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A nanoscale transistor based on gate-induced stochastic transitions

A nanoscale device consisting of a metal nanowire, a dielectric, and a gate is proposed. A combination of quantum and thermal stochastic effects enable the device to have multiple functionalities, serving alternately as a transistor, a variable resistor, or a simple resistive element with $I-V$ characteristics that can switch between ohmic and non-ohmic. By manipulating the gate voltage, stochastic transitions between different conducting states of the nanowire can be induced, with a switching time as short as picoseconds. With an appropriate choice of dielectric, the transconductance of the device can significantly exceed the conductance quantum $G_0=2e^2/h$, a remarkable figure of merit for a device at this lengthscale.