Tunneling density of states of granular metals

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how Coulomb interactions influence the tunneling density of states in granular metals, revealing a critical conductance that determines insulating or metallic behavior and the development of a hard gap at low temperatures.

Contribution

It provides analytical expressions for the DOS in granular metals considering Coulomb interactions, identifying a critical conductance separating insulating and metallic phases.

Findings

Samples with low conductance exhibit a hard gap in DOS at zero temperature.

Critical conductance distinguishes insulating and metallic phases in 3D and film systems.

The gap develops at a temperature proportional to the charging energy and conductance, reaching a maximum at zero temperature.

Abstract

We investigate the effect of Coulomb interactions on the tunneling density of states (DOS) of granular metallic systems at the onset of Coulomb blockade regime in two and three dimensions. Using the renormalization group technique we derive the analytical expressions for the DOS as a function of temperature $T$ and energy $\epsilon$. We show that samples with the bare intergranular tunneling conductance $g^0_{\scriptscriptstyle T}$ less than the critical value $g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle C}=(1/2\pi d) \ln(E_{\scriptscriptstyle C}/\delta)$, where $E_{\scriptscriptstyle C}$ and $\delta$ are the charging energy and the mean energy level spacing in a single grain respectively, are insulators with a {\it hard gap} in the DOS at temperatures $T\to 0$. In 3d systems the critical conductance $g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle C}$ separates insulating and metallic phases at zero temperature, whereas in the granular films $g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle C}$ separates insulating states with the hard (at $g^0_{\scriptscriptstyle T}<g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle C}$) and soft (at $g^0_{\scriptscriptstyle T}>g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle C}$) gaps. The gap in the DOS begins to develop at temperatures $ T^* \sim E_{\scriptscriptstyle C} g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle 0} \exp (-2\pi d g_{\scriptscriptstyle T}^{\scriptscriptstyle 0})$ and reaches the value $\Delta \sim T^*$ at $T\to 0$.