Even-Odd Oscillation in Conductance of Single-Row Sodium Nanowire

TL;DR

This paper uses first-principles calculations to study sodium nanowires, revealing conductance oscillations and electron density bunching related to wire length and atomic configuration.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of conductance oscillations and electron density patterns in sodium nanowires using ab initio methods.

Findings

Conductance oscillates with a two-atom period.

Electron density shows bunches of high density at two-atom lengths.

Oscillation period is influenced by the properties of the infinite wire.

Abstract

We present a first-principles calculation of the electronic conduction properties of single-row sodium nanowires suspended between semi-infinite electrodes. The conductance of the nanowire is ~1 G0 (=2e^2/h) and oscillates with a two-atom period as the number of the atoms within the nanowire varies. Moreover, we observed bunches of high electron density with a two atom-lengths in the channel density distribution. The relation between the period of the conductance oscillation and the length of bunches are examined by using simplified models and is found to be largely affected by the characteristics of the infinite wire.