Quantum Many-Body Effects in a Single-Electron Transistor

When a single electron spin interacts quantum mechanically with a metallic sea of electrons, a phenomenon called the Kondo scattering resonance can be observed. In his Perspective, Wingreen discusses results reported in this issue by Kogan et al . in which a spectroscopic technique involving microwave excitation of a single-electron transistor is used to study the Kondo resonance. The development of this technique promises a new window into quantum many-body effects in other nanostructures.