%0 Journal Article
%T Quantum fluctuations and coherence in high-precision single-electron capture
%A Vyacheslavs Kashcheyevs
%A Janis Timoshenko
%J Physics
%D 2012
%I arXiv
%R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.216801
%X The phase of a single quantum state is undefined unless the history of its creation provides a reference point. Thus quantum interference may seem hardly relevant for the design of deterministic single-electron sources which strive to isolate individual charge carriers quickly and completely. We provide a counterexample by analyzing the non-adiabatic separation of a localized quantum state from a Fermi sea due to a closing tunnel barrier. We identify the relevant energy scales and suggest ways to separate the contributions of quantum non-adiabatic excitation and backtunneling to the rare non-capture events. In the optimal regime of balanced decay and non-adiabaticity, our simple electron trap turns into a single-lead Landau-Zener-backtunneling interferometer, revealing the dynamical phase accumulated between the particle capture and leakage. The predicted "quantum beats in backtunneling" may turn the error of a single-electron source into a valuable signal revealing essentially non-adiabatic energy scales of a dynamic quantum dot.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.3497v3