Physics – Condensed Matter – Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Scientific paper
1998-12-10
Physics
Condensed Matter
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
4 pages, 3 postscript figs included (2 color), uses epsf.sty
Scientific paper
10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.2640
The electrostatic energy of an additional electron on a conducting grain blocks the flow of current through the grain, an effect known as the Coulomb blockade. Current can flow only if two charge states of the grain have the same energy; in this case the conductance has a peak. In a small grain with quantized electron states, referred to as a quantum dot, the magnitude of the conductance peak is directly related to the magnitude of the wavefunction near the contacts to the dot. Since dots are generally irregular in shape, the dynamics of the electrons is chaotic, and the characteristics of Coulomb blockade peaks reflects those of wavefunctions in chaotic systems. Previously, a statistical theory for the peaks was derived by assuming these wavefunctions to be completely random. Here we show that the specific internal dynamics of the dot, even though it is chaotic, modulates the peaks: because all systems have short-time features, chaos is not equivalent to randomness. Semiclassical results are derived for both chaotic and integrable dots, which are surprisingly similar, and compared to numerical calculations. We argue that this modulation, though unappreciated, has already been seen in experiments.
Baranger Harold U.
Cerruti Nicholas R.
Narimanov Evgenii E.
Tomsovic Steven
No associations
LandOfFree
Chaos in Quantum Dots: Dynamical Modulation of Coulomb Blockade Peak Heights does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Chaos in Quantum Dots: Dynamical Modulation of Coulomb Blockade Peak Heights, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Chaos in Quantum Dots: Dynamical Modulation of Coulomb Blockade Peak Heights will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-157941