Magnetic-field symmetries of mesoscopic nonlinear conductance

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields influence the nonlinear conductance in mesoscopic systems, revealing sensitivity to Coulomb interactions and contact asymmetries, with implications for understanding quantum dot behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of magnetic-field symmetries in mesoscopic nonlinear conductance, emphasizing the role of Coulomb interactions and contact asymmetries.

Findings

Current components are highly sensitive to Coulomb interaction strength.

Symmetric and antisymmetric current components depend on contact conductance asymmetry.

Correlations of nonlinear conductance vary with magnetic field and temperature.

Abstract

We examine contributions to the dc-current of mesoscopic samples which are non-linear in applied voltage. In the presence of a magnetic field, the current can be decomposed into components which are odd (antisymmetric) and even (symmetric) under flux reversal. For a two-terminal chaotic cavity, these components turn out to be very sensitive to the strength of the Coulomb interaction and the asymmetry of the contact conductances. For both two- and multi-terminal quantum dots we discuss correlations of current non-linearity in voltage measured at different magnetic fields and temperatures.