scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1258155

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Publication:4229078





The book is devoted to the so-called mesoscopic systems. This field of physics deals with the systems intermediate between macroscopic and microscopic scales, where quantum coherence becomes important. This interdisciplinary field connects quite different subjects ranging from quantum transport theory to quantum chaos. The aim of the book is to provide an introduction into some of the theoretical aspects and to guide simultaneously towards the forefront of ongoing research. The present volume introduces many of the basic ideas and techniques which are necessary to master the more specialized original literature. It is mainly addressed to those who intend to start research in this area. It should also be useful for specialists in other fields who would like to learn about this subject. The book consists of six chapters each written by different authors. The first chapter deals with the basic notions in quantum transport theory, including weak localization, universal conductance fluctuations and the Landauer-Büttiker scattering formalism. It also provides some background for diagrammatic techniques in weakly disordered systems. The second chapter introduces the theory of the quantum Hall effect, both integer and fractional. The concept of localization, Laughlin's theory, quantization of conductance in quantum wires and some other topics are included. The subject of the third chapter are single-electron tunneling and Coulomb-blockade phenomena for metallic and superconducting junction devices. In chapter four, concepts for the description of dissipation in quantum systems are explained. This chapter also includes the Feynman path-integral formulation via influence functionals and applies this formalism to dissipative tunneling. The fifth chapter is devoted to the theory of strongly driven quantum systems. Several archetypal problems are discussed there on the basis of general Floquet theory. Quantum chaos and its relation to transport phenomena are treated in the sixth chapter. The main topics are semiclassical methods, the interplay of chaos with tunneling and localization, and quantum chaos in scattering and dissipative systems. Some topics like persistent currents and the physics of semiconductor quantum dots are not included in the book. Each chapter is followed by a bibliography.




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