Spin quantum tunneling in single molecular magnets: fingerprints in transport spectroscopy of current and noise

We demonstrate that transport spectroscopy of single molecular magnets shows signatures of quantum tunneling at low temperatures. We find current and noise oscillations as a function of bias voltage due to a weak violation of spin-selection rules by quantum tunneling processes. The interplay with Boltzmann suppression factors leads to fake resonances with temperature-dependent position which do not correspond to any charge excitation energy. Furthermore, we find that quantum tunneling can completely suppress transport if the transverse anisotropy has a high symmetry.     

Competition between quantum spin tunneling and Kondo effect

Quantum spin tunneling and Kondo effect are two very different quantum phenomena that produce the same effect on quantized spins, namely, the quenching of their magnetization. However, the nature of this quenching is very different so that quantum spin tunneling and Kondo effect compete with each other. Importantly, both quantum spin tunneling and Kondo effect produce very characteristic features in the spectral function that can be measured by means of single spin scanning tunneling spectroscopy and allows to probe the crossover from one regime to the other. We model this crossover, and the resulting changes in transport, using a non-perturbative treatment of a generalized Anderson model including magnetic anisotropy that leads to quantum spin tunneling. We predict that, at zero magnetic field, integer spins can feature a split-Kondo peak driven by quantum spin tunneling.     

Coupled quantum dots: manifestation of an artificial molecule

Transport spectroscopy reveals the microscopic features of few-electron quantum dots which justify the nameartificial atoms. New physics evolve when two quantum dots are coupled by a tunneling barrier. We study, both theoretically and experimentally, the tunneling spectroscopy on a double quantum dot. A detailed lineshape analysis of the conductance resonances proves that off-resonant coherent interdot tunneling governs transport through this system, while tunneling into the double quantum dot occurs resonantly. This coherent interdot tunneling witnesses the evolution of a delocalized electronic state which can be compared to a valence electron of thisartificial molecule.     

Photon-assisted mesoscopic transport through a quantum dot–carbon nanotube system perturbed by microwave fields

We have investigated the coherent mesoscopic transport through the system with a quantum dot coupled to single-wall carbon nanotubes (CN–QD–CN) interfered by microwave fields (MWFs). The investigation focuses on the tunneling behaviors induced by the double coherent MWFs and the nature of CN leads. The incoherent fields induce the tunneling current possessing symmetric resonant behaviors. The coherent fields induce the asymmetric tunneling current resulting from the interference of tunneling current branches to form asymmetric photon-assisted net current. The quantum leads possess specific density of state (DOS) structure, and the matching–mismatching behavior takes important role in the mesoscopic transport. The feature of coupled MWFs and the connected quantum wires together control the characteristics of the mesoscopic system.     

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.     

Coulomb blockade and hopping transport behaviors of donor-induced quantum dots in junctionless transistors

The ionized dopants, working as quantum dots in silicon nanowires, exhibit potential advantages for the development of atomic-scale transistors. We investigate single electron tunneling through a phosphorus dopant induced quantum dots array in heavily n-doped junctionless nanowire transistors. Several subpeaks splittings in current oscillations are clearly observed due to the coupling of the quantum dots at the temperature of 6 K. The transport behaviors change from resonance tunneling to hoping conduction with increased temperature. The charging energy of the phosphorus donors is approximately 12.8 meV. This work helps clear the basic mechanism of electron transport through donor-induced quantum dots and electron transport properties in the heavily doped nanowire through dopant engineering.     

Imaging transport resonances in the quantum Hall effect

We use a scanning capacitance probe to image transport in the quantum Hall system. Applying a dc bias voltage to the tip induces a ring-shaped incompressible strip (IS) in the 2D electron system (2DES) that moves with the tip. At certain tip positions, short-range disorder in the 2DES creates a quantum dot island in the IS. These islands enable resonant tunneling across the IS, enhancing its conductance by more than 4 orders of magnitude. The images provide a quantitative measure of disorder and suggest resonant tunneling as the primary mechanism for transport across ISs.     

Influence of interactions on flux and back-gate period of quantum Hall interferometers

In quantum Hall systems with two narrow constrictions, tunneling between opposite edges can give rise to quantum interference and Aharonov-Bohm-like oscillations of the conductance. When there is an integer quantized Hall state within the constrictions, a region between them, with higher electron density, may form a compressible island. Electron tunneling through this island can lead to residual transport, modulated by Coulomb-blockade-type effects. We find that the coupling between the fully occupied lower Landau levels and the higher-partially occupied level gives rise to flux subperiods smaller than one flux quantum. We generalize this scenario to other geometries and to fractional quantum Hall systems, and compare our predictions to experiments.     

Correlated quantum transport of density wave electrons

Recently observed Aharonov-Bohm quantum interference of the period h/2e in charge density wave rings strongly suggests that correlated density wave electron transport is a cooperative quantum phenomenon. The picture discussed here posits that quantum solitons nucleate and transport current above a Coulomb blockade threshold field. We propose a field-dependent tunneling matrix element and use the Schr?dinger equation, viewed as an emergent classical equation as in Feynman's treatment of Josephson tunneling, to compute the evolving macrostate amplitudes, finding excellent quantitative agreement with voltage oscillations and current-voltage characteristics in NbSe(3). A proposed phase diagram shows the conditions favoring soliton nucleation versus classical depinning.     

Model for dissipative conductance in fractional quantum Hall states

We present a model of dissipative transport in the fractional quantum Hall regime. Our model takes account of tunneling through saddle points in the effective potential for excitations created by impurities. We predict the temperature range over which activated behavior is observed and explain why this range nearly always corresponds to around a factor two in temperature in both integer quantum Hall and fractional quantum Hall systems. We identify the ratio of the gap observed in the activated behavior and the temperature of the inflection point in the Arrhenius plot as an important diagnostic for determining the importance of tunneling in real samples.     

