Nanoscale dynamical mean-field theory for molecules and mesoscopic devices in the strong-correlation regime.
We develop a nanoscale dynamical mean-field theory (nano-DMFT) to deal with strong Coulomb interaction effects in physical systems that are intermediate in size between atoms and bulk materials, taking into account the tunneling into nearby electrodes. Focusing on a simplified treelike geometry, the usual DMFT loop simply stops when the finite lattice is fully covered, starting with an initial seed provided by the electronic environment at the boundary. To illustrate this nano-DMFT, we investigate the disappearance of the quasiparticle weight in a correlated nano object near the Mott transition. In contrast to thermally driven classical phase transitions, quantum effects lead to unexpected oscillations of the order parameter, related to the interference of coherent renormalized quasiparticles. This behavior also implies a spatially inhomogeneous Mott localization process at the nanoscale.
Florens
Serge
S
Institut NEEL, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 09, France.