M. A. Castellanos-Beltran, D. Q. Ngo, W. E. Shanks, A. B. Jayich, J. G. E. Harris
Understanding the propagation of waves through disordered media is an outstanding problem in condensed matter physics, atomic physics, and optics. Although a number of important aspects of this problem remain unsolved, some universal features have been identified. One such universal feature is the distribution function that characterizes the range of values that a given property can take on as the disorder within a sample is varied. This mesoscopic distribution function has not been measured in metallic systems, largely because conventional experimental probes tend to obscure the distribution. To overcome this challenge, we have used the unique properties of the normal-state persistent current to measure its mesoscopic distribution function in individual isolated metal rings. We find that the first several cumulants of this distribution, as well as other higher-order statistical properties of the persistent current, are in agreement with theory.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/1204.3821
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