AC electric and magnetic responses of non-connected Aharonov-Bohm rings

R. Deblock, Y. Noat, B. Reulet, H. Bouchiat, D. Mailly

Published 2001-06-22, updated 2001-09-12Version 2

Signature of phase coherence on the electric and magnetic response of non connected Aharonov-Bohm rings is measured by a resonant method at 350 MHz between 20 mK and 500 mK. The rings are etched in a GaAs-AlGaAs heterojunction. Both quantities exhibit a oscillating behaviour with a periodicity consistent with half a flux quantum $\Phi_0/2=h/2e$ in a ring. Electric screening is shown to be enhanced when time reversal symmetry is broken by magnetic field, leading to a positive magnetopolarisability, in agreement with theoretical predictions for isolated rings at finite frequency. Temperature and electronic density dependence are investigated. The dissipative part of the electric response, the electric absorption, is also measured and leads to a negative magnetoconductance. The magnetic orbital response of the very same rings is also investigated. It is consistent with diamagnetic persistent currents of 0.25 nA. This magnetic response is an order of magnitude smaller than the electric one, in qualitative agreement with theoretical expectations.