Magnetic extrema in electronic susceptibility and heat capacity of mesoscopic systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields induce oscillations and extrema in susceptibility and heat capacity of mesoscopic systems, revealing quantum level crossings as key factors at low temperatures.

Contribution

It demonstrates that magnetic fields cause local extrema in susceptibility and heat capacity at quantum level crossings in mesoscopic systems.

Findings

Magnetic field induces extrema in susceptibility and heat capacity.

Extrema occur at quantum level crossings.

Results apply to both normal and superconducting mesoscopic systems.

Abstract

Oscillating behaviour of the susceptibility and heat capacity is considered for normal and superconducting mesoscopic systems (nanoclusters and quantum dots). It is proved that at low temperature an increasing magnetic field applied to a mesoscopic system generates local extrema of the susceptibility and heat capacity. A maximum for the susceptibility and a minimum for heat capacity simultaneously arise in those points of the field where crossings of quantum levels of the normal and superconducting mesoscopic systems take place.