Time Dependent Development of the Coulomb Gap

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the Coulomb gap in a Coulomb glass evolves over time, revealing long relaxation periods influenced by electron dynamics and magnetic fields, aligning with recent experimental observations.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of magnetic fields on Coulomb gap formation and highlights the long time scales involved in electron rearrangement in Coulomb glasses.

Findings

Magnetic fields slow down Coulomb gap development.

Long relaxation times are due to electron hopping.

Experimental results align with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

We show that the time development of the Coulomb gap in a Coulomb glass can involve very long relaxation times due to electron rearrangement and hopping. We find that an applied magnetic field reduces the rate of electron hopping and, hence, Coulomb gap formation. These results are consistent with recent conductance experiments on thin semiconducting and metallic films.