Nonequilibrium charge transport through Falicov-Kimball structures connected to metallic leads

Employing a combination of a sign-free Monte Carlo approach and nonequilibrium Green's function techniques, we study nonequilibrium charge transport in a model heterostructure, where a two-dimensional spin-less Falicov-Kimball system is coupled to two noninteracting leads. We show that the transport characteristic depends sensitively on the electrostatic potential in the system and exhibits different properties for different phases of the Falicov-Kimball model. In particular, pronounced step-like changes of the current and transmission are observed at the phase boundaries, evident even on a logarithmic scale. Analyzing finite size effects, we find that with the method used a relatively small system can be utilized to address specific thermodynamic limits.