Related papers: Quantum properties of atomic-sized conductors
Quantum shape effect appears under the size-invariant shape transformations of strongly confined structures. Such a transformation distinctively influences the thermodynamic properties of confined particles. Due to their characteristic…
Molecular devices, as future electronics, seek low-resistivity contacts for the energy saving. At the same time, the contacts should intensify desired properties of tailored electronic elements. In this work, we focus our attention on two…
Quantum dots are small conducting devices containing up to several thousand electrons. We focus here on closed dots whose single-electron dynamics are mostly chaotic. The mesoscopic fluctuations of the conduction properties of such dots…
We have measured the effect of microwave irradiation on the dc current-voltage characteristics of superconducting atomic contacts. The interaction of the external field with the ac supercurrents leads to replicas of the supercurrent peak,…
We report low-temperature measurements of the electrical transport properties of few-atom contacts of the superconducting metal zinc, arranged with lithographically fabricated mechanically controllable breakjunctions (MCB). The conductance…
Dynamic evolution of the connective neck in Al and Pb mechanically controllable break junctions was studied during continuous approach of electrodes at bias voltages V_b up to a few hundred mV. A high level of power dissipation (10^-4 -…
We consider electrons in tubular nanowires with prismatic geometry and infinite length. Such a model corresponds to a core-shell nanowire with an insulating core and a conductive shell. In a prismatic shell the lowest energy states are…
Muons are a fascinating probe to study nuclear properties. Muonic atoms can easily be formed by stopping negative muons inside a material. The muon is subsequently captured by the nucleus and, due to its much higher mass compared to the…
The conductance of breaking metallic nanojunctions shows plateaus alternated with sudden jumps, corresponding to the stretching of stable atomic configurations and atomic rearrangements, respectively. We investigate the structure of the…
A brief review of the nanoscale free-electron model of metal nanowires is presented. This continuum description of metal nanostructures allows for a unified treatment of cohesive and conducting properties. Conductance channels act as…
Self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot is a new type of artificially designed and grown function material which exhibits quantum size effect, quantum interference effect, surface effect, quantum tunneling-Coulumb-blockade effect and…
When a macroscopic metallic wire is subject to tensile stress, it necks down smoothly as it elongates. We show that nanowires with radii comparable to the Fermi wavelength display remarkably different behavior. Using concepts from fluid…
The growing need for smaller electronic components has recently sparked the interest in the breakdown of the classical conductivity theory near the atomic scale, at which quantum effects should dominate. In 2012, experimental measurements…
The transport through a quantum wire exposed to two magnetic spikes in series is modeled. We demonstrate that quantum dots can be formed this way which couple to the leads via magnetic barriers. Conceptually, all quantum dot states are…
Using benzene sandwiched between two Au leads as a model system, we investigate from first principles the change in molecular conductance caused by different atomic structures around the metal-molecule contact. Our motivation is the…
Structural transformations, electronic spectra and ballistic transport in pulled gold nanowires are investigated with ab initio simulations, and correlated with recent measurements. Strain-induced yield of an initial double-strand wire…
We show that the conductance of neutral atoms through a tightly confining waveguide constriction is quantized in units of lambda_dB^2/pi, where lambda_dB is the de Broglie wavelength of the incident atoms. Such a constriction forms the atom…
Quantum interference has dramatic effects on electronic transport through nanotube contacts. In optimal configuration the intertube conductance can approach that of a perfect nanotube ($4e^2/h$). The maximum conductance increases rapidly…
Electronic conduction at the atomic scale can be described by Landauer's formalism. In single atom point contacts of noble metals like Au and Ag, there is just one channel open between both electrodes and the conductance is very close to…
Magnetic trapping potentials for atoms on atom chips are determined by the current flow in the chip wires. By modifying the shape of the conductor we can realize specialized current flow patterns and therefore micro-design the trapping…