Aharonov-bohm effect in a singly connected point contact

Abstract

We report the discovery of an oscillation in the low-temperature magnetoresistance of a point contact in the two-dimensional electron gas of a $\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}-{\mathrm{Al}}_x{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1-x}\mathrm{As}$ heterostructure. The oscillation is periodic in the magnetic field and is reminiscent of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in rings, although the geometry is singly connected. A possible mechanism for this quantum interference effect is tunneling between edge states across the point contact at the potential step at the entrance and the exit of the constriction.