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dc.contributor.authorSteinberg, Hadar
dc.contributor.authorBarak, Gilad
dc.contributor.authorYacoby, Amir
dc.contributor.authorPfeiffer, Loren N.
dc.contributor.authorWest, Ken W.
dc.contributor.authorHalperin, Bertrand
dc.contributor.authorLe Hur, Karyn
dc.date.accessioned2009-04-21T20:17:43Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.identifier.citationSteinberg, Hadar, Gilad Barak, Amir Yacoby, Loren N. Pfeiffer, Ken W. West, Bertrand I. Halperin, and Karyn Le Hur. 2008. Charge fractionalization in quantum wires. Nature Physics 4(2): 116-119en
dc.identifier.issn0300-8746en
dc.identifier.urihttp://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:2798414
dc.description.abstractAlthough the unit of charge in nature is a fundamental constant, the charge of individual quasiparticles in some low-dimensional systems may be fractionalized. Quantum one-dimensional (1D) systems, for instance, are theoretically predicted to carry charge in units smaller than the electron charge e. Unlike 2D systems, the charge of these excitations is not quantized and depends directly on the strength of the Coulomb interactions. For example, in a 1D system with momentum conservation, it is predicted that the charge of a unidirectional electron that is injected into the wire decomposes into right- and left-moving charge excitations carrying fractional charges f<sub>0</sub>e and (1-f<sub>0</sub>)e respectively. f<sub>0</sub> approaches unity for non-interacting electrons and is less than one for repulsive interactions. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence for charge fractionalization in one dimension. Unidirectional electrons are injected at the bulk of a wire and the imbalance in the currents detected at two drains on opposite sides of the injection region is used to determine f<sub>0</sub>. Our results elucidate further the collective nature of electrons in one dimension.en
dc.description.sponsorshipPhysicsen
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherNature Publishing Groupen
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys810en
dash.licenseLAA
dc.subjectelectronics, photonics and device physicsen
dc.subjectcondensed-matter physicsen
dc.subjectnanotechnologyen
dc.titleCharge Fractionalization in Quantum Wiresen
dc.relation.journalNature Physicsen
dash.depositing.authorHalperin, Bertrand
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/nphys810*
dash.contributor.affiliatedHalperin, Bertrand
dash.contributor.affiliatedYacoby, Amir


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