  Recent theoretical calculations, demonstrating that quantized charge transfer
due to adiabatically modulated potentials in mesoscopic devices can result
purely from the interference of the electron wave functions (without invoking
electron-electron interactions) are reviewed: (1) A new formula is derived for
the pumped charge Q (per period); It reproduces the Brouwer formula without a
bias, and also yields the effect of the modulating potential on the Landauer
formula in the presence of a bias. (2) For a turnstile geometry, with
time-dependent gate voltages V_L(t) and V_R(t), the magnitude and sign of Q are
determined by the relative position and orientation of the closed contour
traversed by the system in the {V_L-V_R} plane, relative to the transmission
resonances in that plane. Integer values of Q (in units of e) are achieved when
a transmission peak falls inside the contour, and are given by the winding
number of the contour. (3) When the modulating potential is due to surface
acoustic waves, Q exhibits a staircase structure, with integer values,
reminiscent of experimental observations.
