Shaping Electronic Flows with Strongly Correlated Physics

Abstract

Nonequilibrium quantum transport is of central importance in nanotechnology. Its description requires the understanding of strong electronic correlations that couple atomic-scale phenomena to the nanoscale. So far, research in correlated transport has focused predominantly on few-channel transport, precluding the investigation of cross-scale effects. Recent theoretical advances enable the solution of models that capture the interplay between quantum correlations and confinement beyond a few channels. This problem is the focus of this study. We consider an atomic impurity embedded in a metallic nanosheet spanning two leads, showing that transport is significantly altered by tuning only the phase of a single local hopping parameter. Furthermore�depending on this phase� correlations reshape the electronic flow throughout the sheet, either funneling it through the impurity or scattering it away from a much larger region. This demonstrates the potential for quantum correlations to bridge length scales in the design of nanoelectronic devices and sensors.

Electroluminescence Rectification and High Harmonic Generation in Molecular Junctions

“…Given the flexibility to tune the strength of electron–photon coupling in optical cavities by changing the quantization volume, we focus on the moderate coupling regime. For stronger couplings, correlated methods resumming infinite number of diagrams, such as the GW̃ method, or even more expensive, numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo methods , may be necessary.…”

“…Given the flexibility to tune the strength of electron−photon coupling in optical cavities by changing the quantization volume, 27 we focus on the moderate coupling regime. For stronger couplings, correlated methods resumming infinite number of diagrams, such as the GW ̃method, 28 or even more expensive, numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo methods 29,30 The BDT molecule has been extensively studied since the conductivity measurement of Reed et al 31 using a mechanically controlled break-junction. Current−voltage, differential conductance, and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy measurements show that BDT is one of the very rare organic molecules able to span low to high transmission ranges, making it highly useful for molecular electronics applications and as a testbed for quantum transport.…”