Non-adiabatic Rectification and Current Reversal in Electron Pumps

TL;DR

This paper investigates how high-frequency periodic driving can reverse current and cause rectification in quantum dot electron pumps, offering new control methods for nano-electronic devices.

Contribution

It demonstrates that sweeping the driving frequency can reverse current and induce rectification in electron pumps, supported by analytical results for harmonic driving.

Findings

Current reversal achieved by frequency sweeping.

Rectification of current at high frequencies.

Robustness of effects confirmed analytically.

Abstract

Pumping of electrons through nano-scale devices is one of the fascinating achievements in the field of nano-science with a wide range of applications. To optimize the performance of pumps, operating them at high frequencies is mandatory. We consider the influence of fast periodic driving on the average charge transferred through a quantum dot. We show that it is possible to reverse the average current by sweeping the driving frequency only. In connection with this, we observe a rectification of the average current for high frequencies. Since both effects are very robust, as corroborated by analytical results for harmonic driving, they offer a new way of controlling electron pumps.