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A method is presented that is able to predict the probability of outcomes of snapshot measurements, such as the images of the instantaneous particle density distribution in a quantum many-body system. It is shown that a gauge-like transformation of the phase of the many-body wave function allows one to construct a probability generating functional, the Fourier transform of which with respect to the "gauge" field returns the joint probability distribution to detect any given number of particles at various locations. The method is applied to the problem of interference of two independent clouds of Bose-Einstein condensates, where the initially separated clouds with fixed boson numbers expand and the density profile image of the overlapping clouds is registered. In the limit of large particle numbers, the probability to observe a particular image of the density profile is shown to be given by a sum of partial probability distributions, each of which corresponds to a noisy image of interference of two matter waves with definite phase difference. In agreement with earlier theoretical arguments, interference fringes are, therefore, expected in any single shot measurement, the fringe pattern randomly varying from run to run. These results conform to the physical picture where the Bose-Einstein clouds are in spontaneously symmetry broken states, the hidden phases of which are revealed by the density profile measurement via the position of the interference fringes., Comment: Some changes in presentation, as published, 6 pages, LaTeX

A nanomechanical resonator coupled to a tunnel junction is studied. The oscillator modulates the transmission of the junction, changing the current and the noise spectrum. The influence of the oscillator on the noise spectrum of the junction is investigated, and the noise spectrum is obtained for arbitrary frequencies, temperatures and bias voltages. We find that the noise spectrum consists of a noise floor and a peaked structure with peaks at zero frequency, the oscillator frequency and twice the oscillator frequency. The influence of the oscillator vanishes if the bias voltage of the junction is lower than the oscillator frequency. We demonstrate that the peak at the oscillator frequency can be used to determine the oscillator occupation number, showing that the current noise in the junction functions as a thermometer for the oscillator., Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures, references adjusted

The charge transfer statistics of a tunnel junction coupled to a quantum object is studied using the charge projection technique. The joint dynamics of the quantum object and the number of charges transferred through the junction is described by the charge specific density matrix. The method allows evaluating the joint probability distribution of the state of the quantum object and the charge state of the junction.The statistical properties of the junction current are derived from the charge transfer statistics using the master equation for the charge specific density matrix. The theory is applied to a nanoelectromechanical system, and the influence on the average current and the current noise of the junction is obtained for coupling to a harmonic oscillator., Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures

Counting statistics of charge transfers in a point contact interacting with an arbitrary quantum system is studied. The theory for the charge specific density matrix is developed, allowing the evaluation of the probability of the outcome of any joint measurement of the state of the quantum system and the transferred charge. Applying the method of charge projectors, the master equation for the charge specific density matrix is derived in the tunneling Hamiltonian model of the point contact. As an example, the theory is applied to a quantum measurement of a two-state system: The evolution of the charge specific density matrix in the presence of Nyquist or Schottky noise is studied and the conditions for the realization of a projective measurement are established., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures

Charge transfer statistics of quantum particles is obtained by analysing the time evolution of the many-body wave function. Exploiting properly chosen gauge transformations, we construct the probabilities for transfers of a discrete number of particles. Generally, the derived formula for counting statistics differs from the one previously obtained by Levitov {\it et al.} (J. of Math. Phys. {\bf 37}, 4845 (1996)). The two formulae agree only if the initial state is prohibited from being a superposition of different charge states. Their difference is illustrated for cases of a single particle and a tunnel junction, and the role of charge coherence is demonstrated., Comment: Minor changes, as published (7 pages, LaTeX, epl-style)

The dependence of the localization length on the number of occupied subbands $N$ in low-dimensional semiconductors is investigated. The localization length is shown to be proportional to the number of occupied subbands in quasi-one-dimensional quantum wires while it grows exponentially with $N$ in quasi-two-dimensional systems. Also a weak localization theory is developed for large N with a well-defined small expansion parameter $1/N$. The temperature dependence of the conductivity deduced using this perturbation theory agrees with the experimentally observed dependence., Comment: 10 pages, no figures. To appear in Physical Review B