Classical to quantum crossover in high-current noise of one-dimensional ballistic wires

Microscopic current fluctuations are inseparable from conductance. We give an integral account of both quantized conductance and nonequilibrium thermal noise in one-dimensional ballistic wires. Our high-current noise theory opens a very different window on such systems. Central to the role of nonequilibrium ballistic noise is its direct and robust dependence on the statistics of carriers. For, with increasing density, they undergo a marked crossover from classical to strongly degenerate behavior. This is singularly evident where the two-probe conductance shows quantized steps: namely, at the discrete subband-energy thresholds. There the excess thermal noise of field-excited ballistic electrons displays sharp and large peaks, invariably larger than shot noise. Most significant is the nonequilibrium peaks’ high sensitivity to inelastic relaxation within the open system. Through that sensitivity, high-current noise provides unique clues to the origin of quantized contact resistance and its evolution towards normal diffusive conduction.