ABSTRACT
Using a scattering technique based on a parametrized linear combination of atomic orbitals Hamiltonian, we calculate the ballistic quantum conductance of multiwall carbon nanotubes. We find that interwall interactions not only block some of the quantum conductance channels, but also redistribute the current nonuniformly over individual tubes across the structure. Our results provide a natural explanation for the unexpected integer and noninteger conductance values reported for multiwall nanotubes by Stefan Frank et al. [Stefan Frank et al., Science 280, 1744 (1998)].
ABSTRACT
We observe a maximum in the conductance of Al/n-GaAs junctions at temperatures 20 mK lower than the superconducting transition temperature (T(c)). This is the first observation of a peak in the conductance near the superconducting transition in superconducting-normal (S/N) junctions. To accommodate this effect we calculate the full temperature dependence of the conductance of these structures, invoking quasiclassical Green's functions in the diffusive limit. In addition to the well-known low-temperature peak at temperatures on the order of the Thouless energy, we find a maximum near T(c). This peak has the same origin as the subgap conductance observed in S/N junctions at low temperatures.
ABSTRACT
The path-length spectra of mesoscopic systems including diffractive scatterers and connected to a superconductor are studied theoretically. We show that the spectra differ fundamentally from that of normal systems due to the presence of Andreev reflection. It is shown that negative path lengths should arise in the spectra as opposed to the normal system. To highlight this effect we carried out both quantum mechanical and semiclassical calculations for the simplest possible diffractive scatterer. The most pronounced peaks in the path-length spectra of the reflection amplitude are identified by the routes that the electron and/or hole travels.
