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  • Featured in Physics
  • Open Access

Approaching the Ballistic Transport Limit in Single Crystalline Au

Xiaomeng Yang1,*, Jianfei Zhang2,*, Wei Li3,*, Qing Zhang3, Quan Zhou1, Shengcheng Mao3, Menglong Wang3, Sikang Zheng4, Lihua Wang3 et al.

Ze Zhang5 and Xiaodong Han1,3,†

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: xdhan@bjut.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 216302 – Published 21 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/h82y-wds1

Abstract

Quantum conductance effects start to appear as the size of electronic devices decreases and they are used in the next generation memristors and quantum calculations. Understanding the relationship between line width and resistance is crucial for developing quantized electronic devices. This Letter reports the development of an electromechanical testing device based on microelectromechanical systems integrated within a transmission electron microscope for in situ investigations at atomic resolution. The resistance changes of single crystalline gold (Au) wires, spanning from hundreds of nanometers down to several atoms are investigated. A transition in resistance from quasiballistic to ballistic transport states is uncovered. The experimental data fitted by calculation show that the ballistic transport limit for single crystal Au at room temperature is about 2.5 nm, beyond which the transmission probability experienced a rapid drop.

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Corrections

12 December, 2025

Correction: Author contribution statements have been added.

Focus

When Electrons Go Ballistic

Published 21 November, 2025

A new measuring system captures the point where a stretched wire becomes narrow enough that its electrons flow smoothly without scattering.

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Supplemental Material

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 216302– Published 21 November, 2025
  • Received 6 January 2025
  • Accepted 24 September 2025
  • Corrected 12 December 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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