Effect of inelastic processes on localization in one dimension

Abstract

The transition of noninteracting electrons through an array of random potentials is studied. The electron wave packet contains an incoherent component, which builds up as a result of inelastic processes. The latter are represented by a random time-dependent potential which oscillates incoherently. An inelastic length is determined, beyond which a transition to Ohm's law is found. On small length scales inelastic correction to the exponential resistance is calculated. The generalization of Ohm's law and the Landauer formula to the multichannel case are discussed.