Controlled wave-function mixing in strongly coupled one-dimensional wires

We investigate the transport properties of two strongly coupled ballistic o ne-dimensional (1D) wires, defined by a split-gate structure deposited on a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum well. Matching the widths and electron densitie s of the two wires brings them into resonance, forming symmetric and antisy mmetric 1D subbands separated by energy gaps that are measured to be larger than their two-dimensional counterparts. Applying a magnetic field paralle l to the wire axes enhances wave-function mixing at low fields, whereas at high fields the wires become completely decoupled. [S0163-1829(99)07315-3].