We present a generic grand-canonical theory for the Peierls transition in atomic wires deposited on semiconducting substrates such as In/Si(111) using a mean-field solution of the one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. We show that this simple low-energy effective model for atomic wires can explain naturally the occurrence of a first-order Peierls transition between a uniform metallic phase at high-temperature and a dimerized insulating phase at low temperature as well as the existence of a metastable uniform state below the critical temperature.
Starting from a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger-like model inferred from first-principles simulations, we show that the metal-insulator transition in In/Si(111) is a first-order grand canonical Peierls transition in which the substrate acts as an electron reservoir for the wires. This model explains naturally the existence of a metastable metallic phase over a wide temperature range below the critical temperature and the sensitivity of the transition to doping. Raman scattering experiments corroborate the softening of the two Peierls deformation modes close to the transition.
In the first part of our theoretical study of correlated atomic wires on substrates, we introduced lattice models for a one-dimensional quantum wire on a three-dimensional substrate and their approximation by quasi-one-dimensional effective ladder models [arXiv:1704.07350]. In this second part, we apply this approach to the case of a correlated wire with a Hubbard-type electron-electron repulsion deposited on an insulating substrate. The ground-state and spectral properties are investigated numerically using the density-matrix renormalization group method and quantum Monte Carlo simulations. As a function of the model parameters, we observe various phases with quasi-one-dimensional low-energy excitations localized in the wire, namely paramagnetic Mott insulators, Luttinger liquids, and spin-$1/2$ Heisenberg chains. The validity of the effective ladder models is assessed by studying the convergence with the number of legs and comparing to the full three-dimensional model. We find that narrow ladder models accurately reproduce the quasi-one-dimensional excitations of the full three-dimensional model but predict only qualitatively whether excitations are localized around the wire or delocalized in the three-dimensional substrate.
We present a theoretical study of correlated atomic wires deposited on substrates in two parts. In this first part, we propose lattice models for a one-dimensional quantum wire on a three-dimensional substrate and map them onto effective two-dimensional lattices using the Lanczos algorithm. We then discuss the approximation of these two-dimensional lattices by narrow ladder models that can be investigated with well-established methods for one-dimensional correlated quantum systems, such as the density-matrix renormalization group or bosonization. The validity of this approach is studied first for noninteracting electrons and then for a correlated wire with a Hubbard electron-electron repulsion using quantum Monte Carlo simulations. While narrow ladders cannot be used to represent wires on metallic substrates, they capture the physics of wires on insulating substrates if at least three legs are used. In the second part [arXiv:1704.07359], we use this approach for a detailed numerical investigation of a wire with a Hubbard-type interaction on an insulating substrate.
We analyse a picture of transport in which two large but finite charged electrodes discharge across a nanoscale junction. We identify a functional whose minimisation, within the space of all bound many-body wavefunctions, defines an instantaneous steady state. We also discuss factors that favour the onset of steady-state conduction in such systems, make a connection with the notion of entropy, and suggest a novel source of steady-state noise. Finally, we prove that the true many-body total current in this closed system is given exactly by the one-electron total current, obtained from time-dependent density-functional theory.
Non-equilibrium Greens functions calculations based on density functional theory show a direct link between the initial stages of H$_2$ dissociation on a gold atomic wire and the electronic current supported by the gold wire. The simulations reveal that for biases below the stability threshold of the wire, the minimum-energy path for H$_2$ dissociation is not affected. However, the electronic current presents a dramatic drop when the molecule initiates its dissociation. This current drop is traced back to quantum interference between electron paths when the molecule starts interacting with the gold wire.