Phenomenological approach to transport through three-terminal disordered wires

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Mesoscopic Physics
• Disordered Systems

Background:

• Understanding electron transport in disordered materials is crucial for electronic device applications.
• Previous studies often focused on specific transport regimes (ballistic or localized) or symmetry classes.
• A unified description of voltage drop across all regimes and symmetries has been lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the voltage drop in three-terminal disordered wires across ballistic, diffusive, and localized transport regimes.
• To develop a unified theoretical framework that describes voltage drop behavior as a function of disorder strength and symmetry.
• To extend existing models based on Dyson symmetry index (β) to a continuous parameter.

Main Methods:

• Experimental measurement of voltage drop in a one-dimensional disordered wire using a three-terminal setup.
• Theoretical modeling considering two types of disorder: 1D Anderson model (diagonal disorder) and bulk-disordered waveguides.
• Phenomenological extension of the voltage drop distribution's β dependence to a continuous parameter β > 0.

Main Results:

• The voltage drop was measured as a function of disorder strength in the three-terminal setup.
• A linear relationship between the Dyson symmetry parameter (β) and disorder strength was established.
• The proposed model successfully unifies the description of voltage drop across all transport regimes (ballistic to localized).

Conclusions:

• The study presents a unified approach to understanding voltage drop in disordered wires.
• The linear dependence of β on disorder strength provides a key insight into the transition between transport regimes.
• This work offers a valuable framework for analyzing electron transport in complex disordered systems.