Spontaneous current generation in gated nanostructures

We have observed an unusual dc current spontaneously generated in the conducting channel of a short-gated GaAs transistor. The magnitude and direction of this current critically depend upon the voltage applied to the gate. We propose that it is initiated by the injection of hot electrons from the gate that relax via phonon emission. The phonons then excite secondary electrons from asymmetrically distributed impurities in the channel, which leads to the observed current

Magneto-Conductance Anisotropy and Interference Effects in Variable Range Hopping

We investigate the magneto-conductance (MC) anisotropy in the variable range hopping regime, caused by quantum interference effects in three dimensions. When no spin-orbit scattering is included, there is an increase in the localization length (as in two dimensions), producing a large positive MC. By contrast, with spin-orbit scattering present, there is no change in the localization length, and only a small increase in the overall tunneling amplitude. The numerical data for small magnetic fields $B$, and hopping lengths $t$, can be collapsed by using scaling variables $B_\perp t^{3/2}$, and $B_\parallel t$ in the perpendicular and parallel field orientations respectively. This is in agreement with the flux through a `cigar'--shaped region with a diffusive transverse dimension proportional to $\sqrt{t}$. If a single hop dominates the conductivity of the sample, this leads to a characteristic orientational `finger print' for the MC anisotropy. However, we estimate that many hops contribute to conductivity of typical samples, and thus averaging over critical hop orientations renders the bulk sample isotropic, as seen experimentally. Anisotropy appears for thin films, when the length of the hop is comparable to the thickness. The hops are then restricted to align with the sample plane, leading to different MC behaviors parallel and perpendicular to it, even after averaging over many hops. We predict the variations of such anisotropy with both the hop size and the magnetic field strength. An orientational bias produced by strong electric fields will also lead to MC anisotropy.Comment: 24 pages, RevTex, 9 postscript figures uuencoded Submitted to PR

Quantum corrections to conductivity: from weak to strong localization

Results of detailed investigations of the conductivity and Hall effect in gated single quantum well GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with two-dimensional electron gas are presented. A successive analysis of the data has shown that the conductivity is diffusive for $k_F l=25-2$ and behaves like diffusive one for $k_F l=2-0.5$ down to the temperature T=0.4 K. It has been therewith found that the quantum corrections are not small at low temperature when $k_F l\simeq 1$. They are close in magnitude to the Drude conductivity so that the conductivity $\sigma$ becomes significantly less than $e^{2}/h$ (the minimal $\sigma$ value achieved in our experiment is about $3\times 10^{-8}\Omega^{-1}$ at $k_Fl\simeq 0.5$ and $T=0.46$ K). We conclude that the temperature and magnetic field dependences of conductivity in whole $k_Fl$ range are due to changes of quantum corrections.Comment: RevTex 4.0, 10 figures, 7 two-column page

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Mechanisms of magnetoresistance in variable-range-hopping transport for two-dimensional electron systems

The temperature and magnetic-field dependencies of hopping transport in dilutely doped δ layers have been measured under the conditions for which the variable-range mechanism applies. We trace the transition from negative magnetoresistance in low fields to positive magnetoresistance in high fields. In the range of intermediate fields, the resistance in the perpendicular orientation appears to be several times less than that in the parallel one. It is shown that this ‘‘inverted’’ relation cannot be accounted for in terms of the interference of alternative hopping paths alone. We note also a distinct nonmonotonic variation of the resistance with magnetic field in the perpendicular orientation. The results are explained by considering both the interference of alternative hopping paths and the influence of a magnetic field on the density of states at the Fermi level, which defines the magnitude of Mott’s T0 parameter in variable-range hopping

Low-temperature electronic transport measurements on a gated delta -doped GaAs sample: magnetoresistance, quantum Hall effect and conductivity fluctuations

We present magnetotransport measurements (up to 7 T) performed at very low temperatures (down to 20 mK) on a GaAs sample containing two parallel delta -doped layers whose carrier concentration can be varied by means of a gate electrode. With increasing negative gate voltage the resistance becomes more strongly temperature-dependent, indicating a more localized electron system. The magnetoresistance is found to be strongly anisotropic. When the field is parallel to the layers we find a large positive magnetoresistance which we attribute to orbital shrinking of the strongly localized donor wavefunction. In contrast, in the perpendicular orientation, we observe a strong negative magnetoresistance at low fields whose origin remains unclear, and the quantum Hall effect at larger fields. At low gate voltages both delta -layers are in the quantum Hall state whereas at larger negative voltages the layer adjacent to the gate becomes insulating. In the case of strong depletion the high-ohmic sample shows reproducible conductivity fluctuations as a function of either the gate voltage or the magnetic field. The fluctuations diminish at higher temperatures and larger measuring currents