Härtle R, Thoss M (2013)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2013
Publisher: American Physical Society
Book Volume: 87
Pages Range: 085422
Journal Issue: 8
URI: http://prb.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v87/i8/e085422
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085422
We investigate the interplay of quantum interference effects and electronic-vibrational coupling in electron transport through single-molecule junctions, employing a nonequilibrium Green's function approach. Our findings show that inelastic processes lead, in general, to a quenching of quantum interference effects. This quenching is more pronounced for increasing bias voltages and levels of vibrational excitation. As a result of this vibrationally induced decoherence, vibrational signatures in the transport characteristics of a molecular contact may strongly deviate from a simple Franck-Condon picture. This includes signatures in both the resonant and the nonresonant transport regimes. Moreover, it is shown that local cooling by electron-hole pair creation processes can influence the transport characteristics profoundly, giving rise to a significant temperature dependence of the electrical current. © 2013 American Physical Society.
APA:
Härtle, R., & Thoss, M. (2013). Vibrationally induced decoherence in single-molecule junctions. Physical Review B, 87(8), 085422. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085422
MLA:
Härtle, Rainer, and Michael Thoss. "Vibrationally induced decoherence in single-molecule junctions." Physical Review B 87.8 (2013): 085422.
BibTeX: Download