Dimensionality of electron-electron scattering and interaction effects in thin wires and films

Abstract

We have measured the electron-electron inelastic scattering rate, and the contributions of localization and electron-electron interactions to the resistance of thin Bi wires and films. We find that in some cases the inelastic scattering is effectively three dimensional, while the interaction effects are either one or two dimensional (for the wires and films, respectively). This appears to be in conflict with the current theory, which predicts that these processes should be controlled by the same length scale, and suggests that the important length scales in these systems are not completely understood.