fields, the loss of electron coherence occurs mainly due to the scattering off rare pairs of strongly coupled magnetic impurities. We establish a relation between the dephasing rate and the distribution function of the exchange interaction within such pairs. In the case of the RKKY exchange interaction, this rate exhibits 1/B(2) behavior in strong magnetic fields. We demonstrate that the Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations may be used as a probe of the distribution function of the exchange interaction between magnetic impurities in metals.     

The phase of Fano resonance in Aharonov–Bohm interferometer with a quantum dot embedded

We study the Fano effect of a closed Aharonov–Bohm mesoscopic interferometer, with a quantum dot embedded in one of the paths, in the presence of dephasing which is introduced by the Büttiker model. An exact analytic formula of conductance including dephasing factor is derived and can be written as an extended Fano form with a complex Fano parameter q. While the total conductance is unitary, the coherent part has broken unitarity due to dephasing, and thus has continuous phase shift. Our results agree with recent experimental measurements.     

Dephasing effects in nonlinear δ-models: A phenomenological approach

We introduce a technique of simulating the destruction of mesoscopic conductance fluctuations phenomenologically within the nonlinear -formalism. A similar approach has already been applied within diagrammatic models. Dephasing is generated by adding a second random potential to the Hamilton operator which differs from the potential describing the metallic disorder only in its statistical properties. For that reason, the approach cannot serve to describe physical effects relying on dynamic aspects of dephasing interactions (e.g. the destruction of weak localization effects). The technique is introduced within the framework of a scattering-theoretical model of mesoscopic systems.     

Spin-polarized transmission through a mesoscopic ring with a magnetic impurity

Based on one-dimensional quantum waveguide theory we study the symmetry of the spin-polarized transmission through an Aharonov–Bohm ring with a magnetic impurity, in which the spin-exchange interaction between an incident electron and the magnetic impurity leads to spin–flip scattering. It shows that for some special Fermi energies, both spin-up and spin-down transmission coefficients are symmetric under the flux reversal in the spin–flip scattering process and the spin-polarized conductance also is symmetric. In above case, AB oscillations of spin-down transmission and reflection are perfectly identical. The effect of the exchange interaction strength and Fermi wave vector on transmission behavior of spin-state electrons is examined.     

点内电子-电子库仑作用会引起退相干么?

利用一个开放的多端Aharonov—Bohm(AB)装置研究了存在点内库仑作用时，电子通过量子点时的相干性．作者发现点内库仑作用不会引起任何退相干效应，即电子隧穿通过量子点是完全相干的．另外，作者还发现，在两端AB装置中，电导AB振荡的振幅非对称性来源于受限的结构和库仑作用两方面．因此，不能把振幅的非对称性和退相干过程联系起来．     

Giant oscillations of energy levels in mesoscopic superconductors

The interplay of geometrical and Andreev quantization in mesoscopic superconductors leads to giant mesoscopic oscillations of energy levels as functions of the Fermi momentum and/or sample size. Quantization rules are formulated for closed quasiparticle trajectories in the presence of normal scattering at the sample boundaries. Two generic examples of mesoscopic systems are studied: (i) one-dimensional Andreev states in a quantum box and (ii) a single vortex in a mesoscopic cylinder.     

Do intradot electron-electron interactions induce dephasing?

We investigate the degree of coherence of electronic transport through a quantum dot (QD) in the presence of an intradot electron-electron interaction. By using an open multiterminal Aharonov-Bohm (AB) setup, we find that the intradot interaction does not induce any dephasing effect and the electron transport through the QD is fully coherent. We also observe that the asymmetric amplitude of the AB oscillation in the conductance through the two-terminal AB setup originates from the interplay between the confined structure and the electron-electron interaction. Thus, one cannot associate a dephasing process with this asymmetric amplitude, as has been done in previous studies.     

基于格林函数的多终端量子链状体系电子输运性质的研究

利用递推格林函数技术计算了多终端量子体系的电子输运特性，首先运用递归方法给出介观 或量子体系的格林函数. 然后利用散射矩阵和输运方程给出体系的电导方程，可以将多终端 的输运简化为双终端的输运方程，以便得到体系电子输运的谱结构. 计算结果表明，由于中 间节点的存在，使器件的传输谱偏离一维链的对称性，在低能量端出现一个新的电导峰值. 此外，本方法可以被应用到各种复杂的带有吸附结构量子体系输运的研究中. 关键词： 格林函数 散射矩阵 量子体系     

介观和低维体系中值得关注的一些物理问题

本文简单叙述了决定介观体系尺寸的退相位长度的物理含义,以及目前在介观和低维体系中值得关注的几个物理问题。从近期的发展看,退相位时间的低温饱和,二信电子系统的金属－绝缘体相变,正常金属／超导介观体系,准一维体系和分数量子化霍尔效应体系,以及单电子器件及其相关物理问题的研究是应该注意的重要方面。     

