Detection of Vibration-Mode Scattering in Electronic Shot Noise

Manohar Kumar (1) , Rémi Avriller (2, 3, 4) , Alfredo Levy Yeyati (4) , Jan M. van Ruitenbeek (5)

1 Kamerlingh Omnes Laboratorium
2 LOMA - Laboratoire Ondes et Matière d'Aquitaine
3 Donostia International Physics Center DIPC
4 DFTMC - Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada [Madrid]
5 Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium

We present shot noise measurements on Au nanowires showing very pronounced vibration-mode features. In accordance to recent theoretical predictions the sign of the inelastic signal, i.e., the signal due to vibration excitations, depends on the transmission probability becoming negative below a certain transmission value. We argue that the negative contribution to noise arises from coherent two-electron processes mediated by electron-phonon scattering and the Pauli exclusion principle. These signals can provide unique information on the local phonon population and lattice temperature of the nanoscale system.

Mots clés: Noise processes and phenomena; Nanoscale contacts; Landau levels; Molecular electronic devices

Domaines: Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

Manohar Kumar, Rémi Avriller, Alfredo Levy Yeyati, Jan M. van Ruitenbeek. Detection of Vibration-Mode Scattering in Electronic Shot Noise. Physical Review Letters, 2012, 108 (14), pp.146602 (1-4). ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.146602⟩. ⟨hal-00713221⟩