Spreading and localization of wavepackets in disordered wires in a magnetic field

Abstract

We study the diffusive and localization properties of wavepackets in disordered wires in a magnetic field. In contrast to a recent supersymmetry approach our numerical results show that the decay rate of the steady state changes {\em smoothly} at the crossover from preserved to broken time-reversal symmetry. Scaling and fluctuation properties are also analyzed and a formula, which was derived analytically only in the pure symmetry cases is shown to describe also the steady state wavefunction at the crossover regime. Finally, we present a scaling for the variance of the packet which shows again a smooth transition due to the magnetic field.