We develop a low-order conserving approximation for the interacting resonant-level model (IRLM), and apply it to (i) thermal equilibrium, (ii) nonequilibrium steady state, and (iii) nonequilibrium quench dynamics. Thermal equilibrium is first used to
carefully gauge the quality of the approximation by comparing the results with other well-studied methods, and finding good agreement for small values of the interaction. We analytically show that the power-law exponent of the renormalized level width usually derived using renormalization group approaches can also be correctly obtained in our approach in the weak interaction limit. A closed expression for the nonequilibrium steady-state current is derived and analytically and numerically evaluated. We find a negative differential conductance at large voltages, and the exponent of the power-law suppression of the steady-state current is calculated analytically at zero-temperature. The response of the system to quenches is investigated for a single-lead as well as for two-lead setup at finite voltage bias at particle-hole symmetry using a self-consistent two-times Keldysh Green function approach, and results are presented for the time-dependent current for different bias and contact interaction strength.
In molecular devices electronic degrees of freedom are coupled to vibrational modes of the molecule, offering an opportunity to study fundamental aspects of this coupling between at the nanoscale. To this end we consider the nonequilibrium heat excha
nge between a conduction band and a bosonic bath mediated by a single molecule. For molecules large enough so that on-site interactions can be dropped we carry out an asymptotically exact calculation of the heat current, governed by the smallness of the electron-phonon coupling, and obtain the steady state heat current driven by a finite temperature drop. At low temperatures the heat current is found to have a power-law behavior with respect to the temperature difference with the power depending on the nature of the bosonic bath. At high temperatures, on the other hand, the current is linear in the temperature difference for all types of bosonic baths. The crossover between these behaviors is described. Some of the results are given a physical explanation by comparing to a perturbative Master equation calculation (whose limitation we examine).
The nonequilibrium dynamics of molecular devices is studied in the framework of a generic model for single-molecule transistors: a resonant level coupled by displacement to a single vibrational mode. In the limit of a broad level and in the vicinity
of the resonance, the model can be controllably reduced to a form quadratic in bosonic operators, which in turn is exactly solvable. The response of the system to a broad class of sudden quenches and ac drives is thus computed in a nonperturbative manner, providing an asymptotically exact solution in the limit of weak electron-phonon coupling. From the analytic solution we are able to (1) explicitly show that the system thermalizes following a local quantum quench, (2) analyze in detail the time scales involved, (3) show that the relaxation time in response to a quantum quench depends on the observable in question, and (4) reveal how the amplitude of long-time oscillations evolves as the frequency of an ac drive is tuned across the resonance frequency. Explicit analytical expressions are given for all physical quantities and all nonequilibrium scenarios under study.