Quantum features of Brownian motors and stochastic resonance

We investigate quantum Brownian motion sustained transport in both, adiabatically rocked ratchet systems and quantum stochastic resonance (QSR). Above a characteristic crossover temperature T(0) tunneling events are rare; yet they can considerably enhance the quantum-noise-driven particle current and the amplification of signal output in comparison to their classical counterparts. Below T(0) tunneling prevails, thus yielding characteristic novel quantum transport phenomena. For example, upon approaching T=0 the quantum current in Brownian motors exhibits a tunneling-induced reversal, and tends to a finite limit, while the classical result approaches zero without such a change of sign. As a consequence, similar current inversions generated by quantum effects follow upon variation of the particle mass or of its friction coefficient. Likewise, in this latter regime of very low temperatures the tunneling dynamics becomes increasingly coherent, thus suppressing the semiclassically predicted QSR. Moreover, nonadiabatic driving may cause driving-induced coherences and quantized resonant transitions with no classical analog. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.     

Detecting non-Abelian statistics with an electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Fractionally charged quasiparticles in the quantum Hall state with a filling factor nu=5/2 are expected to obey non-Abelian statistics. We demonstrate that their statistics can be probed by transport measurements in an electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The tunneling current through the interferometer exhibits a characteristic dependence on the magnetic flux and a nonanalytic dependence on the tunneling amplitudes which can be controlled by gate voltages.     

Cotunneling-mediated transport through excited states in the Coulomb-blockade regime

We present finite-bias transport measurements on a few-electron quantum dot. In the Coulomb-blockade regime, strong signatures of inelastic cotunneling occur which can directly be assigned to excited states observed in the nonblockaded regime. In addition, we observe structures related to sequential tunneling through the dot, occurring after it has been excited by an inelastic cotunneling process. We explain our findings using transport calculations within the real-time Green's function approach, including diagrams up to fourth order in the tunneling matrix elements.     

Coherent resonant transport through a mesoscopic system with quantum ac microwave field

The time-dependent transport through an ultrasmall quantum dot coupling to two electron reservoirs is investigated. The quantum dot is perturbed by a quantum microwave field (QMF) through gate. The tunneling current formulae are obtained by taking expectation values over coherent state (CS), and SU(1,1) CS. We derive the transport formulae at low temperature by employing the nonequilibrium Green function technique. The currents exhibit coherent behaviors which are strongly associated with the applied QMF. The time-dependent currents appear compound effects of resonant tunneling and time-oscillating evolution. The time-averaged current and differential conductance are calculated, which manifest photon-assisted behaviors. Numerical calculations reveal the similar properties as those in classical microwave field (CMF) perturbed system for the situations concerning CS and squeezed vacuum SU(1,1) CS. But for other squeezed SU(1,1) CS, the tunneling behavior is quite different from the system perturbed by a single CMF through gate. Due to the quantum signal perturbation, the measurable quantities fluctuate fiercely. Received 28 May 1998     

点间耦合强度对三耦合量子点系统微分电导的影响

本文利用非平衡格林函数运动方程方法,研究了与两个电极耦合在一起的三耦合量子点系统的微分电导及量子干涉的AB振荡问题.通过理论计算发现,由于量子点上的局域态密度的不同从而导致系统电导或隧穿性质的不同,而且量子点间耦合强度、量子点能级等都会对输运性质产生影响. 关键词： 量子点 非平衡格林函数 运动方程 局域态密度     

Staircase in the electron mobility of a ZnO quantum dot assembly due to shell filling

Electron transport in an assembly of ZnO quantum dots has been studied using an electrochemically gated transistor. The electron mobility shows a stepwise increase as a function of the electron occupation per quantum dot. When the occupation number is below two, transport occurs by tunneling between the S orbitals. Transport becomes 3 times faster when the occupation number is between two and eight; tunneling now occurs between the P orbitals. Electron transport is thus critically determined by the quantum properties of the building blocks.     

Photon-assisted transport through a quantum dot coupled to superconductors

Photon-assisted electron transport for resonant tunneling has been investigated by using a current formula developed based on the nonequilibrium Green’s function technique. We have studied the external frequency dependence as well as the energy level position dependence for the resonant ac tunneling through the quantum dot coupled to two superconducting reservoirs.     

Artificial nets from superconducting nanogranules

We show that a large transport current can flow through superconducting nets composed of nano-clusters. Although thermal and quantum fluctuations lead to a finite value of dissipation, this value can be very small in one- and two-dimensional systems for realistic parameters of the nanoclusters and distances between them. The value of the action for vortex tunneling at zero temperature can be made sufficiently large to make the dissipation negligibly small. We estimate the temperature T ₀ of the transition from the thermal activation to quantum tunneling.     

Electron-magnon coupling and nonlinear tunneling transport in magnetic nanoparticles

We present a theory of single-electron tunneling transport through a ferromagnetic nanoparticle in which particle-hole excitations are coupled to spin collective modes. The model employed to describe the interaction between quasiparticles and collective excitations captures the salient features of a recent microscopic study. Our analysis of nonlinear quantum transport in the regime of weak coupling to the external electrodes is based on a rate-equation formalism for the nonequilibrium occupation probability of the nanoparticle many-body states. For strong electron-boson coupling, we find that the tunneling conductance as a function of bias voltage is characterized by a large and dense set of resonances. Their magnetic field dependence in the large-field regime is linear, with slopes of the same sign. Both features are in agreement with recent tunneling experiments.