  The decoherence of quantum states defines the transition between the quantum
world and classical physics. Decoherence or, analogously, quantum mechanical
collapse events pose fundamental questions regarding the interpretation of
quantum mechanics and are technologically relevant because they limit the
coherent information processing performed by quantum computers. We have
discovered that the transition regime enables a novel type of matter transport.
Applying this discovery, we present nanoscale devices in which decoherence,
modeled by random quantum jumps, produces fundamentally novel phenomena by
interrupting the unitary dynamics of electron wave packets. Noncentrosymmetric
conductors with mesoscopic length scales act as two-terminal rectifiers with
unique properties. In these devices, the inelastic interaction of itinerant
electrons with impurities acting as electron trapping centers leads to a novel
steady state characterized by partial charge separation between the two leads,
or, in closed circuits to the generation of persistent currents. The interface
between the quantum and the classical worlds therefore provides a novel
transport regime of value for the realization of a new category of mesoscopic
electronic devices.
