Imaging Electron Wave Functions Inside Open Quantum Rings

Abstract

Combining Scanning Gate Microscopy (SGM) experiments and simulations, we demonstrate low temperature imaging of electron probability density $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$ in embedded mesoscopic quantum rings (QRs). The tip-induced conductance modulations share the same temperature dependence as the Aharonov-Bohm effect, indicating that they originate from electron wavefunction interferences. Simulations of both $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$ and SGM conductance maps reproduce the main experimental observations and link fringes in SGM images to $|\Psi|^{2}(x,y)$.