Scatterer that leaves "footprints" but no "fingerprints"

Abstract

We calculate the exact transmission coefficient of a quantum wire in the presence of a single point defect at the wire's cut-off frequencies. We show that while the conductance pattern (i.e., the scattering) is strongly affected by the presence of the defect, the pattern is totally independent of the defect's characteristics (i.e., the defect that caused the scattering cannot be identified from that pattern).