Spectral correlations in disordered mesoscopic metals and their relevance for persistent currents

We use the Lanczos method to calculate the variance of the number of energy levels in an energy window of width E below the Fermi energy for non-interacting disordered electrons on a thin three-dimensional ring threaded by an Aharonov-Bohm flux . We find that for small E the flux-dependent part of the variance is well described by a well-known Feynman diagram involving two Cooperons. However, this result cannot be extrapolated to energies E where the energy-dependence of the average density of states becomes significant. We discuss consequences for persistent currents.Comment: minor modifications in the text, accepted for publication in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Screening of persistent currents in mesoscopic metal rings

The effect of the Coulomb-interaction on persistent currents in disordered mesoscopic metal rings threaded by a magnetic flux $\phi$ is studied numerically. We use the simplest form of ``self-consistent'' Hartree theory, where the spatial variations of the self-consistent Hartree potential are ignored. In this approximation the self-consistent Hartree energies are simply obtained by diagonalizing the non-interacting system via the Lanczos method and then calculating the (disorder-dependent) particle number on the ring self-consistently. In the diffusive regime we find that the variance of the total particle number is strongly reduced, in agreement with the prediction of the random-phase approximation. On the other hand, the variance of the number of energy levels in a small interval below the Fermi energy is not affected by the Coulomb interaction.Comment: RevTex, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Z. Phys.

Performance evaluation of ductless personalized ventilation in comparison with desk fans using numerical simulations

The performance of ductless personalized ventilation (DPV) was compared to the performance of a typical desk fan since they are both stand-alone systems that allow the users to personalize their indoor environment. The two systems were evaluated using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of an office room occupied by two users. To investigate the impact of DPV and the fan on the inhaled air quality, two types of contamination sources were modelled in the domain: an active source and a passive source. Additionally, the influence of the compared systems on thermal comfort was assessed using the coupling of CFD with the comfort model developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB model). Results indicated that DPV performed generally better than the desk fan. It provided better thermal comfort and showed a superior performance in removing the exhaled contaminants. However, the desk fan performed better in removing the contaminants emitted from a passive source near the floor level. This indicates that the performance of DPV and desk fans depends highly on the location of the contamination source. Moreover, the simulations showed that both systems increased the spread of exhaled contamination when used by the source occupant