Quantum Monte Carlo Study of electrons in low dimensions

TL;DR

This study uses diffusion Monte Carlo methods to analyze low-dimensional electron systems, providing insights into their correlation properties and stability, with implications for semiconductor heterostructures.

Contribution

It offers new quantum Monte Carlo results for one-dimensional electron gases, challenging previous approximate theories and exploring their correlation and stability properties.

Findings

No evidence of Bloch instability in the studied systems

Pair correlations align with Luttinger liquid predictions

Results challenge approximate treatment schemes like STLS and DFT

Abstract

We report on a diffusion Monte Carlo investigation of model electron systems in low dimensions, which should be relevant to the physics of systems obtainable nowadays in semiconductor heterostructures. In particular, we present results for a one dimensional electron gas, at selected values of the coupling strength and confinement parameter, briefly analyzing the pair correlations and relating them to predictions by Schulz for a Luttinger liquid with long-range interactions. We find no evidence of the the Bloch instability yielded by approximate treatments such as the STLS and DFT schemes.