Localization in thin films — a time-of-flight-experiment with conduction electrons

Abstract Two-dimensional conductors such as thin disordered films show in their resistance deviations from Boltzmann-theory (weak localization) because the conduction electrons are coherently backscattered by the impurities and form an echo which decays as 1/t with time. The intensity of the echo (integrated over time) can be easily measured by the resistance of the film. A magnetic field suppresses the echo after a “flight”-time proportional to l/H — and one can determine the inelastic lifetime, the spin-orbit and the magnetic scattering time of the conduction electrons in the pico-second range. In superconductors (above T c ) one obtains the pair-breaking parameter of the Maki-Thompson fluctuations.

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