On the origins of transport inefficiencies in mesoscopic networks

A counter-intuitive behavior analogous to the Braess paradox is encountered in a two-terminal mesoscopic network patterned in a two-dimensional electron system (2DES). Decreasing locally the electron density of one channel of the network paradoxically leads to an increased network electrical conduct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2018-02, Vol.8 (1), p.3017-11, Article 3017
Main Authors: Toussaint, Sébastien, Martins, Frederico, Faniel, Sébastien, Pala, Marco G., Desplanque, Ludovic, Wallart, Xavier, Sellier, Hermann, Huant, Serge, Bayot, Vincent, Hackens, Benoit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/766/119/1000/1018
639/925/927/1007
Behavior
Conductance
Electrical resistivity
Engineering Sciences
Experiments
Humanities and Social Sciences
Low temperature
Magnetic fields
Micro and nanotechnologies
Microelectronics
Microscopy
Molecular beam epitaxy
multidisciplinary
Physics
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Simulation
Topography
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Summary:A counter-intuitive behavior analogous to the Braess paradox is encountered in a two-terminal mesoscopic network patterned in a two-dimensional electron system (2DES). Decreasing locally the electron density of one channel of the network paradoxically leads to an increased network electrical conductance. Our low temperature scanning gate microscopy experiments reveal different occurrences of such puzzling conductance variations, thanks to tip-induced localized modifications of electron flow throughout the network’s channels in the ballistic and coherent regime of transport. The robustness of the puzzling behavior is inspected by varying the global 2DES density, magnetic field and the tip-surface distance. Depending on the overall 2DES density, we show that either Coulomb Blockade resonances due to disorder-induced localized states or Fabry-Perot interferences tuned by the tip-induced electrostatic perturbation are at the origin of transport inefficiencies in the network, which are lifted when gradually closing one channel of the network with the tip.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-21250-y