Ann. Phys. Fr., Vol. 31, N°4-5 2006, pp. 1-245
DOI: 10.1051/anphys:2007002

Interactions between electrons, mesoscopic Josephson effect and asymmetric current fluctuations

B. Huard

Quantronics group, Service de physique de l'état condensé, URA 2464 du CNRS, DMS/DRECAM/SPEC, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

(Published online: 11 July 2007)

Abstract
This article discusses three experiments on the properties of electronic transport at the mesoscopic scale. The first one allowed to measure the energy exchange rate between electrons in a metal contaminated by a very weak concentration of magnetic impurities. The role played by magnetic impurities in the Kondo regime on those energy exchanges is quantitatively investigated, and the global measured exchange rate is larger than expected. The second experiment is a measurement of the current-phase relation in a system made of two superconductors linked through a single atom. We thus provide quantitative support for the recent description of the mesoscopic Josephson effect. The last experiment is a measurement of the asymmetry of the current fluctuations in a mesoscopic conductor, using a Josephson junction as a threshold detector.

Résumé
Cet ouvrage décrit trois expériences portant sur les propriétés du transport électronique à l'échelle mésoscopique. La première a permis de mesurer le taux d'échange d'énergie entre électrons dans un métal contenant une très faible concentration d'impuretés magnétiques. Nous avons validé la description quantitative du rôle des impuretés magnétiques dans le régime Kondo sur ces échanges énergétiques et aussi montré que le taux global d'échange est plus fort que prévu. La seconde expérience est une mesure de la relation courant-phase dans un système constitué de deux supraconducteurs couplés par un seul atome. Elle nous a permis de conforter quantitativement la récente description de l'effet Josephson mésoscopique. La dernière expérience est une mesure de l'asymétrie des fluctuations du courant dans un conducteur mésoscopique en utilisant une Jonction Josephson comme détecteur de seuil.

© EDP Sciences 2007

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