Coulomb gap triptych in a periodic array of metal nanocrystals

Abstract

The Coulomb gap in the single particle density of states (DOS) is a universal consequence of electron-electron interaction in disordered systems with localized electron states. Here we show that in arrays of monodisperse metallic nanocrystals, there is not one but three identical adjacent Coulomb gaps, which together form a structure that we call a "Coulomb gap triptych." We calculate the DOS and the conductivity in two- and three-dimensional arrays using a computer simulation. Unlike in the conventional Coulomb glass models, in nanocrystal arrays the DOS has a fixed width in the limit of large disorder. The Coulomb gap triptych can be studied via tunneling experiments.

arXiv comment4+ pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (8)

• Granular Electronic Systems
• Density of States and Conductivity of Granular Metal or Array of Quantum Dots
• Coulomb effects and hopping transport in granular metals
• Theory of hopping conduction in arrays of doped semiconductor nanocrystals
• Electron cotunneling transport in gold nanocrystal arrays
• Coulomb gap in the one-particle density of states in three-dimensional systems with localized electrons
• Two-component Coulomb Glass in Disordered Superconducting Films
• Cooperative Charging in a Nanocrystal Assembly Gated By Ionic Liquid

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Conductivity of two-dimensional narrow gap semiconductors subjected to strong Coulomb disorder
• Tunneling into the localized phase near Anderson transitions with Coulomb interaction
• Conductivity of two-dimensional small gap semiconductors and topological insulators in strong Coulomb disorder
• Proximity coupling of granular film with ferroelectric substrate and giant electro-resistance effect