  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
