Persistent Currents in Two-Dimensional Metallic Cylinders: a Linear Response Analysis

Abstract
Diamagnetic persistent currents are shown to exist in a two-dimensional metallic cylinder threaded by magnetic flux, and the average over impurity configurations is calculated in the weak-scattering, small flux limit. Electron-electron and hole-hole propagators give rise to a reduction in the current which is exponential in Lx/2l, where Lx is the perimeter and l is the elastic mean free path. The current is proportional to the length of the cylinder, when this length is large.