Transport Phenomena in Mesoscopic Systems: Proceedings of the 14th Taniguchi Symposium, Shima, Japan, November 10-14, 1991

The motion of electrons in mesoscopic systems such as Aharonov-Bohm rings, small Josephson and tunnel junctions, quantum wires dots, and point contracts is presented in this volume in terms of a fully quantum mechanicaldescription of electronic states and current flows in solids. The comprehensive reviews by leading scientists in the field on the present understanding of mesoscopic systems will serve as a good basis for further development of the science and technology of quantum devices.

Comprehensive reviews on the current understanding of the motion of electrons in mesoscopic systems are presented in terms of a fully quantum mechanical description to serve as a basis for further development of the science and technology of quantum devices.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fourteenth Thniguchi Symposium on the Theory of Condensed Matter, which was held from November 10 to 14, 1991, at the Shima Kanko Hotel, Shima, Japan. The topic of the symposium was Physics 0/ Mesoscopic Systems. Mesoscopic systems have been developed band in band with the recent progress in nanotechnology and are the melting pot of basic science and technology. In nanostructures, the quantum effect of the electron wave manifests itself because of the limited dimensionality of the structure. The most typical features of these structures are the discreteness of the energy spectrum and the interference effect of electron waves, which have led to various fascinating phenomena. The purpose of this symposium was to discuss the latest developments in mesoscopic systems, especially transport phenomena, from the viewpoint of basic physics. This volume starts with an introduction to the field of mesoscopic systems together with the paper by Prof. R. Kubo, who was the first to note the existence of particular features of discrete energy levels in small metallic particles. In Part II the electronic states of quantum dots and the conductance through them are discussed. Tunneling via small structures and junctions is studied in Part ill.