Rare decay π0→e+e−\pi^0\to e^+e^-: on corrections beyond the leading order

The preceding experimental and theoretical results on the rare decay $\pi^0 \to e^+e^-$ are briefly summarized. Already computed two-loop QED corrections are reviewed and the bremsstrahlung contribution beyond the soft-photon approximation is analytically calculated. The possible further contribution of QCD loop corrections is estimated using the leading logarithm approximation. The complete result can be used to fit the value of the contact interaction coupling $\chi^r$ to the recent KTeV experiment with the result $\chi^r(M_\rho) = 4.5 \pm 1.0$.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Non-Markovian dynamics in the theory of full counting statistics

We consider the theoretical description of real-time counting of electrons tunneling through a Coulomb-blockade quantum dot using a detector with finite bandwidth. By tracing out the quantum dot we find that the dynamics of the detector effectively is non-Markovian. We calculate the cumulant generating function corresponding to the resulting non-Markovian rate equation and find that the measured current cumulants behave significantly differently compared to those of a Markovian transport process. Our findings provide a novel interpretation of noise suppression found in a number of systems.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Contribution to ICNF 2007, Tokyo, Japan, September, 200

Quantum Shuttle in Phase Space

We present a quantum theory of the shuttle instability in electronic transport through a nanostructure with a mechanical degree of freedom. A phase space formulation in terms of the Wigner function allows us to identify a cross-over from the tunnelling to the shuttling regime, thus extending the previously found classical results to the quantum domain. Further, a new dynamical regime is discovered, where the shuttling is driven exclusively by the quantum noise.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; minor changes; final version published in Phys. Rev. Let

Noise and Bistabilities in Quantum Shuttles

We present a study of current fluctuations in two models proposed as quantum shuttles. Based on a numerical evaluation of the first three cumulants of the full counting statistics we have recently shown that a giant enhancement of the zero-frequency current noise in a single-dot quantum shuttle can be explained in terms of a bistable switching between two current channels. By applying the same method to a quantum shuttle consisting of a vibrating quantum dot array, we show that the same mechanism is responsible for a giant enhancement of the noise in this model, although arising from very different physics. The interpretation is further supported by a numerical evaluation of the finite-frequency noise. For both models we give numerical results for the effective switching rates.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Contribution to ICNF 2005, Salamanca, Spain, September, 200

Counting statistics of transport through Coulomb blockade nanostructures: High-order cumulants and non-Markovian effects

Recent experimental progress has made it possible to detect in real-time single electrons tunneling through Coulomb blockade nanostructures, thereby allowing for precise measurements of the statistical distribution of the number of transferred charges, the so-called full counting statistics. These experimental advances call for a solid theoretical platform for equally accurate calculations of distribution functions and their cumulants. Here we develop a general framework for calculating zero-frequency current cumulants of arbitrary orders for transport through nanostructures with strong Coulomb interactions. Our recursive method can treat systems with many states as well as non-Markovian dynamics. We illustrate our approach with three examples of current experimental relevance: bunching transport through a two-level quantum dot, transport through a nano-electromechanical system with dynamical Franck-Condon blockade, and transport through coherently coupled quantum dots embedded in a dissipative environment. We discuss properties of high-order cumulants as well as possible subtleties associated with non-Markovian dynamics.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, final version as published in Phys. Rev.

Current and current fluctuations in quantum shuttles

We review the properties of electron shuttles, i.e. nanoelectromechanical devices that transport electrons one-by-one by utilizing a combination of electronic and mechanical degrees of freedom. We focus on the extreme quantum limit, where the mechanical motion is quantized. We introduce the main theoretical tools needed for the analysis, e.g. generalized master equations and Wigner functions, and we outline the methods how the resulting large numerical problems can be handled. Illustrative results are given for current, noise, and full counting statistics for a number of model systems. Throughout the review we focus on the physics behind the various approximations, and some simple examples are given to illustrate the theoretical concepts. We also comment on the experimental situation.Comment: Minireview; technical level aimed at general audience, based on an invited talk at "Transport Phenomena in Micro and Nanodevices", October 17-21 Kona, Hawai

On the three-point order parameters of chiral symmetry breaking

The nonlocal order parameters of the QCD chiral symmetry breaking, namely the nonanomalous three-point Green functions of the quark bilinears belonging to the odd intrinsic parity sector, are studied within the framework of the Resonance chiral theory. The general form of these correlators is then matched with various high energy constraints: the leading and sub-leading OPE for all three momenta simultaneously large, the leading OPE for two momenta large and the leading and sub-leading Brodsky-Lepage limit for the corresponding transition form factor. In order to satisfy these constraints, the Resonance chiral theory has to be enlarged with additional resonance multiplets and with higher derivative operators as well. We discuss a minimal extension of this kind in detail and present corresponding correlators in a closed form. The remaining free parameters are then constrained from lattice data. As a phenomenological application, we discuss the pion-pole contribution to the muon $g-2$ and the decay $\pi^0\to e^+e^-$.Comment: 59 pages, 11 figures, ver2: some changes in the text and analysis, version accepted by JHE