Transport by single and few electrons in GaAs mesoscopic structures

A brief review is presented on some of the consequences of single electron transport in GaAs structures. Particular topics considered include noise and fluctuations in the ballistic regime where the quantised conductance imposes a limit on the magnitude of the random telegraphic signals and the consequences of single traps changing occupancy can be clearly observed. Results are also presented on the non-invasive detection of the Coulomb blockade and factors determining transport in the conductance minima are discussed. Thermo-electric effects in the blockade regime are discussed as these are complementary to studies of electrical transport and show that the thermopower oscillates about zero with a period corresponding to the removal of a single electron.