Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations in Single Crystal Bi Nanowires

Abstract

The Aharonov-Bohm effect (AB) exists in cylindrical wires as the magnetoresistance (MR) oscillations with a period ΔB that is proportional to Φ 0 /S, where Φ 0 = h/e is the quantum and S is the wire cross section. The AB-type longitudinal MR oscillations flux quantization type with period ΔB = Φ 0 /S caused by electrons undergoing continuous grazing incidence at the wire wall have been studied previously at 4.2 K in single bismuth nanowires with diameter 0.2 < d < 0.8 μm. Recently the new type of AB oscillations with period ΔB = h/e and ΔB= h/2e on single Bi nanowires with diameter d = 45-73 nm have been observed. The single nanowire samples were prepared by improved Ulitovsky technique and represented cylindrical single crystals with (1011) orientation along the wire axis. Here we present a review of experimental investigations of size-effect oscillations, equidistant in the direct magnetic field of the magnetoresistance of Bi thin cylindrical single crystals obtained by Ulitovsky technique with diameter 45 nm < d < 800 nm.