Electron transport through interacting quantum dots

We present a detailed theoretical investigation of the effect of Coulomb interactions on electron transport through quantum dots and double barrier structures connected to a voltage source via an arbitrary linear impedance. Combining real time path integral techniques with the scattering matrix approach we derive the effective action and evaluate the current-voltage characteristics of quantum dots at sufficiently large conductances. Our analysis reveals a reach variety of different regimes which we specify in details for the case of chaotic quantum dots. At sufficiently low energies the interaction correction to the current depends logarithmically on temperature and voltage. We identify two different logarithmic regimes with the crossover between them occurring at energies of order of the inverse dwell time of electrons in the dot. We also analyze the frequency-dependent shot noise in chaotic quantum dots and elucidate its direct relation to interaction effects in mesoscopic electron transport.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures. References added, discussion slightly extende

Effect of Nyquist Noise on the Nyquist Dephasing Rate in 2d Electron Systems

We measure the effect of externally applied broadband Nyquist noise on the intrinsic Nyquist dephasing rate of electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas at low temperatures. Within the measurement error, the phase coherence time is unaffected by the externally applied Nyquist noise, including applied noise temperatures of up to 300 K. The amplitude of the applied Nyquist noise from 100 MHz to 10 GHz is quantitatively determined in the same experiment using a microwave network analyzer.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Author affiliation clarified; acknowledgements modified. Replacement reason clarifie

Dephasing at Low Temperatures

We discuss the significance and the calculation of dephasing at low temperatures. The particle is moving diffusively due to a static disorder configuration, while the interference between classical paths is suppressed due to the interaction with a dynamical environment. At high temperatures we may use the `white noise approximation' (WNA), while at low temperatures we distinguish the contribution of `zero point fluctuations' (ZPF) from the `thermal noise contribution' (TNC). We study the limitations of the above semiclassical approach and suggest the required modifications. In particular we find that the ZPF contribution becomes irrelevant for thermal motion.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, clearer presentatio

Aharonov-Bohm ring with fluctuating flux

We consider a non-interacting system of electrons on a clean one-channel Aharonov-Bohm ring which is threaded by a fluctuating magnetic flux. The flux derives from a Caldeira-Leggett bath of harmonic oscillators. We address the influence of the bath on the following properties: one- and two-particle Green's functions, dephasing, persistent current and visibility of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in cotunneling transport through the ring. For the bath spectra considered here (including Nyquist noise of an external coil), we find no dephasing in the linear transport regime at zero temperature. PACS numbers: 73.23.-b, 73.23.Hk, 73.23.Ra, 03.65.YzComment: 17 pages, 8 figures. To be published in PRB. New version contains minor corrections and additional discussion suggested by referee. A simple introduction to the basics of dephasing can be found at http://iff.physik.unibas.ch/~florian/dephasing/dephasing.htm

Conductance of the Single Electron Transistor for Arbitrary Tunneling Strength

We study the temperature and gate voltage dependence of the conductance of the single electron transistor focusing on highly conducting devices. Electron tunneling is treated nonperturbatively by means of path integral Monte Carlo techniques and the conductance is determined from the Kubo formula. A regularized singular value decomposition scheme is employed to calculate the conductance from imaginary time simulation data. Our findings are shown to bridge between available analytical results in the semiclassical and perturbative limits and are found to explain recent experimental results in a regime not accessible by earlier methods.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Aharonov-Bohm oscillations of a particle coupled to dissipative environments

The amplitude of the Bohm-Aharonov oscillations of a particle moving around a ring threaded by a magnetic flux and coupled to different dissipative environments is studied. The decay of the oscillations when increasing the radius of the ring is shown to depend on the spatial features of the coupling. When the environment is modelled by the Caldeira-Leggett bath of oscillators, or the particle is coupled by the Coulomb potential to a dirty electron gas, interference effects are suppressed beyond a finite length, even at zero temperature. A finite renormalization of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations is found for other models of the environment.Comment: 6 page

Superconductivity in one dimension

Superconducting properties of metallic nanowires can be entirely different from those of bulk superconductors because of the dominating role played by thermal and quantum fluctuations of the order parameter. For superconducting wires with diameters below $\sim 50$ nm quantum phase slippage is an important process which can yield a non-vanishing wire resistance down to very low temperatures. Further decrease of the wire diameter, for typical material parameters down to $\sim 10$ nm, results in proliferation of quantum phase slips causing a sharp crossover from superconducting to normal behavior even at T=0. A number of interesting phenomena associated both with quantum phase slips and with the parity effect occur in superconducting nanorings. We review recent theoretical and experimental activities in the field and demonstrate dramatic progress in understanding of the phenomenon of superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures.Comment: 62 pages, 47 figures Misprints corrected, several equations are adapted to the experimentally relevant diffusive limi

Weak localization, Aharonov–Bohm oscillations and decoherence in arrays of quantum dots

Combining scattering matrix theory with non-linear σ-model and Keldysh technique we develop a unified theoretical approach enabling one to non-perturbatively study the effect of electron–electron interactions on weak localization and Aharonov–Bohm oscillations in arbitrary arrays of quantum dots. Our model embraces weakly disordered conductors, strongly disordered conductors and (iii) metallic quantum dots. In all these cases at T→0 the electron decoherence time is found to saturate to a finite value determined by the universal formula which agrees quantitatively with numerous experimental results. Our analysis provides overwhelming evidence in favor of electron–electron interactions as a universal mechanism for zero temperature electron decoherence in disordered conductors