Mesoscopic transport through chaotic cavities: A random<i>S</i>-matrix theory approach

Abstract

We deduce the effects of quantum interference on the conductance of chaotic cavities by using a statistical ansatz for the S matrix. Assuming that the circular ensembles describe the S matrix, we find that the conductance fluctuation and weak-localization magnitudes are universal: they are independent of the size and shape of the cavity if the number of incoming modes, N, is large. The limit of small N is more relevant experimentally; here we calculate the full distribution of the conductance and find striking differences as N changes or a magnetic field is applied.