Giant Zero Bias Anomaly due to Coherent Scattering from Frozen Phonon Disorder in Quantum Point Contacts

Y.-H. Lee, S. Xiao, K. W. Kim, J. L. Reno, J. P. Bird, and J. E. Han

Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 056802 – Published 30 July 2019

Abstract

We demonstrate an unusual manifestation of coherent scattering for electron waves in mesoscopic quantum point contacts, in which fast electron dynamics allows the phonon system to serve as a quasistatic source of disorder. The low-temperature conductance of these devices exhibits a giant ( $≫ 2 e^{2} / h$ ) zero bias anomaly (ZBA), the features of which are reproduced in a nonequilibrium model for coherent scattering from the “frozen” phonon disorder. According to this model, the ZBA is understood to result from the in situ electrical manipulation of the phonon disorder, a mechanism that could open up a pathway to the on-demand control of coherent scattering in the solid state.

Received 12 November 2018
Revised 26 April 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.056802

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Electrical conductivity Localization Quantum interference effects Quantum transport

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Y.-H. Lee¹, S. Xiao¹, K. W. Kim², J. L. Reno³, J. P. Bird^1,*, and J. E. Han^4,†

¹Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
²Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
³CINT, Sandia National Laboratories, Department 1881, MS 1303, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA
⁴Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA