Coherent electron scattering in mesoscopic metal films

In mesoscopic metal films (size smaller than the inelastic diffusion length for the electrons), ensemble averaging is incomplete. Direct interference between the electron waves gives rise to a sample specific magnetoresistance. The magnetoresistance of a mesoscopic loop oscillates with flux-period h/e. In series arrays of mesoscopic loops, the h/e amplitude is inversely proportional to the square-root of the number of loops. This is in agreement with the stochastic "self-averaging" of the direct interference in larger samples. In long metal cylinders, impurity averaging is complete and only h/2e oscillations caused by the weak electron localization, are present. © IOP Publishing Ltd.