Density Modulations and Addition Spectra of Interacting Electrons in Disordered Quantum Dots

TL;DR

This paper investigates how weak disorder and electron interactions influence charge density patterns and addition spectra in quantum dots, revealing the emergence of density modulations and robust classical features.

Contribution

It demonstrates the development of charge density modulations at moderate interaction strength and the persistence of classical 'magic number' features in the addition spectrum despite quantum fluctuations.

Findings

Charge density modulations appear for r_s > 1

Classical 'magic numbers' are robust against disorder

Addition spectra show geometry-dependent features

Abstract

We analyse the ground state of spinless fermions on a lattice in a weakly disordered potential, interacting via a nearest neighbour interaction, by applying the self-consistent Hartree-Fock approximation. We find that charge density modulations emerge progressively when r_s >1, even away from half-filling, with only short-range density correlations. Classical geometry dependent "magic numbers" can show up in the addition spectrum which are remarkably robust against quantum fluctuations and disorder averaging.