title: Electron-electron correlations in square-well quantum dots: direct energy minimization approach.
abstract: Electron-electron correlations in two-dimensional square-well quantum dots are investigated using the direct energy minimization scheme. Searches for groundstate charges and spin configurations are performed with varying the sizes of dots and the number of electrons. For a two-electron system, a standout difference between the configurations with and without counting correlation energy is demonstrated. The emergence and melting of Wigner-molecule-like structures arising from the interplay between the kinetic energy and Coulombic interaction energy are described. Electron-electron correlation energies and addition energy spectra are calculated, and special electron numbers related to peculiar effects of the square well are extracted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Precision Science and Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Kikuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirose
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D004735:Energy Transfer; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D045663:Quantum Dots; D013816:Thermodynamics