Manifestations of quantum chaos in resonant tunnelling

Recent studies of quantum transport through semiconductor structures with chaotic electron dynamics are briefly reviewed. The use of tunnel-current spectroscopy to probe the quantum states corresponding to chaotic electron orbits in a quantum well with a high tilted magnetic field is described in detail. Periodic orbit theory is used to provide a detailed quantitative analysis of recent experimental studies of quantum wells in tilted fields. This analysis reveals the crucial role played by ‘scarred’ wavefunctions.