Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in carbon nanotubes

When electrons pass through a cylindrical electrical conductor aligned in a magnetic field, their wave-like nature manifests itself as a periodic oscillation in the electrical resistance as a function of the enclosed magnetic flux. This phenomenon reflects the dependence of the phase of the electron...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1999-02, Vol.397 (6721), p.673-675
Main Authors: Schönenberger, Christian, Bachtold, Adrian, Strunk, Christoph, Salvetat, Jean-Paul, Bonard, Jean-Marc, Forró, Laszló, Nussbaumer, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Carbon nanotubes
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Conductors (devices)
Cylinders
Electronic conduction in metals and alloys
Electronic transport in condensed matter
Electrons
Exact sciences and technology
Graphene
Humanities and Social Sciences
Interference
letter
Localization effects (anderson or weak localization)
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
multidisciplinary
Nanotechnology
Nanotubes
Oscillations
Physics
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:When electrons pass through a cylindrical electrical conductor aligned in a magnetic field, their wave-like nature manifests itself as a periodic oscillation in the electrical resistance as a function of the enclosed magnetic flux. This phenomenon reflects the dependence of the phase of the electron wave on the magnetic field, known as the Aharonov-Bohm effect, which causes a phase difference, and hence interference, between partial waves encircling the conductor in opposite directions. Such oscillations have been observed in micrometre-sized thin-walled metallic cylinders and lithographically fabricated rings. Carbon nanotubes are composed of individual graphene sheets rolled into seamless hollow cylinders with diameters ranging from 1 nm to about 20 nm. They are able to act as conducting molecular wires, making them ideally suited for the investigation of quantum interference at the single-molecule level caused by the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Here we report magnetoresistance measurements on individual multi-walled nanotubes, which display pronounced resistance oscillations as a function of magnetic flux.We find that the oscillations are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a hollow conductor with a diameter equal to that of the outermost shell of the nanotubes. In some nanotubes we also observe shorter-period oscillations, which might result from anisotropic electron currents caused by defects in the nanotube lattice.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/17755