Statistical significance of fine structure in the frequency spectrum of Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the statistical significance of fine structures in the frequency spectrum of Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations in a 2D ring with Rashba spin-orbit interaction, distinguishing physical effects from sample-specific features.

Contribution

It introduces a statistical method to confirm the physical origin of spectral splitting in Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, accounting for sample-specific effects.

Findings

Confirmed the statistical significance of the spectral splitting.

Demonstrated the role of sample-specific effects in the frequency spectrum.

Showed how to discriminate physical fine structures from sample effects.

Abstract

We discuss a statistical analysis of Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations measured in a two-dimensional ring, in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit interaction. Measurements performed at different values of gate voltage are used to calculate the ensemble-averaged modulus of the Fourier spectrum and, at each frequency, the standard deviation associated to the average. This allows us to prove the statistical significance of a splitting that we observe in the h/e peak of the averaged spectrum. Our work illustrates in detail the role of sample specific effects on the frequency spectrum of Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations and it demonstrates how fine structures of a different physical origin can be discriminated from sample specific features.