Aharonov-Casher-effect suppression of macroscopic tunneling of magnetic flux

We suggest a system in which the amplitude of macroscopic flux tunneling can be modulated via the Aharonov-Casher effect. The system is an rf SQUID with the Josephson junction replaced by a Bloch transistor--two junctions separated by a small superconducting island on which the charge can be induced by an external gate voltage. When the Josephson coupling energies of the junctions are equal and the induced charge is q = e, destructive interference between tunneling paths brings the flux tunneling rate to zero. The device may also be useful as a qubit for quantum computation.     

Out-of-equilibrium admittance of single electron box under strong Coulomb blockade

We study admittance and energy dissipation in an out-of-equilibrium single electron box. The system consists of a small metallic island coupled to a massive reservoir via single tunneling junction. The potential of electrons in the island is controlled by an additional gate electrode. The energy dissipation is caused by an AC gate voltage. The case of a strong Coulomb blockade is considered. We focus on the regime when electron coherence can be neglected but quantum fluctuations of charge are strong due to Coulomb interaction. We obtain the admittance under the specified conditions. It turns out that the energy dissipation rate can be expressed via charge relaxation resistance and renormalized gate capacitance even out of equilibrium. We suggest the admittance as a tool for a measurement of the bosonic distribution corresponding collective excitations in the system.     

Misfit-dislocation-mediated heteroepitaxial island diffusion

Scanning tunneling microscopy combined with molecular dynamics simulations reveals a dislocation-mediated island diffusion mechanism for Cu on Ag(111), a highly mismatched system. Cluster motion is tracked with atomic precision at multiple temperatures and diffusion barriers and prefactors are determined from direct measurements of hop rates. The barrier to nucleate a dislocation is sensitive to island size and shape, resulting in a non-monotonic size dependence of the diffusion barrier.     

Controlling the charge state of a single redox molecular switch

Scanning tunneling microscopy and dynamic force microscopy in the noncontact mode are used in combination to investigate the reversible switching between two stable states of a copper complex adsorbed on a NaCl bilayer grown on Cu(111). The molecular conformation in these two states is deduced from scanning tunneling microscopy imaging, while their charge is characterized by the direct measurement of the tip-molecule electrostatic force. These measurements demonstrate that the molecular bistability is achieved through a charge-induced rearrangement of the coordination sphere of the metal complex, qualifying this system as a new electromechanical single-molecular switch.     

e/3 Laughlin quasiparticle primary-filling nu=1/3 interferometer

We report experimental realization of a quasiparticle interferometer where the entire system is in 1/3 primary fractional quantum Hall state. The interferometer consists of chiral edge channels coupled by quantum-coherent tunneling in two constrictions, thus enclosing an Aharonov-Bohm area. We observe magnetic flux and charge periods h/e and e/3, equivalent to the creation of one quasielectron in the island. Quantum theory predicts a 3h/e flux period for charge e/3, integer statistics particles. Thus, the observed periods demonstrate the anyonic braiding statistics of Laughlin quasiparticles.     

Co-tunneling of the charge through a 2-D electron island

A double barrier Single Electron Transistor is realized in two dimensions by confining the 2-D electron gas of a GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction to a small island by means of Schottky gates. Two gates provide adjustable tunnel barriers and a central gate controls the electron number in the island. The island has small single-particle energy level spacing and forms a metallic island. Periodic conductance oscillations characteristic of Coulomb blockade are observed when the central gate voltage is varied. The ability to vary the tunnel conductance allows us to study the basic physics of the Coulomb blockade: our results show that the quantum charge fluctuation mechanism which limits the tunneling blockade at low temperature is of second order in tunnel barrier transparencies in agreement with the charge Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling (q-MQT) or co-tunneling model.     

Coulomb blockade and superuniversality of the theta angle

Based on the Ambegaokar-Eckern-Sch?n approach to the Coulomb blockade, we develop a complete quantum theory of the single electron transistor. We identify a previously unrecognized physical observable in the problem that, unlike the usual average charge on the island, is robustly quantized for any finite value of the tunneling conductance as the temperature goes to absolute zero. This novel quantity is fundamentally related to the nonsymmetrized current noise of the system. Our results display all of the superuniversal topological features of the theta angle concept that previously arose in the theory of the quantum Hall effect.     

