THE USE OF WIDE BALLISTIC CAVITIES TO INVESTIGATE LOCAL WEAK-LOCALIZATION PROCESSES INDUCED BY GEOMETRIC SCATTERING

Weak localization, a semiclassical process established in disordered s ystems, has recently been used as an experimental probe of the classic al dynamics of ballistic cavities. Through a systematic study of the c lassical and quantum behaviour of three ballistic cavities featuring l arge width to length aspect ratios, we highlight the important role of the entrance and exit leads. We present a novel ballistic weak locali zation process in which the contributing classical trajectories pass d irectly between the entrance and exit leads and are not shaped by the walls of the cavity but purely by the profiles of the leads. This demo nstration of a small section of a cavity supporting a 'local' weak loc alization process has important implications for studies which relate cavity geometry to the dynamics it supports.