Mesoscopic conductance effects in InMnAs structures

Quantum corrections to the electrical conduction of magnetic semiconductors are comparatively unexplored. We report measurements of time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations (TDUCF) and magnetic field dependent universal conductance fluctuations (MFUCF) in micron-scale structures fabricated from two different In$_{1-x}$Mn$_{x}$As thin films. TDUCF and MFUCF increasing in magnitude with decreasing temperature are observed. At 4 K and below, TDUCF are suppressed at finite magnetic fields independent of field orientation.Comment: 5 pages, 3+2 figures, 1 table; Appl. Phys. Lett. (in press

Time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic Au wires: implications

In cold, mesoscopic conductors, two-level fluctuators lead to time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations (TDUCF) manifested as $1/f$ noise. In Au nanowires, we measure the magnetic field dependence of TDUCF, weak localization (WL), and magnetic field-driven (MF) UCF before and after treatments that alter magnetic scattering and passivate surface fluctuators. Inconsistencies between $L_{\phi}^{\rm WL}$ and $L_{\phi}^{\rm TDUCF}$ strongly suggest either that the theory of these mesoscopic phenomena in weakly disordered, highly pure Au is incomplete, or that the assumption that the TDUCF frequency dependence remains $1/f$ to very high frequencies is incorrect. In the latter case, TDUCF in excess of $1/f$ expectations may have implications for decoherence in solid-state qubits.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted to PR

Electronic coherence in metals: comparing weak localization and time-dependent conductance fluctuations

Quantum corrections to the conductivity allow experimental assessment of electronic coherence in metals. We consider whether independent measurements of different corrections are quantitatively consistent, particularly in systems with spin-orbit or magnetic impurity scattering. We report weak localization and time-dependent universal conductance fluctuation data in quasi-one- and two-dimensional AuPd wires between 2 K and 20 K. The data inferred from both methods are in excellent quantitative agreement, implying that precisely the same coherence length is relevant to both corrections.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Scheduled to appear in PRB 70, 041304 (2004

Quantum coherence in a ferromagnetic metal: time-dependent conductance fluctuations

Quantum coherence of electrons in ferromagnetic metals is difficult to assess experimentally. We report the first measurements of time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations in ferromagnetic metal (Ni$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$) nanostructures as a function of temperature and magnetic field strength and orientation. We find that the cooperon contribution to this quantum correction is suppressed, and that domain wall motion can be a source of coherence-enhanced conductance fluctuations. The fluctuations are more strongly temperature dependent than those in normal metals, hinting that an unusual dephasing mechanism may be at work.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Low-temperature electron dephasing time in AuPd revisited

Ever since the first discoveries of the quantum-interference transport in mesoscopic systems, the electron dephasing times, $\tau_\phi$, in the concentrated AuPd alloys have been extensively measured. The samples were made from different sources with different compositions, prepared by different deposition methods, and various geometries (1D narrow wires, 2D thin films, and 3D thickfilms) were studied. Surprisingly, the low-temperature behavior of $\tau_\phi$ inferred by different groups over two decades reveals a systematic correlation with the level of disorder of the sample. At low temperatures, where $\tau_\phi$ is (nearly) independent of temperature, a scaling $\tau_\phi^{\rm max} \propto D^{-\alpha}$ is found, where $tau_\phi^{\rm max}$ is the maximum value of $\tau_\phi$ measured in the experiment, $D$ is the electron diffusion constant, and the exponent $\alpha$ is close to or slightly larger than 1. We address this nontrivial scaling behavior and suggest that the most possible origin for this unusual dephasing is due to dynamical structure defects, while other theoretical explanations may not be totally ruled out.Comment: to appear in Physica E, Proceedings for the International Seminar and Workshop "Quantum Coherence, Noise, and Decoherence in Nanostructures", 15-26 May 2006, Dresde

A Method for the Quantification of Nanoparticle Dispersion in Nanocomposites Based on Fractal Dimension

Dispersion quantification provides critical insight and towards understanding and improving the influence of nanoparticle dispersion on the behaviour of the nanocomposite at macro and nanoscale level. This study was precipitated by the limitations of most methods for quantifying dispersion to sufficiently handle issues regarding scalability, complexity, consistency and versatility. A quantity (D 0 ) based on the variance of the fractal dimension was used to quantify dispersion successfully. The concept was validated using real microscopy images. The approach is simple and versatile to implement

Electron phase coherence in mesoscopic normal metal wires

Corrections to the classically predicted electrical conductivity in normal metals arise due to the quantum mechanical properties of the conduction electrons. These corrections provide multiple experimental tests of the conduction electrons' quantum phase coherence. I consider if independent measurements of the phase coherence via different corrections are quantitatively consistent, particularly in systems with spin-orbit or magnetic impurity scattering. More precisely, do independent quantum corrections to the classically predicted conductivity depend identically on the ubiquitous dephasing mechanisms in normal metals? I have inferred the coherence lengths from the weak localization magnetoresistance, magnetic field-dependence of time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations, and magnetic field-dependent universal conductance fluctuations, three observable quantum corrections, in quasi one- and two-dimensional AuPd wires and quasi-1D Ag and Au wires between 2 and 20 K. While the coherence lengths inferred from weak localization and time-dependent universal conductance fluctuations are in excellent quantitative agreement in AuPd, the strong quantitative agreement is apparently lost below a critical temperature in both Ag and Au. Such a disagreement is inconsistent with current theory and must be explained. I developed a hypothesis attributing the coherence length discrepancy seen in Ag and Au to a crossover from the saturated to unsaturated time-dependent conductance fluctuation regime. Two experimental tests were then employed to test this hypothesis. One test examined the effects of a changing spin-flip scattering rate in Au while the second examined how passivation of the two level systems responsible for time-dependent conductance fluctuations at the surface of a Au nanowire affects the inferred coherence lengths. The results of the two tests strongly indicate that the observed disagreement in Au (and likely Ag) is indeed due to a crossover from saturated to unsaturated time-dependent conductance fluctuations

Augustini Triumphi Anconitani ... Summa de potestate ecclesiastica edita anno Dñi. MCCCXX

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