Effect of quantum interference in the nonlinear conductance of metallic microconstrictions

Abstract

The influence of the interference of electron waves, which were scattered by single impurities on nonlinear quantum conductance of metallic microconstrictions [as was recently investigated experimentally B. Ludoph et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 1530 (1999)] is studied theoretically. The dependence of the interference pattern in the conductance $G(V)$ on the contact diameter and the spatial distribution of impurities is analyzed. It is shown that the amplitude of conductance oscillation is strongly dependent on the position of impurities inside the constriction.