Electron transport through interacting quantum dots

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive theoretical analysis of how Coulomb interactions influence electron transport in quantum dots, revealing various regimes and their effects on current and noise characteristics.

Contribution

It introduces a combined real-time path integral and scattering matrix approach to evaluate current-voltage behavior in interacting quantum dots, especially at large conductances.

Findings

Interaction correction to current shows logarithmic dependence on temperature and voltage.

Two distinct logarithmic regimes are identified with a crossover at the inverse dwell time.

Frequency-dependent shot noise is directly related to interaction effects in mesoscopic transport.

Abstract

We present a detailed theoretical investigation of the effect of Coulomb interactions on electron transport through quantum dots and double barrier structures connected to a voltage source via an arbitrary linear impedance. Combining real time path integral techniques with the scattering matrix approach we derive the effective action and evaluate the current-voltage characteristics of quantum dots at sufficiently large conductances. Our analysis reveals a reach variety of different regimes which we specify in details for the case of chaotic quantum dots. At sufficiently low energies the interaction correction to the current depends logarithmically on temperature and voltage. We identify two different logarithmic regimes with the crossover between them occurring at energies of order of the inverse dwell time of electrons in the dot. We also analyze the frequency-dependent shot noise in chaotic quantum dots and elucidate its direct relation to interaction effects in mesoscopic electron transport.