Signature of phase coherence in isolated mesoscopic systems

At low temperature, electronic wave functions in a metal keep their phase coherence on a length L_φ which can be of the order of few microns. Transport and thermodynamic properties of mesoscopic systems whose size are smaller than L_φ exhibit spectacular signatures of this coherence which can be revealed by instance through the sensitivity of the phase of the electrons to an applied vector potential. These quantum effects crucially depend on the way measurements are performed, in this paper we emphasize the difference between:• connected open systems, characterized by their transmission properties accessible through conductance measurements;• electrically isolated, closed systems caracterized by their energy level spectra and investigated through thermodynamic (mostly magnetization) and ac conductance (response to an electromagnetic wave) measurements.They correspond to different types of coupling to the measuring apparatus, and present different sensitivities to phase coherence. The amplitude of quantum oscillations of the magnetoconductance on a connected system are indeed only a small fraction of the classical conductance and can be much larger on an isolated system.     

On local and global currents in mesoscopic conductors

Using linear response theory we show that, in a quasi-stationary state, the local multiprobe conductance of a mesoscopic system of non-interacting electrons with a time reversal invariant Hamiltonian does not depend on the local shape of the driving self-consistent potential and thus is entirely determined by the asymptotic values of the potential in the leads. In the ballistic limit, the local conductance in the lateral direction exhibits oscillations depending on the occupation of channels. Scattering by a point impurity leads to softening of the quantized global conductance steps. In addition to that for an attractive scattering potential, a dip occurs in each plateau regime the shape of which is calculated for different values of the potential strength. We also investigate the local conductance for both a point scatterer and a finite scattering region.     

Double point contact in quantum Hall line junctions

We show that multiple point contacts on a barrier separating two laterally coupled quantum Hall fluids induce Aharonov-Bohm (AB) oscillations in the tunneling conductance. These quantum coherence effects provide new evidence for the Luttinger liquid behavior of the edge states of quantum Hall fluids. For a two point contact, we identify coherent and incoherent regimes determined by the relative magnitude of their separation and the temperature. We analyze both regimes in the strong and weak tunneling amplitude limits as well as their temperature dependence. We find that the tunneling conductance should exhibit AB oscillations in the coherent regime, both at strong and weak tunneling amplitudes with the same period but with different functional form.     

Simple approach to the mesoscopic open electron resonator: quantum current oscillations

The open electron resonator, described by Duncan et al. [D.S. Duncan, M.A. Topinka, R.M. Westervelt, K.D. Maranowski, A.C. Gossard, Phys. Rev. B 64 (2001) 033310. [1]], is a mesoscopic device that has attracted considerable attention due to its remarkable behaviour (conductance oscillations), which has been explained by detailed theories based on the behaviour of electrons at the top of the Fermi sea. In this work, we study the resonator using the simple quantum quantum electrical circuit approach, developed recently by Li and Chen [Y.Q. Li, B. Chen, Phys. Rev. B 53 (1996) 4027. [2]]. With this approach, and considering a very simple capacitor-like model of the system, we are able to theoretically reproduce the observed conductance oscillations. A very remarkable feature of the simple theory developed here is the fact that the predictions depend mostly on very general facts, namely, the discrete nature of electric charge and quantum mechanics; other detailed features of the systems described enter as parameters of the system, such as capacities and inductances.     

超微结构中的Landauer-Buttiker输运理论

随着超微结构或者所谓的介观结构的尺度不断缩小而逼近各种描述固体属性的特征长度(相位相干长度、弹性散射长度或者布洛赫波长)时电子波函数的量子属性在介观结构的输运现象中表现得越来越明显。近年来发展日趋完善的Landauer-Buttiker输运理论由于明确考虑了波函数相位对输运的影响,在介释介观结构中各种量子相干输运现象时获得了很大的成功。本文力图较系统地介绍Landauer-Buttiker输运理论的要点,讨论介观结构中电导的对称性、电势分布的涨落和电势电极引起的相干性等重要问题。有关计算介观结构各电极间的散射矩阵S或者透射系数的微观理论不属本文讨论范围之内。     

The theory of the sound attenuation in one-dimensional metals

The elasticity theory equations are obtained for a 1d conductor. The frequency dependence of the sound attenuation is analysed, the spatial dispersion being strong or weak. The effect of oscillations of the attenuation is predicted which is due to a jumping nature of electronic motion in a non-uniform field of the sound wave, with a fixed jumping length. That is why the oscillations are of the geometric resonance type. Because of absence of Landau's damping, the frequency dependence of attenuation in a region of strong spatial dispersion is quadratic rather than linear one, as in 3d metals. This dependence is determined by a quantum nature of electronic scattering on separate impurities which move with an oscillating lattice.