Landauer Theory, Inelastic Scattering and Electron Transport in Molecular Wires

In this paper we address the topic of inelastic electron scattering in mesoscopic quantum transport. For systems where only elastic scattering is present, Landauer theory provides an adequate description of transport that relates the electronic current to single-particle transmission and reflection probabilities. A formalism proposed recently by Bonca and Trugman facilitates the calculation of the one-electron transmission and reflection probabilities for inelastic processes in mesoscopic conductors connected to one-dimensional ideal leads. Building on their work, we have developed a self-consistent procedure for the evaluation of the non-equilibrium electron distributions in ideal leads connecting such mesoscopic conductors to electron reservoirs at finite temperatures and voltages. We evaluate the net electronic current flowing through the mesoscopic device by utilizing these non-equilibrium distributions. Our approach is a generalization of Landauer theory that takes account of the Pauli exclusion principle for the various competing elastic and inelastic processes while satisfying the requirement of particle conservation. As an application we examine the influence of elastic and inelastic scattering on conduction through a two site molecular wire with longitudinal phonons using the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model of electron-phonon coupling.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figure

Temperature Dependence of Electric and Magnetic Gluon Condensates

The contribution of Lorentz non-scalar operators to finite temperature correlation functions is discussed. Using the local duality approach for the one-pion matrix element of a product of two vector currents, the temperature dependence of the average gluonic stress tensor is estimated in the chiral limit to be $\langle{\bf E}^2 +{\bf B}^2\rangle_{T}=\frac{\pi^2}{10}bT^4$. At a normalization point $\mu=0.5$ GeV we obtain $b\approx 1.1$. Together with the known temperature dependence of the Lorentz scalar gluon condensate we are able to infer $\langle{\bf E}^2\rangle_T$ and $\langle{\bf B}^2\rangle_T$ separately in the low-temperature hadronic phase.Comment: 11 pages, TPI-MINN-92/37-

Biologische bestrijding van Duponchelia : bestrijding van Duponchelia fovealis met bodempredatoren en biologische middelen, met aandacht voor invloeden van gewas, teeltsubstraat en toedieningstechniek

De vlinder Duponchelia fovealis is een opkomend plaagorganisme dat zich in de jaren negentig heeft gevestigd in de Nederlandse kassen. Schade wordt vooral ondervonden in potplanten door vraat van rupsen aan plantendelen. Deze rupsen leven over het algemeen goed verscholen bij de plantvoet, waardoor een bestrijding met insecticiden in dichte gewassen onvoldoende effectief kan zijn. Een alternatief voor insecticiden kan inzet van bodempredatoren zijn. Rupsen en eieren van Duponchelia worden mogelijk wel bereikt met deze rovers, die actief zoeken naar prooien. Het doel van dit onderzoek was het ontwikkelen van een biologisch bestrijdingssysteem, waarmee populaties van Duponchelia tot een acceptabel niveau kunnen worden onderdrukt. In dit onderzoek is daarom gekeken naar de effecten van nieuwe bodempredatoren en de invloed van gewas en substraat op deze bodempredatoren en op Duponchelia zelf. De effecten van een aantal biologische en chemische middelen op Duponchelia zijn onder kasomstandigheden bepaald, waarbij eveneens is gekeken naar combinaties van behandelingen. Tenslotte werd aandacht gegeven aan het belang van spuitfrequentie en toedieningstechniek op de effectiviteit van een verspuitbaar middel

Quantum mechanics with a time-dependent random unitary Hamiltonian: A perturbative study of the nonlinear Keldysh sigma-model

We analyze the perturbative series of the Keldysh-type sigma-model proposed recently for describing the quantum mechanics with time-dependent Hamiltonians from the unitary Wigner-Dyson random-matrix ensemble. We observe that vertices of orders higher than four cancel, which allows us to reduce the calculation of the energy-diffusion constant to that in a special kind of the matrix \phi^4 model. We further verify that the perturbative four-loop correction to the energy-diffusion constant in the high-velocity limit cancels, in agreement with the conjecture of one of the authors.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures; typos corrected, one reference adde

Low-energy photon-photon collisions to two loops revisited

In view of ongoing experimental activities to determine the pion polarizabilities, we have started to recalculate the available two-loop expressions in the framework of chiral perturbation theory, because they have never been checked before. We make use of the chiral Lagrangian at order p^6 now available, and of improved techniques to evaluate the two-loop diagrams. Here, we present the result for the neutral pions. The cross section for the reaction gamma+gamma->pi0+pi0 agrees with the earlier calculation within a fraction of a percent. We present analytic results for the dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities, and compare the latter with a recent evaluation from data on gamma+gamma->pi0+pi0.Comment: 28 pages, 7-eps figures, 1 tabl

Effect of screening of the electron-phonon interaction on the temperature of Bose-Einstein condensation of intersite bipolarons

Here we consider an interacting electron-phonon system within the framework of extended Holstein-Hubbard model at strong enough electron-phonon interaction limit in which (bi)polarons are the essential quasiparticles of the system. It is assumed that the electron-phonon interaction is screened and its potential has Yukawa-type analytical form. An effect of screening of the electron-phonon interaction on the temperature of Bose-Einstein condensation of the intersite bipolarons is studied for the first time. It is revealed that the temperature of Bose-Einstein condensation of intersite bipolarons is higher in the system with the more screened electron-phonon interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Polarons with a twist

We consider a polaron model where molecular \emph{rotations} are important. Here, the usual hopping between neighboring sites is affected directly by the electron-phonon interaction via a {\em twist-dependent} hopping amplitude. This model may be of relevance for electronic transport in complex molecules and polymers with torsional degrees of freedom, such as DNA, as well as in molecular electronics experiments where molecular twist motion is significant. We use a tight-binding representation and find that very different polaronic properties are already exhibited by a two-site model -- these are due to the nonlinearity of the restoring force of the twist excitations, and of the electron-phonon interaction in the model. In the adiabatic regime, where electrons move in a {\em low}-frequency field of twisting-phonons, the effective splitting of the energy levels increases with coupling strength. The bandwidth in a long chain shows a power-law suppression with coupling, unlike the typical exponential dependence due to linear phonons.Comment: revtex4 source and one eps figur

Universal corrections to the Fermi-liquid theory

We show that the singularities in the dynamical bosonic response functions of a generic 2D Fermi liquid give rise to universal, non-analytic corrections to the Fermi-liquid theory. These corrections yield a $T^2$ term in the specific heat, $T$ terms in the effective mass and the uniform spin susceptibility $\chi_s (Q=0,T)$, and $|Q|$ term in $\chi_s (Q,T=0)$. The existence of these terms has been the subject of recent controversy, which is resolved in this paper. We present exact expressions for all non-analytic terms to second order in a generic interaction $U(q)$ and show that only U(0) and $U(2p_F)$ matter.Comment: references added, a typo correcte