Mesoscopische

Mesoscopische is the inflected form of the term mesoscopic used in German and Dutch to describe phenomena and systems that lie in the mesoscopic regime. In physics, mesoscopic refers to length scales between microscopic (atomic) and macroscopic (bulk), where quantum coherence and phase relationships can extend across the whole device, making the system's behavior sensitive to geometry and boundary conditions. The term is commonly used in condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, and materials science.

Mesoscopic systems typically have dimensions from about 10 nanometers to a few micrometers. At low temperatures or in clean samples the electron phase coherence length exceeds the system size, enabling quantum interference and single-electron effects to influence transport. Fabrication often uses lithography on metals, semiconductors, or graphene to create quantum dots, wires, rings, or two-dimensional electron gases.

Key phenomena include conductance quantization in quantum point contacts, weak localization and universal conductance fluctuations, and the Coulomb blockade in quantum dots. Transport is often described using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism, with coherence, interference, and, in some cases, electron-electron interactions playing central roles. Aharonov-Bohm-type interference in mesoscopic rings is a characteristic example.

The mesoscopic regime provides a bridge between atomic-scale quantum mechanics and classical transport, helping to understand decoherence, quantum coherence in solids, and prospects for nanoelectronic devices. The word mesoscopische appears in German- and Dutch-language texts to denote that regime.