Noise thermometry in narrow 2D electron gas heat baths connected to a quasi-1D interferometer

TL;DR

This study uses noise thermometry to measure electron temperatures in narrow 2D channels connected by a quasi-1D interferometer, revealing reduced energy-loss rates and decoherence effects due to hot electron diffusion.

Contribution

It introduces a method to measure electron temperature via noise thermometry in nanopatterned 2D/1D systems and demonstrates nonlocal heating effects and decoherence in a quantum interferometer.

Findings

Thermal noise depends on heating current similarly in both channels.

Electron energy-loss rate is lower than in wider 2D systems.

Decoherence observed due to hot electron diffusion into the quasi-1D system.

Abstract

Thermal voltage noise measurements are performed in order to determine the electron temperature in nanopatterned channels of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure at bath temperatures of 4.2 and 1.4 K. Two narrow two-dimensional (2D) heating channels, close to the transition to the one-dimensional (1D) regime, are connected by a quasi-1D quantum interferometer. Under dc current heating of the electrons in one heating channel, we perform cross-correlated noise measurements locally in the directly heated channel and nonlocally in the other channel, which is indirectly heated by hot electron diffusion across the quasi-1D connection. We observe the same functional dependence of the thermal noise on the heating current. The temperature dependence of the electron energy-loss rate is reduced compared to wider 2D systems. In the quantum interferometer, we show the decoherence due to the diffusion of hot electrons from the heating channel into the quasi-1D system, which causes a thermal gradient.