Length-Independent Voltage Fluctuations in Small Devices

Conductance fluctuations in one-dimensional lines of length L shorter than the phase-coherence length Lφ are not universal but diverge as L-2. Using the Onsager relations and voltage additivity, we show that the voltage fluctuations are independent of the distance between voltage probes. The antisymmetric (Hall-type) contribution to the voltage fluctuations is constant for all values of L. Measurements of the voltage fluctuations and correlation function between different regions in Au and Sb lines confirm these results

Temperature Dependence of the Normal-Metal Aharonov-Bohm Effect

The amplitude of h/e periodic oscillations in the magnetoresistance of very small normal-metal (Au) rings, as well as the harmonic h/2e, have been studied as a function of temperature. The amplitudes depend on the temperature T roughly as T-1/2, as expected from the averaging of conduction channels in the absence of inelastic scattering, but may not be entirely consistent with this model. At the lowest T, the size of the fluctuations in the conductance is about ΔG∼e2/h, as predicted recently

Asymmetry in the Magnetoconductance of Metal Wires and Loops

Universal conductance fluctuations in wires and Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in loops are not symmetric about H=0. The observation of asymmetry in the periodic oscillations is possible when the phase-coherence length of the wave function is comparable to the separation of the voltage probes. In both cases, four-probe measurements yield resistances which depend on lead configuration. The asymmetries appear like Hall voltages, and are consistent with Onsager\u27s relations

Direct Observation of Ensemble Averaging of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect in Normal-Metal Loops

Aharonov-Bohm magnetoconductance oscillations have been measured in series arrays of 1, 3, 10, and 30 submicron-diameter Ag loops. At constant temperature, the amplitude of the h/e oscillations is observed to decrease as the square root of number of loops, while the amplitude of h/2e conductance oscillations, measured in the same samples, is independent of the number of series loops. This is direct confirmation of the ensemble averaging properties of h/e oscillations in multiloop systems. The amplitude of the h/e oscillations is in good agreement with recent calculations

Probe-Configuration-Dependent Decoherence in an Aharonov-Bohm Ring

We have measured transport through mesoscopic Aharonov-Bohm (AB) rings with two different four-terminal configurations. While the amplitude and the phase of the AB oscillations are well explained within the framework of the Landaur-B\"uttiker formalism, it is found that the probe configuration strongly affects the coherence time of the electrons, i.e., the decoherence is much reduced in the configuration of so-called nonlocal resistance. This result should provide an important clue in clarifying the mechanism of quantum decoherence in solids.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTe

Nonuniversal correlations in multiple scattering

We show that intensity of a wave created by a source embedded inside a three-dimensional disordered medium exhibits a non-universal space-time correlation which depends explicitly on the short-distance properties of disorder, source size, and dynamics of disorder in the immediate neighborhood of the source. This correlation has an infinite spatial range and is long-ranged in time. We suggest that a technique of "diffuse microscopy" might be developed employing spatially-selective sensitivity of the considered correlation to the disorder properties.Comment: 15 pages, 3 postscript figures, accepted to Phys. Rev.

Anomalous Conductance Distribution in Quasi-One Dimension: Possible Violation of One-Parameter Scaling Hypothesis

We report measurements of conductance distribution in a set of quasi-one-dimensional gold wires. The distribution includes the second cumulant or the variance which describes the universal conductance fluctuations, and the third cumulant which denotes the leading deviation. We have observed an asymmetric contribution--or, a nonvanishing third cumulant--contrary to the expectation for quasi-one-dimensional systems in the noninteracting theories in the one-parameter scaling framework, which include the perturbative diagrammatic calculations and the random matrix theory.Comment: 5 PAGE

Observation of h/e Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations in Normal-Metal Rings

Magnetoresistance oscillations periodic with respect to the flux h/e have been observed in submicron-diameter Au rings, along with weaker h/2e oscillations. The h/e oscillations persist to very large magnetic fields. The background structure in the magnetoresistance was not symmetric about zero field. The temperature dependence of both the amplitude of the oscillations and the background are consistent with the recent theory by Stone

Magnetoresistance of Small, Quasi-One-Dimensional, Normal-Metal Rings and Lines

The magnetoresistance of sub-0.4-μm-diam Au and Au60Pd40 rings was measured in a perpendicular magnetic field at temperatures as low as 5 mK in search of simple, periodic resistance oscillations that would be evidence of flux quantization in normal-metal rings. However, instead of simple oscillations, a very complex structure developed in the magnetoresistance at low temperatures. Fourier analysis of all the data did not reveal convincing evidence for flux quantization in the rings. Complex structure similar to that observed in the rings was also found in the magnetoresistance of short, narrow, Au and Au60Pd40 lines. This structure appears to be associated with the small size of the devices

Deviations from the Gaussian distribution of mesoscopic conductance fluctuations

The conductance distribution of metallic mesoscopic systems is considered. The variance of this distribution describes the universal conductance fluctuations, yielding a Gaussian distribution of the conductance. We calculate diagrammatically the third cumulant of this distribution, the leading deviation from the Gaussian. We confirm random matrix theory calculations that the leading contribution in quasi-one dimension vanishes. However, in quasi two dimensions the third cumulant is negative, whereas in three dimensions it is positive.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, with eps figures,to appear in Phys Rev