Current-oscillator correlation and Fano factor spectrum of quantum shuttle with finite bias voltage and temperature

A general master equation is derived to describe an electromechanical single-dot transistor in the Coulomb blockade regime. In the equation, Fermi distribution functions in the two leads are taken into account, which allows one to study the system as a function of bias voltage and temperature of the leads. Furthermore, we treat the coherent interaction mechanism between electron tunneling events and the dynamics of excited vibrational modes. Stationary solutions of the equation are numerically calculated. We show that current through the oscillating island at low temperature appears to have step-like characteristics as a function of the bias voltage and the steps depend on the mean phonon number of the oscillator. At higher temperatures the current steps would disappear and this event is accompanied by the emergence of thermal noise of the charge transfer. When the system is mainly in the ground state, the zero frequency Fano factor of current manifests sub-Poissonian noise and when the system is partially driven into its excited states it exhibits super-Poissonian noise. The difference in the current noise would almost be removed for the situation in which the dissipation rate of the oscillator is much larger than the bare tunneling rates of electrons.     

扫描隧道显微镜针尖调制的薄膜表面的原子扩散

采用原子尺度的模拟方法,探讨了在零偏压下扫描隧道显微镜(STM)针尖调制的金属表面岛上原子运动及岛边的层间质量输运. 研究结果显示STM的移动对岛上及岛边的原子扩散有重要的影响. 针尖与吸附原子的交互作用及岛和基体中强的形状变化影响了岛上吸附原子的跳跃扩散及岛边的跳下扩散和交换扩散过程. 研究发现,通过调节针尖与基体的垂直距离及针尖与吸附原子的水平距离,可以降低岛上吸附原子的跳跃扩散能垒及岛边的跳下扩散和交换扩散能垒,从而实现薄膜由三维生长模式向二维生长模式的转变. 关键词： 扫描隧道显微镜 原子运动 质量输运     

Correlation between quantized electronic states and oscillatory thickness relaxations of 2D Pb islands on Si(111)-(7 x 7) surfaces

Two-dimensional lead (Pb) islands of varying heights have been grown on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface at low temperature. Individual islands are investigated concurrently with real-space and local-probe scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Quantum size effects, manifested in the formation of new electronic bound states, redistribution of surface charge density, and oscillatory relaxations in island thickness are found to be perfectly correlated to each other.     

Single electron tunneling rates in multijunction circuits

The rate of electron tunneling through normal metal tunnel junctions is calculated for the case of ultrasmall junction capacitances. The so-called Coulomb blockade of electron tunneling at low temperatures is shown to be strongly affected by the external electrical circuit. Under the common experimental condition of a low impedance environment the Coulomb blockade is suppressed for single tunnel junctions. However, a Coulomb gap structure emerges for junctions embedded in a high impedance environment. For a double junction setup a Coulomb blockade of tunneling arises even for low impedance environments due to the charge quantization on the metallic island between the junctions. An approach using circuit analysis is presented which allows to reduce the calculation of tunneling rates in multijunction circuits to those of a single junction in series with an effective capacitance. The range of validity of the socalled local rule and global rule rates is clarified. It is found that the tunneling rate tends towards the global rule rate as the number of junctions is increased. Some specific results are given for a one-dimensional array of tunnel junctions.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy of adsorbates on insulating films. From the imaging of individual molecular orbitals to the manipulation of the charge state

Ultrathin insulating films on metal substrates are unique systems for using a scanning tunneling microscope to study the electronic properties of single atoms and molecules that are electronically decoupled from the metallic substrate. Individual gold atoms on an ultrathin insulating sodium chloride film supported by a copper surface exhibit two different charge states, which are stabilized by the large ionic polarizability of the film. The charge state and associated physical and chemical properties such as diffusion can be controlled by adding or removing a single electron to or from the adatom with a scanning tunneling microscope tip. The simple physical mechanism behind the charge bistability in this case suggests that this is a common phenomenon for adsorbates on polar insulating films. In the case of molecules on ultrathin NaCl films, the electronic decoupling allows the direct imaging of the unperturbed molecular orbitals, as will be shown in the case of individual pentacene molecules. PACS 68.37.Ef; 73.61.Ng; 73.20.Hb     

Quantum stochastic synchronization

We study, within the spin-boson dynamics, the synchronization of a quantum tunneling system with an external, time-periodic driving signal. As a main result, we find that at a sufficiently large system-bath coupling strength (i.e., for a friction strength alpha > 1) the thermal noise plays a constructive role in yielding forced synchronization. This noise-induced synchronization can occur when the driving frequency is larger than the zero-temperature tunneling rate. As an application evidencing the effect, we consider the charge transfer dynamics in molecular complexes.     

