The Landauer Formula: a Magic Mantra Revisited

TL;DR

This paper revisits the Landauer formula for electron transport, emphasizing the importance of inelastic relaxation for a consistent microscopic understanding within quantum kinetics.

Contribution

It critically analyzes the connection between Landauer theory and orthodox microscopic models, highlighting the necessity of including inelastic relaxation.

Findings

Inelastic relaxation is essential for a well-posed microscopic model.

Landauer theory's claims are scrutinized in the context of quantum kinetics.

A clear link between Landauer and microscopic models requires explicit inelastic processes.

Abstract

We review the conceptual structure of the Landauer theory of electron transport in the light of quantum kinetics, the orthodox framework for describing conductance at all scales. In a straightforward analysis, we assess popular claims for a rational link between Landauer theory on the one hand, and orthodox microscopics on the other. The need to explicitly include inelastic (dissipative) carrier relaxation is key to any well-posed microscopic model of open-system mesoscopic transport.