Theory Of Quantum Transport In Metallic And Hybrid Nanostructures

The book reflects scientific developments in the physics of metallic compound based nanodevices presented at the NATO-sponsored Workshop on nanophysics held in Russia in the summer of 2003. The program tackles the most appealing problems. It brings together specialists and provides an opportunity for young researchers from the partner countries to interact with them and get actively involved in the most attractive and promising interdisciplinary area of contemporary condensed matter physics.

This book is an introduction to a rapidly developing field of modern theoretical physics – the theory of quantum transport at nanoscale. The theoretical methods considered in the book are in the basis of our understanding of charge, spin and heat transport in nanostructures and nanostructured materials and are widely used in nanoelectronics, molecular electronics, spin-dependent electronics (spintronics) and bio-electronics. The book is based on lectures for graduate and post-graduate students at the University of Regensburg and the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden). The first part is devoted to the basic concepts of quantum transport: Landauer-Büttiker method and matrix Green function formalism for coherent transport, Tunneling (Transfer) Hamiltonian and master equation methods for tunneling, Coulomb blockade, vibrons and polarons. The results in this part are obtained as possible without sophisticated techniques, such as nonequilibrium Green functions, which are considered in detail in the second part. A general introduction into the nonequilibrium Green function theory is given. The approach based on the equation-of-motion technique, as well as more sophisticated one based on the Dyson-Keldysh diagrammatic technique are presented. The main attention is paid to the theoretical methods able to describe the nonequilibrium (at finite voltage) electron transport through interacting nanosystems, specifically the correlation effects due to electron-electron and electron-vibron interactions.

This reference text presents a conceptual framework for understanding room-temperature electron and phonon transport through molecules and other quantum objects. The flow of electricity through molecules is explained at the boundary of physics and chemistry, providing an authoritative introduction to molecular electronics for physicists, and quantum transport for chemists. Professor Lambert provides a pedagogical account of the fundamental concepts needed to understand quantum transport and thermoelectricity in molecular-scale and nanoscale structures. The material provides researchers and advanced students with an understanding of how quantum transport relates to other areas of materials modelling, condensed matter and computational chemistry. After reading the book, the reader will be familiar with the basic concepts of molecular-orbital theory and scattering theory, which underpin current theories of quantum transport.

Thermoelectricity and Heat Transport in Graphene and Other 2D Nanomaterials describes thermoelectric phenomena and thermal transport in graphene and other 2-dimentional nanomaterials and devices. Graphene, which is an example of an atomic monolayered material, has become the most important growth area in materials science research, stimulating an interest in other atomic monolayeric materials. The book analyses flow management, measurement of the local temperature at the nanoscale level and thermoelectric transducers, with reference to both graphene and other 2D nanomaterials. The book covers in detail the mechanisms of thermoelectricity, thermal transport, interface phenomena, quantum dots, non-equilibrium states, scattering and dissipation, as well as coherent transport in low-dimensional junctions in graphene and its allotropes, transition metal dichalcogenides and boron nitride. This book aims to show readers how to improve thermoelectric transducer efficiency in graphene and other nanomaterials. The book describes basic ingredients of such activity, allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of fundamental issues related to the heat transport and the thermoelectric phenomena of nanomaterials. It contains a thorough analysis and comparison between theory and experiments, complemented with a variety of practical examples. Shows readers how to improve the efficiency of heat transfer in graphene and other nanomaterials with analysis of different methodologies Includes fundamental information on the thermoelectric properties of graphene and other atomic monolayers, providing a valuable reference source for materials scientists and engineers Covers the important models of thermoelectric phenomena and thermal transport in the 2D nanomaterials and nanodevices, allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of the factors behind the efficiency of heat transport in a variety of nanomaterials

