https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510051126
Non-linear conductivity and quantum interference in disordered metals
1
INFM e Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Amaldi",
Università di Roma Tre,
Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
2
INFM e Dipartimento di Fisica,
Università "La Sapienza", 00185 Roma, Italy
3
Institut für Physik,
Universität Augsburg,
86135 Augsburg, Germany
Received:
9
February
2000
Published online: 15 May 2000
We report on the non-linear electric field effect in the conductivity of disordered conductors. We find that the electron-electron interaction in the particle-hole triplet channel strongly affects the non-linear conductivity. The non-linear effect introduces a field dependent temperature scale TE and provides a microscopic mechanism for electric field scaling at the metal-insulator transition. We also study the magnetic field dependence of the non-linear conductivity and suggest possible ways to experimentally verify our predictions. These effects offer a new probe to test the role of quantum interference at the metal-insulator transition in disordered conductors.
PACS: 72.10.-d – Theory of electronic transport; scattering mechanisms / 72.15.Rn – Localization effects (Anderson or weak localization)
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2000
