Electron turbulence at nanoscale junctions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through ab-initio simulations that electron flow in nanoscale junctions can transition from laminar to turbulent, revealing fluid-like nonlinear dynamics at the quantum level.

Contribution

It provides the first ab-initio evidence of turbulence-like behavior in electron transport within nanojunctions, bridging quantum transport and classical fluid dynamics.

Findings

Transition from laminar to turbulent flow with increasing current

Electron dynamics exhibit features similar to classical turbulence

Reynolds number correlates with flow regime change

Abstract

Electron transport through a nanostructure can be characterized in part using concepts from classical fluid dynamics. It is thus natural to ask how far the analogy can be taken, and whether the electron liquid can exhibit nonlinear dynamical effects such as turbulence. Here we present an ab-initio study of the electron dynamics in nanojunctions which reveals that the latter indeed exhibits behavior quite similar to that of a classical fluid. In particular, we find that a transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs with increasing current, corresponding to increasing Reynolds numbers. These results reveal unexpected features of electron dynamics and shed new light on our understanding of transport properties of nanoscale systems.