Mesoscopics

John R. Kirtley, Francesco Tafuri, Physics 2, 92 (2009) – Published November 2, 2009

Mesoscopics Cosmology

Defects—in the form of vortices in superconductors or “strings” in the fabric of the universe—can reveal the state of a system at the time it was cooled.

J. O. Sofo, R. D. Diehl, Physics 2, 84 (2009) – Published October 12, 2009

Mesoscopics Graphene

Photoelectron spectroscopy reveals how carbon atoms aggregate to form domelike graphene structures on iridium surfaces.

Joel E. Moore, Physics 2, 82 (2009) – Published October 5, 2009

Quantum Information Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics Nanophysics

A theoretical analysis of recent experiments suggests that a key feature of a topological quantum computer—the unusual statistics of quasiparticles in the quantum Hall effect—may finally have been observed.

Published September 28, 2009

Mesoscopics

By generalizing the idea of a moveable mirror, it may be possible to observe the dynamical Casimir effect.

Published August 24, 2009

Gravitation Mesoscopics

Can quantum electronic devices offer an experimental system that mimics the behavior of black holes?

Published August 17, 2009

Mesoscopics

In integer quantum Hall systems, do theory and experiment agree for the wrong reasons?

Thomas Vojta, Physics 2, 66 (2009) – Published August 3, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics Statistical Mechanics

Quantum states in disordered solids are characterized by wild spatial fluctuations. As a result, the behavior of a single typical wave function differs markedly from the ensemble average.

Published July 6, 2009

Graphene Mesoscopics

Can a patterned semiconducting heterostructure yield a better “graphene”?

Matthew Grayson, Physics 2, 56 (2009) – Published June 29, 2009

Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics

By exploiting the concept of particle-hole duality, one can realize a point junction between integer and fractional quantum Hall phases, which constitutes a crucial building block towards possible applications of the quantum Hall effect.

Fiona J. Burnell, Shivaji L. Sondhi, Physics 2, 49 (2009) – Published June 15, 2009

Magnetism Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics

The fractional quantum Hall effect, thought to be special to two dimensions, may also flourish in three, providing a possible explanation for anomalies observed in certain 3D materials in high magnetic fields.

Published May 11, 2009

Mesoscopics

Giant jumps in the current-voltage characteristics of disordered films could be the first evidence that electron transport in insulators can occur in the absence of phonons.

Antonio H. Castro Neto, Physics 2, 30 (2009) – Published April 20, 2009

Mesoscopics Graphene

Graphene, believed to be a semimetal so far, might actually be an insulator when suspended freely.

Published April 6, 2009

Mesoscopics Semiconductor Physics

Random disorder in topological insulators leads to an insulating phase reminiscent of one known for years in two-dimensional systems.

Yoseph Imry, Physics 2, 24 (2009) – Published March 30, 2009

Mesoscopics

The surprising prediction that currents can flow forever in small normal metal rings was confirmed almost twenty years ago. Highly precise new experiments find good agreement with theory that was not seen till now.

Published March 30, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics Spintronics

Optical measurements in electron gases at low temperatures and high magnetic fields show the electron spins are, as predicted, polarized, but that this state is surprisingly delicate.

Published March 9, 2009

Mesoscopics Semiconductor Physics

The finding of one-dimensional, topologically protected conducting states on the surface of bismuth suggests the possibility of a quantum spin Hall effect in one dimension.

H. A. Fertig, Physics 2, 15 (2009) – Published February 23, 2009

Semiconductor Physics Mesoscopics Nanophysics

Measurements of the heat transport at the edges of two-dimensional electron systems appear to provide explanations about the quantum Hall state that have not been forthcoming via charge transport experiments.

Gary A. Williams, Physics 2, 14 (2009) – Published February 17, 2009

Superfluidity Mesoscopics

Imaging and tracking of bubbles in liquid helium formed by individual electrons allows study of superfluid vortices, and may permit analysis of unusual ionic species in fluids.

Published January 26, 2009

Mesoscopics Nanophysics

Measurements of how out-of-equilibrium electrons lose energy along a carbon nanotube reveal that they do not significantly scatter over several microns.

François Peeters, Physics 2, 4 (2009) – Published January 12, 2009

Mesoscopics

Crystalline structures have been observed in nanoislands of electrons floating above superfluid helium. The energy required to add or subtract an electron from these quantum-dot-like islands agrees well with theory.

Published November 17, 2008

Mesoscopics

Researchers report the observation of a Kondo effect when charge and spin on a double quantum dot system are entangled.

Published November 12, 2008

Mesoscopics

Researchers explore how the excitonic condensate phase in a bilayer electron gas depends on the relative electron densities of the two layers.

Published November 3, 2008

Graphene Mesoscopics

Experiments suggest that one-dimensional behavior is reflected in the transport properties of graphene nanoribbons.

Published September 8, 2008

Mesoscopics Semiconductor Physics

A new study is looking at how disorder affects the conducting states in a topological insulator—revealing one of many ways these unusual materials are different from conventional insulators.

Vincent Crespi, Physics 1, 15 (2008) – Published August 25, 2008

Mesoscopics Graphene

Graphene has been idealized as a two-dimensional electron system in which the electrons behave like massless fermions, but how “perfect” is it? Scientists now show they can prepare free-standing sheets of graphene that have some of the highest electron mobilities of any inorganic semiconductor.