Nonlocal conductivity, continued fractions, and current vortices in electron fluids
Khachatur G. Nazaryan, Leonid Levitov
Abstract
Spatial current patterns observed on the macroscale encode information about carrier dynamics on the microscale. In particular, vortices, manifested through currents flowing against externally applied electric fields, attract interest as a telltale signature of electron hydrodynamics. Previous studies have often regarded vorticity as a distinct feature of the hydrodynamic phase. Here, the authors explore the conditions under which vortex patterns can arise in electron systems, finding that the requirements for vortices prove to be considerably less stringent than previous work have suggested.
Topics & Concepts
VortexMicroscale chemistryVorticityCurrent (fluid)PhysicsElectronSignature (topology)Electrical resistivity and conductivityConductivityPhase (matter)Condensed matter physicsMechanicsClassical mechanicsQuantum mechanicsMathematicsThermodynamicsMathematics educationGeometryQuantum and electron transport phenomenaSemiconductor materials and devicesPhysics of Superconductivity and Magnetism