No Arabic abstract
Current induced forces are not only related with the discrete nature of electrons but also with its quantum character. It is natural then to wonder about the effect of decoherence. Here, we develop the theory of current induced forces including dephasing processes and we apply it to study adiabatic quantum motors (AQMs). The theory is based on Buttikers fictitious probe model which here is reformulated for this particular case. We prove that it accomplishes fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We also show that, in spite of decoherence, the total work performed by the current induced forces remains equal to the pumped charge per cycle times the voltage. We find that decoherence affects not only the current induced forces of the system but also its intrinsic friction and noise, modifying in a non trivial way the efficiency of AQMs. We apply the theory to study an AQM inspired by a classical peristaltic pump where we surprisingly find that decoherence can play a crucial role by triggering its operation. Our results can help to understand how environmentally induced dephasing affects the quantum behavior of nano-mechanical devices.
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in nanomachines. Among them, current-driven ones deserve special attention as quantum effects can play a significant role there. Examples of the latter are the so-called adiabatic quantum motors. In this work, we propose using Andersons localization to induce nonequilibrium forces in adiabatic quantum motors. We study the nonequilibrium current-induced forces and the maximum efficiency of these nanomotors in terms of their respective probability distribution functions. Expressions for these distribution functions are obtained in two characteristic regimes: the steady-state and the short-time regimes. Even though both regimes have distinctive expressions for their efficiencies, we find that, under certain conditions, the probability distribution functions of their maximum efficiency are approximately the same. Finally, we provide a simple relation to estimate the minimal disorder strength that should ensure efficient nanomotors.
During the last years there has been an increasing excitement in nanomotors and particularly in current-driven nanomotors. Despite the broad variety of stimulating results found, the regime of strong Coulomb interactions has not been fully explored for this application. Here we consider nanoelectromechanical devices composed by a set of coupled quantum dots interacting with mechanical degrees of freedom taken in the adiabatic limit and weakly coupled to electronic reservoirs. We use a real-time diagrammatic approach to derive general expressions for the current-induced forces, friction coefficients, and zero-frequency force noise in the Coulomb blockade regime of transport. We prove our expressions accomplish with Onsagers reciprocity relations and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem for the energy dissipation of the mechanical modes. The obtained results are illustrated in a nanomotor consisting of a double quantum dot capacitively coupled to some rotating charges. We analyze the dynamics and performance of the motor as function of the applied voltage and loading force for trajectories encircling different triple points in the charge stability diagram.
Different proposals for adiabatic quantum motors (AQMs) driven by DC currents have recently attracted considerable interest. However, the systems studied are often based on simplified models with highly ideal conditions where the environment is neglected. Here, we investigate the performance (dynamics, efficiency, and output power) of a prototypical AQM, the Thouless motor. To include the effect of the surroundings on this type of AQMs, we extended our previous theory of decoherence in current-induced forces (CIFs) to account for spatially distributed decoherent processes. We provide analytical expressions that account for decoherence in CIFs, friction coefficients and the self-correlation functions of the CIFs. We prove that the model is thermodynamically consistent and we find that decoherence drastically reduces the efficiency of the motor mainly due to the increase in conductance, while its effect on the output power is not much relevant. The effect of decoherence on the current-induced friction depends on the length of the system, reducing the friction for small systems while increasing it for long ones. Finally, we find that reflections of the electrons at the boundary of the system induce additional conservative forces that affect the dynamics of the motor. In particular, this results in the hysteresis of the system and a voltage dependent switching.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in nanoelectromechanical devices, current-driven quantum machines, and the mechanical effects of electric currents on nanoscale conductors. Here, we carry out a thorough study of the current-induced forces and the electronic friction of systems whose electronic effective Hamiltonian can be described by an archetypal model, a single energy level coupled to two reservoirs. Our results can help better understand the general conditions that maximize the performance of different devices modeled as a quantum dot coupled to two electronic reservoirs. Additionally, they can be useful to rationalize the role of current-induced forces in the mechanical deformation of one-dimensional conductors.
Electronic current densities can reach extreme values in highly conducting nanostructures where constrictions limit current. For bias voltages on the 1 volt scale, the highly non-equilibrium situation can influence the electronic density between atoms, leading to significant inter-atomic forces. An easy interpretation of the non-equilibrium forces is currently not available. In this work, we present an ab-initio study based on density functional theory of bias-induced atomic forces in gated graphene nanoconstrictions consisting of junctions between graphene electrodes and graphene nano-ribbons in the presence of current. We find that current-induced bond-forces and bond-charges are correlated, while bond-forces are not simply correlated to bond-currents. We discuss, in particular, how the forces are related to induced charges and the electrostatic potential profile (voltage drop) across the junctions. For long current-carrying junctions we may separate the junction into a part with a voltage drop, and a part without voltage drop. The latter situation can be compared to a nano-ribbon in the presence of current using an ideal ballistic velocity-dependent occupation function. This shows how the combination of voltage drop and current give rise to the strongest current-induced forces in nanostructures.