Transport in nanoscale systems: the microcanonical versus grand-canonical picture

We analyse a picture of transport in which two large but finite charged electrodes discharge across a nanoscale junction. We identify a functional whose minimization, within the space of all bound many-body wavefunctions, defines an instantaneous steady state. We also discuss factors that favour the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. Condensed matter 2004-11, Vol.16 (45), p.8025-8034
Main Authors: Ventra, M Di, Todorov, T N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures
Electronic transport in mesoscopic or nanoscale materials and structures
Electronic transport in multilayers, nanoscale materials and structures
Exact sciences and technology
Physics
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Summary:We analyse a picture of transport in which two large but finite charged electrodes discharge across a nanoscale junction. We identify a functional whose minimization, within the space of all bound many-body wavefunctions, defines an instantaneous steady state. We also discuss factors that favour the onset of steady-state conduction in such systems, make a connection with the notion of entropy, and suggest a novel source of steady-state noise. Finally, we prove that the true many-body total current in this closed system is given exactly by the one-electron total current, obtained from time-dependent density-functional theory.
ISSN:0953-8984
1361-648X
DOI:10.1088/0953-8984/16/45/024