Fermionic Mach-Zehnder interferometer subject to a Quantum Bath

The Mach-Zehnder interferometer represents the simplest possible two-way interference setup. In this talk I will present a theoretical analysis of decoherence in a fermionic Mach-Zehnder interferometer coupled to any quantum-mechanical environment, employing an equations-of-motion approach [cond-mat/0410333]. I will discuss the energy-resolved dephasing rate, the connection to the theory of dephasing in weak-localization, the importance of Pauli blocking, and the shot noise correction due to the environment. The results will be compared with simpler models of dephasing, including classical noise sources, and I will comment on their relevance for experiments [cf. Yi et al., Nature 422, 415 (2003)].