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Conductance oscillations of a metallic quantum wire
1Institute of Physics and Nanotechnology Center, M Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland.
Abstract:
The electron transport through a monatomic metallic wire connected to leads is investigated using the tight-binding Hamiltonian and the Green function technique. Analytical formulae for the transmittance are derived and M-atom oscillations of the conductance versus the length of the wire are found. Maxima of the transmittance function versus the energy, for a wire consisting of N atoms, determine the (N+1) period of the conductance. The periods of conductance oscillations are discussed and the local and average quantum wire charges are presented. The average charge of the wire is linked with the period of the conductance oscillations and for M-atom periodicity there are possible (M-1) average occupations of the wire states.
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