title: Cotunneling model for current-induced events in molecular wires.
abstract: Many phenomena in molecular transport junctions involve transitions between electronic states of the molecular wire, and, therefore, cannot be described adequately using the Landauer picture. We present a model for cotunneling processes in molecular wires. These are coherent second-order processes that can be observed at low temperatures. As an example, we consider the STM-induced dissociation of acetylene. The large voltage threshold for dissociation observed experimentally is naturally accounted for within the cotunneling model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, USA. thorsten@chem.northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Vladimiro
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mujica
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ratner
mesh_terms: D000114:Acetylene / Q000737:chemistry; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D004566:Electrodes; D004583:Electrons; D007700:Kinetics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000114:Acetylene