Braess paradox at the mesoscopic scale

Abstract

We theoretically demonstrate that the transport inefficiency recently found experimentally for branched-out mesoscopic networks can also be observed in a quantum ring of finite width with an attached central horizontal branch. This is done by investigating the time evolution of an electron wave packet in such a system. Our numerical results show that the conductivity of the ring does not necessary improves if one adds an extra channel. This ensures that there exists a quantum analogue of the Braess Paradox, originating from quantum scattering and interference.

accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B