The formation of nonequilibrium steady states in interacting double quantum dots: When coherences dominate the charge distribution

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the full time evolution of a nonequilibrium double quantum dot structure from initial conditions corresponding to different product states (no entanglement between dot and lead) to a nonequilibrium steady state. The structure is described by a two-level spinless Anderson model where the levels are coupled to two leads held at different chemical potentials. The problem is solved by a numerically exact hierarchical master equation technique and the results are compared to approximate ones obtained from Born-Markov theory. The methods allow us to study the time evolution up to times of order $10^4$ of the bare hybridization time, enabling eludication of the role of the initial state on the transient dynamics, coherent charge oscillations and an interaction-induced renormalization of energy levels. We find that when the system carries a single electron on average the formation of the steady state is strongly influenced by the coherence between the dots. The latter can be sizeable and indeed larger in the presence of a bias voltage than it is in equilibrium. Moreover, the interdot coherence is shown to lead to a pronounced difference in the population of the dots.

38 pages, 11 figures, revised version

References in corpus (26)

• Real-time dynamics in Quantum Impurity Systems: A Time-dependent Numerical Renormalization Group Approach
• Real-time path integral approach to nonequilibrium many-body quantum system
• Diagrammatic Monte Carlo simulation of non-equilibrium systems
• Experimental Evidence for Quantum Interference and Vibrationally Induced Decoherence in Single-Molecule Junctions
• On steady-state currents through nano-devices: a scattering-states numerical renormalization group approach to open quantum systems
• Iterative real-time path integral approach to nonequilibrium quantum transport
• Tunneling through molecules and quantum dots: master-equation approaches
• Real-time simulations of nonequilibrium transport in the single-impurity Anderson model
• Resonant Electron Transport in Single-Molecule Junctions: Vibrational Excitation, Rectification, Negative Differential Resistance and Local Cooling
• Electronic excitations of a single molecule contacted in a three-terminal configuration
• The influence of ultra-fast laser pulses on electron transfer in molecular wires studied by a non-Markovian density matrix approach
• Transient dynamics of the Anderson impurity model out of equilibrium
• Noise enhancement due to quantum coherence in coupled quantum dots
• Charge transport through single molecules, quantum dots, and quantum wires
• A benzene interference single-electron transistor
• Vibrational effects in laser driven molecular wires
• Unified description of correlations in double quantum dots
• Constructing Spin Interference Devices from Nanometric Rings
• Transport through quantum-dot spin valves containing magnetic impurities
• Vibrationally Induced Decoherence in Single-Molecule Junctions
• Real-time renormalization group and cutoff scales in nonequilibrium applied to an arbitrary quantum dot in the Coulomb blockade regime
• Anderson impurity model in nonequilibrium: analytical results versus quantum Monte Carlo data
• Correlation-induced resonances and population switching in a quantum dot coulomb valley
• A quantum criticality perspective on the charging of narrow quantum-dot levels
• Interplay between interference and Coulomb interaction in the ferromagnetic Anderson model with applied magnetic field
• Tunneling-induced renormalization in interacting quantum dots

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Perspective: Numerically "exact" approach to open quantum dynamics: The hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM)
• Hierarchical Quantum Master Equation Approach to Electronic-Vibrational Coupling in Nonequilibrium Transport through Nanosystems
• Hierarchical quantum master equation approach to current fluctuations in nonequilibrium charge transport through nanosystems
• Effect of broadening in the weak coupling limit of vibrationally coupled electron transport through molecular junctions and the analogy to quantum dot circuit QED systems
• The thermodynamic meaning of local temperature of nonequilibrium open quantum systems
• Finite coupling effects in double quantum dots near equilibrium
• Stochastic Schrödinger equation approach to real-time dynamics of Anderson-Holstein impurities: an open quantum system perspective