RECENT NEWS

Bringing the noise by Chetan Nayak

Noise is usually viewed as the bane of measurements. But a neat experiment has confirmed a long-standing prediction for an exotic electronic state of matter through the increase of noise in charge transmission.
Nature 466, 572 - 573 (29 July 2010), doi: 10.1038/466572a, News and Views

Interference in the matter by Markus Kindermann

Like any particle, electrons are also waves that can interfere with each other. Remarkably, this interference can even happen between electrons from different sources that have never physically interacted.
Nature 448, 262 - 263 (18 Jul 2007), doi: 10.1038/448262a, News and Views

Quantum physics: Debut of the quarter electron by Eduardo Fradkin

A particle-like object with a quarter of an electron's charge is the latest find in a hotbed of quantum-physical experimentation, the fractional quantum Hall fluid. Its significance is more than esoteric.
Nature 452, 822-823 (17 April 2008), doi:10.1038/452823a, News and Views

Quantum computation: The dreamweaver's abacus by Liesbeth Venema

Some experts think that a quantum computation could be plaited like a skein of string. And now they may have found the sorts of string they need, finds Liesbeth Venema.
Nature News 452, 803 - 805 (16 Apr 2008), doi: 10.1038/452803a, News Feature

REVIEW PAPERS

Fractional Charge Determination via Quantum Shot Noise Measurements
M. Heiblum
Perspectives of Mesoscopic Physics, Eds. A. Aharony and O. Entin-Wohlman, World Scientific, 115 (2010).

Phase and temporal measurements in semiconductor quantum structures
M. Heiblum
Physica Scripta. T68, 27, (1996)

Measuring the fractional charge and it's evolution
M. Heiblum
Advances in Solid State Physics Vol 40 edited by B. Kramer, p21 (2000)

Quantum shot noise in edge channels
M. Heiblum
Phys. Stat. Sol.(B) 243, 3604 (2006)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Ballistic transport

Today ballistic transport is a known and ubiquitous fact, however, in the early 1980’s it was at the center of a debate. The first observation of such an effect in a doped semiconductor received a wide exposure. A few publications on this and related subjects.

"A GaAs Ballistic Transistor?"
M. I. Nathan and M. Heiblum
Spectrum 23, 45 (1986).

"Direct Observation of Ballistic Electron Transport in GaAs"
M. Heiblum and M. I. Natahn
Physics News in 1986 in Physics Today, Jan. 1987.

"Ballistic Electrons in Semiconductors"
M. Heiblum and L. F. Eastman
Scientific American 255, 103 (1987).

"Semiconductor (On Ballistic Transport)"
M. Heiblum
McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology, 351, (1989).

"Ballistic Electron Transport in Hot Electron transistors"
M. Heiblum and M. V. Fischetti
Physics of Quantum Electron Devices; Ed. F. Capasso, in Topics in Current Physics, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 271 (1990).

"Ballistic Hot Electron Transistors"
M. Heiblum and M. V. Fischetti
IBM J. Research and Develop. 34, 530 (1990).

"Quantum Electronics"
U. Meirav and M. Heiblum
The World and I, p. 294, June 1990.

"Ballistic Transport in a 2DEG"
M. Heiblum and U. Sivan
Hot Carriers in Semiconductor Microstructures: Physics and Applications, Academic Press, 1990, Ed. J. Shah.

Fractional charges

The presence of quasiparticles with odd denominator fractional charges had been predicted to be present in the fractional quantum Hall effect regime in the early 1980’s. Experimental efforts failed to unequivocally demonstrate their presence for some 15 years. Later, the presence of fractional quasiparticles of even denominator was predicted at the non-abelian fractional state of 5/2. Charges had been determined via the measurements of shot noise.

"The Dream weaver’s Abacus", L. Venema, Feature Article in Nature 452, 803 (2008).

"Debut of the Quarter Electron”, E. Fradkin, New & Views in Nature 452, 823 (2008).

"Towards identification of a non-Abelian state: observation of a quarter of electron charge at ν = 5/2 quantum Hall state", Recommended with a commentary by Kirill Shtengel, Journal Club in Condensed Matter Physics:

"Two groups measure the quasiparticle charge of 5/2 fractional quantum Hall state", Search & Discovery, Physics Today, June 2008.

"Quarter Electrons May Enable Exotic Quantum Computer", JR Minkel, Scientific American, April (2008).

"Fractional Quantum Hall Effects", M. Heiblum and A. Stern, Physics World 13, 37 (2000).

"Splitting the electron", B. Daviss, New Scientist, January 1998.

News & Views: “A Shot in the Arm for Fractional Charge”, C. L. Kane & M. P. A. Fisher, Nature 389, 119 (1997).

"Experiment signals a new phase of quantum dot measurements", B. Goss-Levi, Physics Today, January 1997.

"e/5 particles discovered", Physics World, May 1997.

"Fractional charge carriers discovered", Physics World, October 1997.

Interference in the matter

Like any particle, electrons are also waves that can interfere with each other. Remarkably, this interference can even happen between electrons from different sources that have never physically interacted.

News & Views: “Interference in the matter”, M. Kinderman, Nature 448, 262 (2007)

"Interference between two independent electrons: observation of two-particle Aharonov-Bohm interference”; Recommended with a Commentary by Bertrand I. Halperin, Harvard University, Journal Club in Condensed Matter Physics: