68 research outputs found
Thermal dependence of the zero-bias conductance through a nanostructure
We show that the conductance of a quantum wire side-coupled to a quantum dot,
with a gate potential favoring the formation of a dot magnetic moment, is a
universal function of the temperature. Universality prevails even if the
currents through the dot and the wire interfere. We apply this result to the
experimental data of Sato et al.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 066801 (2005)].Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. More detailed presentation, and updated
references. Final version
Universal zero-bias conductance for the single electron transistor. II: Comparison with numerical results
A numerical renormalization-group survey of the zero-bias electrical
conductance through a quantum dot embedded in the conduction path of a
nanodevice is reported. The results are examined in the light of a recently
derived linear mapping between the temperature-dependent conductance and the
universal function describing the conductance for the symmetric Anderson model.
A gate potential applied to the conduction electrons is known to change
markedly the transport properties of a quantum dot side-coupled to the
conduction path; in the embedded geometry here discussed, a similar potential
is shown to affect only quantitatively the temperature dependence of the
conductance. As expected, in the Kondo regime the numerical results are in
excellent agreement with the mapped conductances. In the mixed-valence regime,
the mapping describes accurately the low-temperature tail of the conductance.
The mapping is shown to provide a unified view of conduction in the
single-electron transistor.Comment: Sequel to arXiv:0906.4063. 9 pages with 8 figure
Subtle leakage of a Majorana mode into a quantum dot
We investigate quantum transport through a quantum dot connected to source
and drain leads and side-coupled to a topological superconducting nanowire
(Kitaev chain) sustaining Majorana end modes. Using a recursive Green's
function approach, we determine the local density of states (LDOS) of the
system and find that the end Majorana mode of the wire leaks into the dot thus
emerging as a unique dot level {\it pinned} to the Fermi energy
of the leads. Surprisingly, this resonance pinning, resembling in this sense a
"Kondo resonance", occurs even when the gate-controlled dot level
is far above or far below . The
calculated conductance of the dot exhibits an unambiguous signature for the
Majorana end mode of the wire: in essence, an off-resonance dot
[], which should have ,
shows instead a conductance over a wide range of , due to this
pinned dot mode. Interestingly, this pinning effect only occurs when the dot
level is coupled to a Majorana mode; ordinary fermionic modes (e.g., disorder)
in the wire simply split and broaden (if a continuum) the dot level. We discuss
experimental scenarios to probe Majorana modes in wires via these leaked/pinned
dot modes.Comment: 3 figures, 5 pages, published in Phys. Rev. B (Editors' suggestion
Tuning of heat and charge transport by Majorana fermions
We investigate theoretically thermal and electrical conductances for the
system consisting of a quantum dot (QD) connected both to a pair of Majorana
fermions residing the edges of a Kitaev wire and two metallic leads. We
demonstrate that both quantities reveal pronounced resonances, whose positions
can be controlled by tuning of an asymmetry of the couplings of the QD and a
pair of MFs. Similar behavior is revealed for the thermopower, Wiedemann-Franz
law and dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit. The considered geometry
can thus be used as a tuner of heat and charge transport assisted by MFs
Universal zero-bias conductance through a quantum wire side-coupled to a quantum dot
A numerical renormalization-group study of the conductance through a quantum
wire side-coupled to a quantum dot is reported. The temperature and the
dot-energy dependence of the conductance are examined in the light of a
recently derived linear mapping between the Kondo-regime temperature-dependent
conductance and the universal function describing the conductance for the
symmetric Anderson model of a quantum wire with an embedded quantum dot. Two
conduction paths, one traversing the wire, the other a bypass through the
quantum dot, are identified. A gate potential applied to the quantum wire is
shown to control the flow through the bypass. When the potential favors
transport through the wire, the conductance in the Kondo regime rises from
nearly zero at low temperatures to nearly ballistic at high temperatures. When
it favors the dot, the pattern is reversed: the conductance decays from nearly
ballistic to nearly zero. When the fluxes through the two paths are comparable,
the conductance is nearly temperature-independent in the Kondo regime, and a
Fano antiresonance in the fixed-temperature plot of the conductance as a
function of the dot energy signals interference. Throughout the Kondo regime
and, at low temperatures, even in the mixed-valence regime, the numerical data
are in excellent agreement with the universal mapping.Comment: 12 pages, with 9 figures. Submitted to PR
Spin-dependent beating patterns in thermoelectric properties: Filtering the carriers of the heat flux in a Kondo adatom system
We theoretically investigate the thermoelectric properties of a
spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas hosting a Kondo adatom hybridized
with an STM tip. Such a setup is treated within the single-impurity Anderson
model in combination with the atomic approach for the Green's functions. Due to
the spin dependence of the Fermi wavenumbers the electrical and thermal
conductances, together with thermopower and Lorenz number reveal beating
patterns as function of the STM tip position in the Kondo regime. In
particular, by tuning the lateral displacement of the tip with respect to the
adatom vicinity, the temperature and the position of the adatom level, one can
change the sign of the Seebeck coefficient through charge and spin. This opens
a possibility of the microscopic control of the heat flux analogously to that
established for the electrical current
- …