Comment on "Quantum Decoherence in Disordered Mesoscopic Systems"

TL;DR

This paper critically examines Golubev and Zaikin's claim that zero-point electron fluctuations cause finite dephasing at zero temperature, arguing their results conflict with established theory and experimental data.

Contribution

It provides a detailed critique showing that GZ's results are incompatible with conventional perturbation theory and experimental observations.

Findings

GZ's dephasing rate contradicts perturbation theory

Experimental data do not support GZ's finite zero-temperature dephasing

Criticism clarifies the inconsistency of GZ's results with established physics

Abstract

In a recent paper, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1074 (1998), Golubev and Zaikin (GZ) found that ``zero-point fluctuations of electrons'' contribute to the dephasing rate extracted from the magnetoresistance. As a result, the dephasing rate remains finite at zero temperature. GZ claimed that their results ``agree well with the experimental data''. We point out that the GZ results are incompatible with (i) conventional perturbation theory of the effects of interaction on weak localization (WL), and (ii) with the available experimental data. More detailed criticism of GZ findings can be found in cond-mat/9808053.