Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Originally published in Science Express on 13 July 2006
Science 28 July 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5786, pp. 499 - 502
DOI: 10.1126/science.1126940
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Violation of Kirchhoff's Laws for a Coherent RC Circuit

J. Gabelli,1 G. Fève,1 J.-M. Berroir,1 B. Plaçais,1 A. Cavanna,2 B. Etienne,2 Y. Jin,2 D. C. Glattli1,3*

What is the complex impedance of a fully coherent quantum resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit at gigahertz frequencies in which a resistor and a capacitor are connected in series? While Kirchhoff's laws predict addition of capacitor and resistor impedances, we report on observation of a different behavior. The resistance, here associated with charge relaxation, differs from the usual transport resistance given by the Landauer formula. In particular, for a single-mode conductor, the charge-relaxation resistance is half the resistance quantum, regardless of the transmission of the mode. The new mesoscopic effect reported here is relevant for the dynamical regime of all quantum devices.

1 Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Département de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
2 Laboratoire de Photonique et Nanostructures, UPR20 CNRS, Route de Nozay, 91460 Marcoussis Cedex, France.
3 Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé (CNRS URA 2464), Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA) Saclay, F91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: glattli{at}lpa.ens.fr

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
An On-Demand Coherent Single-Electron Source.
G. Feve, A. Mahe, J.-M. Berroir, T. Kontos, B. Placais, D. C. Glattli, A. Cavanna, B. Etienne, and Y. Jin (2007)
Science 316, 1169-1172
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


ADVERTISEMENT
Click Me!

ADVERTISEMENT
Click Me!

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)