Anomalous shot noise in a bad metal beta-tantalum

TL;DR

This study examines shot noise in beta-tantalum nanowires, revealing anomalous behavior linked to correlated electron states, and suggests beta-tantalum as a platform for exploring exotic electronic phenomena.

Contribution

It presents the first analysis of shot noise in beta-tantalum nanowires, showing anomalous suppression and temperature dependence indicative of correlated electron liquids.

Findings

Fano factor depends strongly on temperature

Shot noise suppression inconsistent with hopping transport

Behavior resembles that of strange metal nanowires

Abstract

We investigate the electronic shot noise produced by nanowires of $\beta$-Ta, an archetypal ``bad" metal with resistivity near the Ioffe-Regel localization limit. The Fano factor characterizing the shot noise exhibits a strong dependence on temperature and is suppressed compared to the expectations for quasiparticle diffusion, but hopping transport is ruled out by the analysis of scaling with the nanowire length. These anomalous behaviors closely resemble those of strange metal nanowires, suggesting that $\beta$-Ta may host a correlated electron liquid. This material provides an accessible platform for exploring exotic electronic states of matter.