Imaging Electron Wave Functions Inside Open Quantum Rings

TL;DR

This paper combines experimental scanning gate microscopy and simulations to visualize and understand electron wave functions inside quantum rings, revealing their interference patterns and linking them to conductance modulations.

Contribution

It introduces a method to image electron probability densities in quantum rings using SGM and simulations, providing new insights into electron interference phenomena.

Findings

SGM conductance modulations match the temperature dependence of the Aharonov-Bohm effect

Simulations accurately reproduce experimental SGM images and wavefunction patterns

Fringes in SGM images are directly linked to electron probability densities

Abstract

Combining Scanning Gate Microscopy (SGM) experiments and simulations, we demonstrate low temperature imaging of electron probability density $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$ in embedded mesoscopic quantum rings (QRs). The tip-induced conductance modulations share the same temperature dependence as the Aharonov-Bohm effect, indicating that they originate from electron wavefunction interferences. Simulations of both $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$ and SGM conductance maps reproduce the main experimental observations and link fringes in SGM images to $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$.