Current Carrying Edge Channels and the Role of Contacts in the Quantum Hall Regime

Abstract

By selectively populating spin resolved edge channels using Schottky gates we experimentally investigate the transition from adiabatic to equilibrated transport in the Quantum Hall regime. The scattering processes within a contact e. g. provide an excellent possibility to equilibrate nonequally populated edge
channels. Here we demonstrate that not only with metallic reservoirs but also with increasing temperature one can study the crossover from adiabatic to equilibrated transport. Increasing the current results in a transition from edge channel to bulk transport.