Influence of dephasing on shot noise in an electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometer

We analyze shot noise under the influence of dephasing in an electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometer, of the type that was realized recently [Nature (London) 422, 415 (2003)]]. Using a model of dephasing by a fluctuating classical field, we show how the usual partition noise expression T(1-T) is modified. We study the dependence on the power spectrum of the field, which is impossible in simpler approaches such as the dephasing terminal, against which we compare. We remark on shot noise as a tool to distinguish thermal smearing from genuine dephasing.