The developments of nanofabrication in the past years have enabled the design of electronic systems that exhibit spectacular signatures of quantum coherence. Nanofabricated quantum wires and dots containing a small number of electrons are ideal experimental playgrounds for probing electron-electron interactions and their interplay with disorder. Going down to even smaller scales, molecules such as carbon nanotubes, fullerenes or hydrogen molecules can now be inserted in nanocircuits. Measurements of transport through a single chain of atoms have been performed as well. Much progress has also been made in the design and fabrication of superconducting and hybrid nanostructures, be they normal/superconductor or ferromagnetic/superconductor. Quantum coherence is then no longer that of individual electronic states, but rather that of a superconducting wavefunction of a macroscopic number of Cooper pairs condensed in the same quantum mechanical state. Beyond the study of linear response regime, the physics of non-equilibrium transport (including non-linear transport, rectification of a high frequency electric field as well as shot noise) has received much attention, with significant experimental and theoretical insights. All these quantities exhibit very specific signatures of the quantum nature of transport, which cannot be obtained from basic conductance measurements. Basic concepts and analytical tools needed to understand this new physics are presented in a series of theoretical fundamental courses, in parallel with more phenomenological ones where physics is discussed in a less formal way and illustrated by many experiments. · Electron-electron interactions in one-dimensional quantum transport · Coulomb Blockade and Kondo physics in quantum dots · Out of equilibrium noise and quantum transport · Andreev reflection and subgap nonlinear transport in hybrid N/S nanosructures. · Transport through atomic contacts · Solid state Q-bits · Written by leading experts in the field, both theorists and experimentalists

Be a part of the nanotechnology revolution in telecommunications This book provides a unique and thought-provoking perspective on how nanotechnology is poised to revolutionize the telecommunications, computing, and networking industries. The author discusses emerging technologies as well as technologies under development that will lay the foundation for such innovations as: * Nanomaterials with novel optical, electrical, and magnetic properties * Faster and smaller non-silicon-based chipsets, memory, and processors * New-science computers based on Quantum Computing * Advanced microscopy and manufacturing systems * Faster and smaller telecom switches, including optical switches * Higher-speed transmission phenomena based on plasmonics and other quantum-level phenomena * Nanoscale MEMS: micro-electro-mechanical systems The author of this cutting-edge publication has played a role in the development of actual nanotechnology-based communication systems. In this book, he examines a broad range of the science of nanotechnology and how this field will affect every facet of the telecommunications and computing industries, in both the near and far term, including: * Basic concepts of nanotechnology and its applications * Essential physics and chemistry underlying nanotechnology science * Nanotubes, nanomaterials, and nanomaterial processing * Promising applications in nanophotonics, including nanocrystals and nanocrystal fibers * Nanoelectronics, including metal nanoclusters, semiconducting nanoclusters, nanocrystals, nanowires, and quantum dots This book is written for telecommunications professionals, researchers, and students who need to discover and exploit emerging revenue-generating opportunities to develop the next generation of nanoscale telecommunications and network systems. Non-scientists will find the treatment completely accessible. A detailed glossary clarifies unfamiliar terms and concepts. Appendices are provided for readers who want to delve further into the hard-core science, including nanoinstrumentation and quantum computing. Nanotechnology is the next industrial revolution, and the telecommunications industry will be radically transformed by it in a few years. This is the publication that readers need to understand how that transformation will happen, the science behind it, and how they can be a part of it.

This novel book is the first comprehensive text on dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), which has emerged over the past two decades as one of the most powerful new developments in many-body physics. Written by one of the key researchers in the field, the volume develops the formalism of many-body Green's functions using the equation of motion approach, which requires an undergraduate solid state physics course and a graduate quantum mechanics course as prerequisites. The DMFT is applied to study transport in multilayered nanostructures, which is likely to be one of the most prominent applications of nanotechnology in the coming years. The text is modern in scope focusing on exact numerical methods rather than the perturbation theory. Formalism is developed first for the bulk and then for the inhomogeneous multilayered systems. The science behind the metal-insulator transition, electronic charge reconstruction, and superconductivity are thoroughly described. The book covers complete derivations and emphasizes how to carry out numerical calculations, including discussions of parallel programing algorithms. Detailed descriptions of the crossover from tunneling to thermally activated transport, of the properties of Josephson junctions with barriers tuned near the metal-insulator transition, and of thermoelectric coolers and power generators are provided as applications of the theory./a