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Conductance of fully equilibrated quantum wires
Jérôme Rech1, Tobias Micklitz, K A Matveev
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|April 28, 2009
Summary
Weak electron-electron scattering in quantum wires causes the electron distribution to equilibrate. This leads to increased contact resistance and a temperature-dependent correction to quantized conductance, independent of scattering details.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Transport
Background:
- Quantum wires exhibit unique electrical properties.
- Electron-electron interactions significantly influence quantum transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of weak electron-electron scattering on quantum wire conductance.
- Quantify the temperature dependence of conductance corrections.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of electron distribution function equilibration.
- Application of conservation laws to determine conductance corrections.
Main Results:
- Scattering induces full equilibration of electron distribution in the current frame.
- Equilibrium distribution differs from lead distribution at non-zero temperatures.
- Quantized conductance shows a quadratic temperature correction.
Conclusions:
- Electron-electron scattering modifies quantum wire conductance.
- Contact resistance increases due to scattering-induced equilibration.
- The derived conductance correction is universal, independent of specific interaction mechanisms.
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