Eur. Phys. J. B 3, 397-405 (1998)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050327

Non-linear response and electron-electron interactions in mesoscopic metal rings

Institut für Theoretische Physik der Universität Göttingen, Bunsenstrasse 9, 37073 Göttingen, Germany

Received: 5 September 1997
Accepted: 4 November 1997
Published online: 15 June 1998

Abstract

A time-dependent electric field gives rise to a stationary non-equilibrium current around a mesoscopic metal ring threaded by a magnetic flux. We show that this current, which is proportional to the intensity of the field, is closely related to the exchange part of the interaction contribution to the equilibrium persistent current, and that the corresponding non-linear conductivity directly measures the weak localization correction to the polarization. We explicitly calculate the disorder average of in the diffusive regime as function of the frequency of the electric field and the static flux piercing the ring, and suggest an experiment to test our theory.