An experimental realization of a ballistic superconductor proximitized semiconductor nanowire device is a necessary step towards engineering topological quantum electronics. Here, we report on ballistic transport in I...An experimental realization of a ballistic superconductor proximitized semiconductor nanowire device is a necessary step towards engineering topological quantum electronics. Here, we report on ballistic transport in In Sb nanowires grown by molecular-beam epitaxy contacted by superconductor electrodes. At an elevated temperature, clear conductance plateaus are observed at zero magnetic field and in agreement with calculations based on the Landauer formula. At lower temperature, we have observed characteristic Fabry–Pérot patterns which confirm the ballistic nature of charge transport.Furthermore, the magnetoconductance measurements in the ballistic regime reveal a periodic variation related to the Fabry–Pérot oscillations. The result can be reasonably explained by taking into account the impact of magnetic field on the phase of ballistic electron＇s wave function, which is further verified by our simulation. Our results pave the way for better understanding of the quantum interference effects on the transport properties of In Sb nanowires in the ballistic regime as well as developing of novel device for topological quantum computations.展开更多
Apart from usual quantization steps on the ballistic conductance of quasi-one-dimensional conductor, an additional plateau-like feature appears at a fraction of about 0.7 below the first conductance step in GaAs-based...Apart from usual quantization steps on the ballistic conductance of quasi-one-dimensional conductor, an additional plateau-like feature appears at a fraction of about 0.7 below the first conductance step in GaAs-based quantum point contacts (QPCs). Despite a tremendous amount of research on this anomalous feature, its origin remains still unclear. Here, a unique model of this anomaly is proposed relying on fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. It is noticed that just after opening a quasi-1D conducting channel in the QPC a single electron travels the channel at a time, and such electron can be—in principle—observed. The act of observation destroys superposition of spin states, in which the electron otherwise exists, and this suppresses their quantum interference. It is shown that then the QPC-conductance is reduced by a factor of 0.74. “Visibility” of electron is enhanced if the electron spends some time in the channel due to resonant transmission. Electron’s resonance can also explain an unusual temperature behavior of the anomaly as well as its recently discovered feature: oscillatory modulation as a function of the channel length and electrostatic potential. A recipe for experimental verification of the model is given.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(Grant No.2016YFA0300601)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.91221202,91421303,11374019,and 61321001)
文摘An experimental realization of a ballistic superconductor proximitized semiconductor nanowire device is a necessary step towards engineering topological quantum electronics. Here, we report on ballistic transport in In Sb nanowires grown by molecular-beam epitaxy contacted by superconductor electrodes. At an elevated temperature, clear conductance plateaus are observed at zero magnetic field and in agreement with calculations based on the Landauer formula. At lower temperature, we have observed characteristic Fabry–Pérot patterns which confirm the ballistic nature of charge transport.Furthermore, the magnetoconductance measurements in the ballistic regime reveal a periodic variation related to the Fabry–Pérot oscillations. The result can be reasonably explained by taking into account the impact of magnetic field on the phase of ballistic electron＇s wave function, which is further verified by our simulation. Our results pave the way for better understanding of the quantum interference effects on the transport properties of In Sb nanowires in the ballistic regime as well as developing of novel device for topological quantum computations.
文摘Apart from usual quantization steps on the ballistic conductance of quasi-one-dimensional conductor, an additional plateau-like feature appears at a fraction of about 0.7 below the first conductance step in GaAs-based quantum point contacts (QPCs). Despite a tremendous amount of research on this anomalous feature, its origin remains still unclear. Here, a unique model of this anomaly is proposed relying on fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. It is noticed that just after opening a quasi-1D conducting channel in the QPC a single electron travels the channel at a time, and such electron can be—in principle—observed. The act of observation destroys superposition of spin states, in which the electron otherwise exists, and this suppresses their quantum interference. It is shown that then the QPC-conductance is reduced by a factor of 0.74. “Visibility” of electron is enhanced if the electron spends some time in the channel due to resonant transmission. Electron’s resonance can also explain an unusual temperature behavior of the anomaly as well as its recently discovered feature: oscillatory modulation as a function of the channel length and electrostatic potential. A recipe for experimental verification of the model is given.
