Distribution of conduction channels in nanoscale contacts: Evolution towards the diffusive limit

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We present an experimental determination of the conduction channel distribution in lead nanoscale contacts with total conductances ranging from 1 to 15 G0, where G0=2e2/h. It is found that even for contacts having a cross section much smaller than the mean free path the distribution tends to be remarkably close to the universal diffusive limit. With the help of theoretical calculations we show that this behavior can be associated with the specific band structure of lead which produces a significant contribution of partially open channels even in the absence of atomic disorder. Published in Europhysics Letters, http://www.edpsciences.org/articles/epl/abs/2005/11/epl8748/epl8748.html