Nonequlibrium particle and energy currents in quantum chains connected to mesoscopic Fermi reservoirs

TL;DR

This paper models nonequilibrium quantum transport in chains connected to mesoscopic Fermi reservoirs, revealing how dissipation affects particle and energy currents and breaks Onsager reciprocity.

Contribution

It introduces a dissipative Lindblad-based model for quantum transport with meso-reservoirs, demonstrating effects on transport properties and reciprocity.

Findings

Dissipative mechanisms influence particle and energy currents.

Onsager reciprocity relation breaks down due to dissipation.

Transport behavior studied in monoatomic and diatomic fermionic chains.

Abstract

We propose a model of nonequilibrium quantum transport of particles and energy in a system connected to mesoscopic Fermi reservoirs (meso-reservoir). The meso-reservoirs are in turn thermalized to prescribed temperatures and chemical potentials by a simple dissipative mechanism described by the Lindblad equation. As an example, we study transport in monoatomic and diatomic chains of non-interacting spinless fermions. We show numerically the breakdown of the Onsager reciprocity relation due to the dissipative terms of the model.