422 research outputs found
Theory of scanning gate microscopy
A systematic theory of the conductance measurements of non-invasive (weak
probe) scanning gate microscopy is presented that provides an interpretation of
what precisely is being measured. A scattering approach is used to derive
explicit expressions for the first and second order conductance changes due to
the perturbation by the tip potential in terms of the scattering states of the
unperturbed structure. In the case of a quantum point contact, the first order
correction dominates at the conductance steps and vanishes on the plateaus
where the second order term dominates. Both corrections are non-local for a
generic structure. Only in special cases, such as that of a centrally symmetric
quantum point contact in the conductance quantization regime, can the second
order correction be unambiguously related with the local current density. In
the case of an abrupt quantum point contact we are able to obtain analytic
expressions for the scattering eigenfunctions and thus evaluate the resulting
conductance corrections.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure
Universal Quantum Signatures of Chaos in Ballistic Transport
The conductance of a ballistic quantum dot (having chaotic classical dynamics
and being coupled by ballistic point contacts to two electron reservoirs) is
computed on the single assumption that its scattering matrix is a member of
Dyson's circular ensemble. General formulas are obtained for the mean and
variance of transport properties in the orthogonal (beta=1), unitary (beta=2),
and symplectic (beta=4) symmetry class. Applications include universal
conductance fluctuations, weak localization, sub-Poissonian shot noise, and
normal-metal-superconductor junctions. The complete distribution P(g) of the
conductance g is computed for the case that the coupling to the reservoirs
occurs via two quantum point contacts with a single transmitted channel. The
result P(g)=g^(-1+beta/2) is qualitatively different in the three symmetry
classes. ***Submitted to Europhysics Letters.****Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX-3.0, INLO-PUB-94032
Chaos and Interacting Electrons in Ballistic Quantum Dots
We show that the classical dynamics of independent particles can determine
the quantum properties of interacting electrons in the ballistic regime. This
connection is established using diagrammatic perturbation theory and
semiclassical finite-temperature Green functions. Specifically, the orbital
magnetism is greatly enhanced over the Landau susceptibility by the combined
effects of interactions and finite size. The presence of families of periodic
orbits in regular systems makes their susceptibility parametrically larger than
that of chaotic systems, a difference which emerges from correlation terms.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, includes 3 postscript fig
Semiclassical Approach to Orbital Magnetism of Interacting Diffusive Quantum Systems
We study interaction effects on the orbital magnetism of diffusive mesoscopic
quantum systems. By combining many-body perturbation theory with semiclassical
techniques, we show that the interaction contribution to the ensemble averaged
quantum thermodynamic potential can be reduced to an essentially classical
operator. We compute the magnetic response of disordered rings and dots for
diffusive classical dynamics. Our semiclassical approach reproduces the results
of previous diagrammatic quantum calculations.Comment: 8 pages, revtex, includes 1 postscript fi
Phase sensitive noise in quantum dots under periodic perturbation
We evaluate the ensemble averaged noise in a chaotic quantum dot subject to
DC bias and a periodic perturbation of frequency . The noise displays
cusps at bias that survive the average, even when the
period of the perturbation is far shorter than the dwell time in the dot. These
features are sensitive to the phase of the time-dependent scattering amplitudes
of electrons to pass through the system.Comment: Published version. Improved discussion, with a few small typos
correcte
Anomaly in the relaxation dynamics close to the surface plasmon resonance
We propose an explanation for the anomalous behaviour observed in the
relaxation dynamics of the differential optical transmission of noble-metal
nanoparticles. Using the temperature dependences of the position and the width
of the surface plasmon resonance, we obtain a strong frequency dependence in
the time evolution of the transmission close to the resonance. In particular,
our approach accounts for the slowdown found below the plasmon frequency. This
interpretation is independent of the presence of a nearby interband transition
which has been invoked previously. We therefore argue that the anomaly should
also appear for alkaline nanoparticles.Comment: version published in EP
A Circuit Model for Domain Walls in Ferromagnetic Nanowires: Application to Conductance and Spin Transfer Torques
We present a circuit model to describe the electron transport through a
domain wall in a ferromagnetic nanowire. The domain wall is treated as a
coherent 4-terminal device with incoming and outgoing channels of spin up and
down and the spin-dependent scattering in the vicinity of the wall is modelled
using classical resistances. We derive the conductance of the circuit in terms
of general conductance parameters for a domain wall. We then calculate these
conductance parameters for the case of ballistic transport through the domain
wall, and obtain a simple formula for the domain wall magnetoresistance which
gives a result consistent with recent experiments. The spin transfer torque
exerted on a domain wall by a spin-polarized current is calculated using the
circuit model and an estimate of the speed of the resulting wall motion is
made.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; submitted to Physical Review
Embedding method for the scattering phase in strongly correlated quantum dots
The embedding method for the calculation of the conductance through
interacting systems connected to single channel leads is generalized to obtain
the full complex transmission amplitude that completely characterizes the
effective scattering matrix of the system at the Fermi energy. We calculate the
transmission amplitude as a function of the gate potential for simple
diamond-shaped lattice models of quantum dots with nearest neighbor
interactions. In our simple models we do not generally observe an interaction
dependent change in the number of zeroes or phase lapses that depend only on
the symmetry properties of the underlying lattice. Strong correlations separate
and reduce the widths of the resonant peaks while preserving the qualitative
properites of the scattering phase.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced
Many-Body and Statistical Methods in Mesoscopic Systems, Constanta, Romania,
June 27th - July 2nd 2011. To appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
Disorder-induced enhancement of the persistent current for strongly interacting electrons in one-dimensional rings
We show that disorder increases the persistent current of a half-filled
one-dimensional Hubbard-Anderson ring at strong interaction. This unexpected
effect results from a perturbative expansion starting from the strongly
interacting Mott insulator ground state. The analytical result is confirmed and
extended by numerical calculations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, using epl.cls (included), considerably
revised final versio
Lifetime of the first and second collective excitations in metallic nanoparticles
We determine the lifetime of the surface plasmon in metallic nanoparticles
under various conditions, concentrating on the Landau damping, which is the
dominant mechanism for intermediate-size particles. Besides the main
contribution to the lifetime, which smoothly increases with the size of the
particle, our semiclassical evaluation yields an additional oscillating
component. For the case of noble metal particles embedded in a dielectric
medium, it is crucial to consider the details of the electronic confinement; we
show that in this case the lifetime is determined by the shape of the
self-consistent potential near the surface. Strong enough perturbations may
lead to the second collective excitation of the electronic system. We study its
lifetime, which is limited by two decay channels: Landau damping and
ionization. We determine the size dependence of both contributions and show
that the second collective excitation remains as a well defined resonance.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures; few minor change
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