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  • Open Access

Heating Dynamics of Mesoscopic Electron Baths at High Magnetic Field

F. Zanichelli1, A. Veillon1, C. Piquard1, A. Aassime1, Y. Sato1, A. Cavanna1, Y. Jin1, J. Folk2, U. Gennser1 et al.

A. Anthore1,3,* and F. Pierre1,†

  • *Contact author: anne.anthore@c2n.upsaclay.fr
  • †Contact author: frederic.pierre@cnrs.fr
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Phys. Rev. X 16, 021013 – Published 14 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/p63c-vpdv

Abstract

Quantum thermodynamics addresses the dynamics of heat flow in quantum devices driven out of equilibrium. Although mesoscopic circuits at low temperatures provide a flexible platform to explore this dynamics, experimental studies are wanting, because thermal timescales in nanodevices are often too fast. Here, we engineer and investigate with noise thermometry a mesoscopic thermal circuit where heat flows between electron, phonon, and nuclear systems can occur on slower timescales. The central constituent of this device is a micrometer-scale metallic island electrically connected to large cold electron reservoirs through two to four ballistic quantum Hall channels, a component frequently used for exploring stationary thermal currents. We uncover a two-step thermalization process specific to the mesoscopic scale, involving a fast initial temperature step followed by a much slower rise extending over minutes. This observation is quantitatively accounted for by the balance between heat flows through electronic quantum channels, to cold phonons, and to the nuclear spins in the metallic island. The disclosed mesoscopic thermalization takes a step into the field of quantum thermodynamical phenomena, highlighting their distinctive nature on a central constituent of quantum circuits. The implications for the thermal engineering of nanodevices include the thermal characterization of exotic states at high magnetic field.

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Understanding the dynamics of heat transfers in driven quantum systems is at the heart of quantum thermodynamics. However, a major challenge is that time-resolved thermal measurements are difficult to perform at the relevant mesoscopic scale. We addressed this by investigating the thermalization dynamics of micron-scale metallic islands in a high magnetic field, using noise thermometry to track electron temperature after abrupt changes in dissipated power. Our observations revealed an unanticipated two-step thermalization process, where heat flows are split between connected electronic quantum channels and the local nuclear spin bath. We found that, despite vastly different intrinsic time scales, these two processes can carry heat currents of comparable amplitudes in the intermediate mesoscopic regime. By resolving the dynamics beyond the stationary regime, these findings reveal signatures of heat transport, and allow for the engineering of optimized devices to explore uncharted territory in quantum thermodynamics.

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Phys. Rev. X 16, 021013– Published 14 April, 2026
  • Received 10 April 2025
  • Revised 9 December 2025
  • Accepted 3 February 2026
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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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