Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Using Laser Scanning Microscopy to Determine Electromigration in Molybdenum Disilicide
Published on: May 23, 2025
Weak Values from Displacement Currents in Multiterminal Electron Devices
D Marian1,2, N Zanghì1, X Oriols2
1Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università di Genova and INFN sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy.
Abstract:
Weak values allow the measurement of observables associated with noncommuting operators. Up to now, position-momentum weak values have been mainly developed for (relativistic) photons. In this Letter, a proposal for the measurement of such weak values in typical electronic devices is presented. Inspired by the Ramo-Shockley-Pellegrini theorem that provides a relation between current and electron velocity, it is shown that the displacement current measured in multiterminal configurations can provide either a weak measurement of the momentum or strong measurement of position. This proposal opens new opportunities for fundamental and applied physics with state-of-the-art electronic technology. As an example, a setup for the measurement of the Bohmian velocity of (nonrelativistic) electrons is presented and tested with numerical experiments.
Related Concept Videos
Significance of Displacement Current
Displacement Current
Carrier Transport
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
Drift Velocity
Non-ohmic Devices
Consider a simple circuit consisting of a battery, a diode, and a resistor. A...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...

