| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/M67551/01 |
| Title: |
PROBING THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF A MAGNETIC WAVEGUIDE THROUGH POINT CONTACTS |
| Principal Investigator: |
Nogaret, Professor A |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Physics |
| Organisation: |
University of Bath |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 1999 |
Ends: |
31 August 2002 |
Value (£): |
56,391
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| Communications |
Electronics |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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We propose an experimental investigation of the electronic structure at the boundary line between two regions of opposite magnetic field where the electrons are confined to one-dimensional trajectories or snake states . We measure the transport coefficients through point contacts placed at both ends of the line of zero magnetic field. The boundary conditions imposed by the point contacts give us access to the wavelength of a given snake orbit and allow us to select a single mode when either the electron concentration or the amplitude of the magnetic modulation is varied. This leads us to examine possible analogies between snake states and the modes of electromagnetic waveguides. The existence of magnetic modes would be a first proof of quantum confinement in a magnetic well, currently a topic of high interest among semiconductor theorists. We also investigate both the energy dissipation mechanism in snake orbits and the mean free path which we expect to be extremely large (i.e. edge states) with interesting consequences for interconnecting and multiplexing existing mesoscopic devices. Finally and unique to these waveguides, the unidirectional electron flow due to the time reversal asymmetry of the magnetic potential should manifest itself in the conductance of the boundary line.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.bath.ac.uk |