Funding
EMP is funded through the Horizon2020 programme of the European Commission.
Selected Publications

Effect of Rough Walls on Transport in Mesoscopic 3He Films

Sharma, P., Corcoles, A., Bennett, R. G., Parpia, J. M., Cowan, B. and Saunders, J.

The interplay of bulk and boundary scattering is explored in a regime where quantum size effects modify mesoscopic transport in a degenerate Fermi liquid film of He-3 on a rough surface. We discuss mass transport and the momentum relaxation time of the film in a torsional oscillator geometry within the framework of a quasiclassical theory that includes the experimentally determined power spectrum of the rough surface. The theory explains the anomalous temperature dependence of the relaxation rate observed experimentally. We model further studies on He-3 confined in nanofluidic sample chambers with lithographically defined surface roughness. The improved understanding of surface roughness scattering can be extended to the analogous system of electrons in metals and suggests routes to improve the conductivity of thin metallic films.


J. Low Temp Phys. 171, 725-730 (2013)

doi: 10.1007/s10909-012-0821-2