We investigate the effect of a scanning gate tip on the nonlinear quantum transport properties of nanostructures. Generally, we predict that the symmetry of the current-voltage characteristic in reflection-symmetric samples is broken by a tip-induced rectifying conductance correction. Moreover, in the case of a quantum point contact (QPC), the tip-induced rectification term becomes dominant as compared to the change of the linear conductance at large tip-QPC distances. Calculations for a weak tip probing a QPC modeled by an abrupt constriction show that these effects are experimentally observable.

• Received 4 December 2013
• Revised 20 February 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.115414