AQP Seminar: Atomic point contacts: new angles on an old problem

Aalto Quantum Physics Seminar (Micronova). Speaker: Prof. Jan van Ruitenbeek (Institute of Physics, Leiden University)

The electron transport properties of single-atom contacts have been studied by many methods and have been largely understood. However, two exceptions stand out: Bismuth and Carbon. The first shows anonomalously large conductance values, while the second could not be studied experimentally. The solution in both cases comes from recent developments in other areas of materials science: graphene and topological insulators.