B. Kramer - Böcker

Proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Les Arcs, France, April 2--13, 1990

Techniques for the preparation of condensed matter systems have advanced considerably since 1985, principally due to the developments in microfabrication technologies. The widespread availability of millikelvin temperature facilities also led to the discovery of a large number of new quantum phenomena. Simultaneously, the quantum theory of small condensed matter systems has matured, allowing quantitative predictions. The effects discussed in this book include typical quantum interference phenomena, such as the Aharonov-Bohm-like oscillations of the magneto-resistance of thin metallic cylinders and rings, transport through chaotic billiards, and such quantization effects as the integer and fractional quantum Hall effect and the quantization of the conductance of point contacts in integer multiples of the "conductance quantum". Transport properties and tunnelling processes in various types of normal metal and superconductor tunnelling systems are treated.Reviews are given of quantum blockade mechanisms for electrons that tunnel through small junctions, like the Coulomb blockade and spin blockade, the influence of dissipative coupling of charge carriers to an environment, and Andreev scattering. Coulomb interactions and quantization effects in transport through quantum dots and in double-well potentials, as well as quantum effects in the motion of vortices, as in the Aharonov-Casher effect, are discussed. The status of the theory of the metal-insulator and superconductor-insulator phase transitions in ordered and disordered granular systems are reviewed as examples in which such quantum effects are of great importance.

The quantum transport phenomena observed in semiconductor-based nanostructures over the past decade are described by the leading researchers in the field. Key articles describe the status of the quantum Hall effect, quantum dot transport, the theory of mesoscopic transport properties and a survey of mesoscopic transport phenomena, incompressible electron fluids, the Luttinger liquid, quantum chaology, quantum coherence and interactions, spectroscopy of nanostructures, and Cooper pair tunnelling. The most recent developments are described in a number of shorter contributions, providing a survey of the present status of research in this active area of fundamental and applied condensed matter research. The presentation is suitable for advanced students and Ph.D. researchers wishing to gain an insight into the most recent work in the area.

Proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Les Arcs, France, April 2--13, 1990

The present volume contains the written versions of most of the invited talks of the Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Physics section of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft held from March 25 to 29, 2002 in Regensburg, Germany. Also contained are those talks presented as part of the Symposia most of which were organized by several divisions in collaboration and covered a fascinating selection of topics of current interest. Thus this volume reflects the status of condensed matter physics in Germany in the year 2002. In particular, one notes a slight change in paradigms: from quantum dots and wires to spin transport and soft matter systems in the broadest sense. This seems to reflect the present general trend in physics. Nevertheless, a large portion of the invited papers concentrate on nanostructured matter.

This subvolume B (1) provides in Part I an overview of the quantum transport effects discovered during the last two decades of the 20th century, irrespective of the material. In Parts II and III, quantum points contacts and quantum wires, respectively, based only on semiconducting systems are considered. The book is part of the series of Landolt-Bornstein volumes which summarize our present knowledge of the phenomena of mesoscopic quantum systems with spatial extensions between those of atoms and ordinary macroscopic solids. At low temperatures, they are said to become "quantum mechanically coherent" with states that extend over the whole system.

Techniques for the preparation of condensed matter systems have advanced considerably in the last decade, principally due to the developments in microfabrication technologies. The widespread availability of millikelvin temperature facilities also led to the discovery of a large number of new quantum phenomena. Simultaneously, the quantum theory of small condensed matter systems has matured, allowing quantitative predictions. The effects discussed in Quantum Dynamics of Submicron Structures include typical quantum interference phenomena, such as the Aharonov-Bohm-like oscillations of the magnetoresistance of thin metallic cylinders and rings, transport through chaotic billiards, and such quantization effects as the integer and fractional quantum Hall effect and the quantization of the conductance of point contacts in integer multiples of the `conductance quantum'. Transport properties and tunnelling processes in various types of normal metal and superconductor tunnelling systems are treated. The statistical properties of the quantum states of electrons in spatially inhomogeneous systems, such as a random, inhomogeneous magnetic field, are investigated. Interacting systems, like the Luttinger liquid or electrons in a quantum dot, are also considered. Reviews are given of quantum blockade mechanisms for electrons that tunnel through small junctions, like the Coulomb blockade and spin blockade, the influence of dissipative coupling of charge carriers to an environment, and Andreev scattering. Coulomb interactions and quantization effects in transport through quantum dots and in double-well potentials, as well as quantum effects in the motion of vortices, as in the Aharonov-Casher effect, are discussed. The status of the theory of the metal-insulator and superconductor-insulator phase transitions in ordered and disordered granular systems are reviewed as examples in which such quantum effects are of greatimportance.