2002/01/21 by U. Eckern, P. Schwab
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.mes-hall
published as JLTP 126, 1291-1304 (2002) · accepted by JLTP
arxiv created 2002/01/21 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
Persistent currents in mesoscopic normal metal rings represent, even a decade after their first experimental observation, a challenge to both, theorists and experimentalists. After giving a brief review of the existing -- experimental and theoretical -- results, we concentrate on the (proposed) relationship of the size of the persistent current to the phase breaking rate. In particular, we consider effects induced by noise, scattering at two-level systems, and magnetic impurities.