Microwave-driven SET-box with superconducting island

The effect of high-frequency microwave irradiation on the averaged stationary charge in a single-electron tunneling box (SET-box) with superconducting island is investigated. The resulting Q-Q_g characteristics are modified compared with those from the well-known constant voltage-driven box. It can be shown that there is a crossover from the 2e-periodic regime in Q_g corresponding to the parity effect to 1e-periodic behavior not only with increasing temperature but also with increasing irradiation amplitude.     

Interplay of spin accumulation and Coulomb blockade in double ferromagnetic junctions

Single-electron tunneling in a double junction in which a nonmagnetic metallic island is separated from two ferromagnetic electrodes by tunnel barriers, is analysed theoretically in the sequential tunneling regime and for an arbitrary intrinsic spin relaxation time on the island. It is shown that nonequilibrium spin polarization of the island results in tunnel magnetoresistance due to rotation of the electrode magnetizations from antiparallel to parallel alignment. It is also shown that discrete charging of the island gives rise to a fine structure in the voltage dependence of the island spin polarization and tunnel magnetoresistance     

Low frequency and weakly nonlinear spin transport in ferromagnet/insulator single and double junctions

In this paper, we apply Büttiker's gauge invariant, charge conservation, nonlinear transport theory to explore the spin-polarized tunneling of ferromagnet/insulator (semiconductor) single and double junctions. The Green function of spin-polarized tunneling is calculated by the tight-binding approximation method. The energy and the angle (between the molecular field and the vertical axis) dependences of the weakly nonlinear dc transport coefficient and the linear low frequency ac transport coefficient are investigated. The ac tunneling magnetoresistance is also discussed. Received 1st September 2000 and Received in final form 5 December 2000     

Dissipation and tunneling in quantum Hall bilayers

We discuss the interplay between transport and intrinsic dissipation in quantum Hall bilayers, within the framework of a simple thought experiment. We compute, for the first time, quantum corrections to the semiclassical dynamics of this system. This allows us to reinterpret tunneling measurements on these systems. We find a strong peak in the zero-temperature tunneling current that arises from the decay of Josephson-like oscillations into incoherent charge fluctuations. In the presence of an in-plane field, resonances in the tunneling current develop an asymmetric line shape.     

一维二嵌段高聚物中电荷输运的分子弹性效应

基于扩展SSH(Su-Schrieffer-Heeger)模型并采用动力学方法讨论了一维二嵌段高聚物中分子弹性对电荷输运的影响。我们发现,由于两嵌段高聚物中分子弹性的差异,在其交界处会形成一个载流子跃迁势垒。增大注入电子的动能将有效降低电子隧穿的临界电场,而加大两段高聚物弹性的差别将增大临界电场的强度。     

一维二嵌段高聚物中电荷输运的分子弹性效应

基于扩展SSH(Su-Schrieffer-Heeger)模型并采用动力学方法讨论了一维二嵌段高聚物中分子弹性对电荷输运的影响。我们发现,由于两嵌段高聚物中分子弹性的差异,在其交界处会形成一个载流子跃迁势垒。增大注入电子的动能将有效降低电子隧穿的临界电场,而加大两段高聚物弹性的差别将增大临界电场的强度。     

Regular-to-chaotic tunneling rates using a fictitious integrable system

We derive a formula predicting dynamical tunneling rates from regular states to the chaotic sea in systems with a mixed phase space. Our approach is based on the introduction of a fictitious integrable system that resembles the regular dynamics within the island. For the standard map and other kicked systems we find agreement with numerical results for all regular states in a regime where resonance-assisted tunneling is not relevant.