Interacting electrons in disordered wires: Anderson localization and low-temperature transport

Abstract

We study transport of interacting electrons in a low-dimensional disordered system at low temperature $T$. In view of localization by disorder, the conductivity $\sigma (T)$ may only be non-zero due to electron-electron scattering. For weak interactions, the weak-localization regime crosses over with lowering $T$ into a dephasing-induced "power-law hopping". As $T$ is further decreased, the Anderson localization in Fock space crucially affects $\sigma (T)$, inducing a transition at $T=T_c$, so that $\sigma (T<T_c)=0$. The critical behavior of $\sigma (T)$ above $T_c$ is $\ln \sigma (T)\propto -(T-T_c{)}^{-1/2}$. The mechanism of transport in the critical regime is many-particle transitions between distant states in Fock space.

4+epsilon pages