Conductance distributions of 1D-disordered wires at finite temperature and bias voltage

TL;DR

This paper investigates how conductance distributions in 1D disordered wires are affected by finite temperature and bias voltage, providing analytical and numerical insights into the resulting distribution changes.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of conductance distributions at finite T and V, extending previous zero-temperature models with new convolution-based methods and numerical validation.

Findings

Conductance distribution broadens with increasing T and V.

High T and V regimes can be modeled by autoconvolutions of zero-temperature distributions.

Finite T and V significantly alter conductance distribution shapes, confirmed by simulations.

Abstract

We calculate the distribution of the conductance G in a one-dimensional disordered wire at finite temperature T and bias voltage V in a independent-electron picture and assuming full coherent transport. At high enough temperature and bias voltage, where several resonances of the system contribute to the conductance, the distribution P(G(T,V)) can be represented with good accuracy by autoconvolutions of the distribution of the conductance at zero temperature and zero bias voltage. The number of convolutions depends on T and V. In the regime of very low T and V, where only one resonance is relevant to G(T,V), the conductance distribution is analyzed by a resonant tunneling conductance model. Strong effects of finite T and V on the conductance distribution are observed and well described by our theoretical analysis, as we verify by performing a number of numerical simulations of a one-dimensional disordered wire at different temperatures, voltages, and lengths of the wire. Analytical estimates for the first moments of P(G(T,V)) at high temperature and bias voltage are also provided.