DOI: 10.1209/epl/i2003-00537-2
Europhys. Lett., 63 (3) , pp. 426-432 (2003)

Interaction-induced quantum dephasing in mesoscopic rings

D. S. Golubev^{1, 2}, C. P. Herrero³ and A. D. Zaikin<sup>4, 2

1</sup>  Institut für Theoretische Festkörperphysik, Universität Karlsruhe D-76128 Karlsruhe, Germany
²  I. E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute 119991 Moscow, Russia
³  Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco E-28049 Madrid, Spain
⁴  Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Nanotechnologie D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

(Received 22 January 2003; accepted 2 June 2003)

Abstract
Combining nonperturbative techniques with Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that quantum coherence effects for a particle on a ring are suppressed beyond a finite length even at zero temperature if the particle is coupled to a diffusive electron gas by means of long-range Coulomb interaction. This length is consistent with derived from a weak-localization-type analysis.

PACS
73.23.Ra - Persistent currents.
72.10.-d - Theory of electronic transport; scattering mechanisms.
71.10.-w - Theories and models of many-electron systems.

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