Introducing Directionality to Anderson Localization: The Transport Properties of Quantum Railroads

Abstract

We present a study of the transport properties of a general class of quantum mechanical waveguides: Quantum Railroads (QRR). These waveguides are characterised by having a different number of adiabatic modes which carry current in one direction along the waveguide to the opposite direction; for example N forward modes and M reverse modes. Just as Anderson localization is a characteristic of the disordered N=M case and the quantum Hall effect a characteristic of the M=0 case we find that a mixed effect, DIRECTED localization, is a characteristic of QRR's. We find that in any QRR there are always |N-M| perfectly transmitted effective adiabatic modes with the remainder being subject to multiple scattering and interference effects characteristic of the N=M case.