Persistent currents in helical structures
Date
2004Source Title
Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Print ISSN
1098-0121
Publisher
American Physical Society
Volume
70
Issue
19
Pages
1 - 4
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
The recent discovery of mesoscopic electronic structures, in particular the carbon nanotubes, made necessary an investigation of what effect a helical symmetry of the conductor (metal or semiconductor) may have on the persistent current oscillations, We investigate persistent currents in helical structures which are nondecaying in time, not requiring a voltage bias, dissipationless stationary flow of electrons in a normal-metallic or semiconducting cylinder or circular wire of mesoscopic dimension. In the presence of magnetic flux along the toroidal structure, helical symmetry couples circular and longitudinal currents to each other. Our calculations suggest that circular persistent currents in these structures have two components with periods Φ0 and Φ0/s (s is an integer specific to any geometry). However, resultant circular persistent current oscillations have Φ0 period.
Keywords
Carbon nanotubeChemical structure
Electric current
Electric potential
Electron transport
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical computing
Oscillation
Semiconductor