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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

Published on: January 19, 2018

Electron turbulence at nanoscale junctions.

Neil Bushong¹, John Gamble, Massimiliano Di Ventra

¹Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0319, USA. bushong@physics.ucsd.edu

|May 23, 2007

Summary

Electron liquid in nanostructures can behave like a classical fluid, exhibiting turbulence at high currents. This study reveals unexpected electron dynamics and transport properties in nanoscale systems.

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All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

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Area of Science:

Condensed matter physics
Quantum fluid dynamics
Nanoscale transport phenomena

Background:

Electron transport in nanostructures can be analogized to classical fluid dynamics.
The potential for nonlinear dynamical effects, like turbulence, in electron liquids is an open question.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the extent to which electron liquid behavior in nanojunctions mimics classical fluid dynamics.
To explore the possibility of turbulent electron flow in nanoscale systems.

Main Methods:

Ab initio theoretical study of electron dynamics.
Analysis of electron flow in nanojunctions under varying current conditions.

Main Results:

Electron dynamics in nanojunctions show strong similarities to classical fluid behavior.
A transition from laminar to turbulent electron flow is observed with increasing current.
This transition correlates with increasing Reynolds numbers, analogous to classical fluid dynamics.

Conclusions:

The electron liquid can exhibit nonlinear dynamical effects, including turbulence, in nanostructures.
Classical fluid dynamics concepts, including turbulence, are applicable to electron transport at the nanoscale.
Findings offer new insights into the fundamental transport properties of nanoscale systems.