Interacting One-Dimensional Electrons Driven by Two-Dimensional Reservoir Electrons

TL;DR

This paper derives an effective 1D theory for electrons in a mesoscopic conductor coupled to reservoirs, accounting for interactions in both, and analyzes current and fluctuation properties, revealing how reservoir interactions influence 1D electron transport.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 1D effective theory that includes reservoir interactions, contrasting with previous models that neglected interactions in reservoirs.

Findings

Effective potentials weaken away from the conductor.

Reservoir interactions excite and attenuate 1D modes.

Total current remains conserved despite non-conservation of 1D current.

Abstract

We derive an effective 1D theory from the Hamiltonian of the 3D system which consists of a mesoscopic conductor and reservoirs. We assume that the many-body interaction have the same magnitude in the conductor as that in the reservoirs, in contrast to the previous theories which made the ad hoc assumption that the many-body interaction were absent in the reservoirs. We show the following: (i) The effective potentials of impurities and two-body interaction for the 1D modes become weaker as $x$ goes away from the conductor. (ii) On the other hand, the interaction between the 1D and the reservoir modes is important in the reservoir regions, where the reservoir modes excite and attenuate the 1D modes through the interaction. (iii) As a result, the current $\hat I_1$ of the 1D modes is not conserved, whereas the total current $\hat I$ is of course conserved. (iv) For any steady state the total current $\bra I \ket$, its equilibrium fluctuation $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{eq}$ at low frequency, and non-equilibrium fluctuation $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{noneq}$ at low frequency, of the original system are independent of $x$, whereas $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{eq}$ and $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{noneq}$ at higher frequencies may depend on $x$. (v) Utilizing this property, we can evaluate $\bra I \ket$, $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{eq}$, and $\bra \delta I^2 \ket^{noneq}$ at low frequency from those of the 1D current $\hat I_1$. (vi) In general, the transmittance $T$ in the Landauer formula should be evaluated from a single-body Hamiltonian which includes a Hartree potential created by the density deformation which is caused by the external bias.