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Title: A quasi-classical mapping approach to vibrationally coupled electron transport in molecular junctions

Abstract

We develop a classical mapping approach suitable to describe vibrationally coupled charge transport in molecular junctions based on the Cartesian mapping for many-electron systems [B. Li and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 137, 154107 (2012)]. To properly describe vibrational quantum effects in the transport characteristics, we introduce a simple transformation rewriting the Hamiltonian in terms of occupation numbers and use a binning function to facilitate quantization. The approach provides accurate results for the nonequilibrium Holstein model for a range of bias voltages, vibrational frequencies, and temperatures. It also captures the hallmarks of vibrational quantum effects apparent in step-like structure in the current-voltage characteristics at low temperatures as well as the phenomenon of Franck-Condon blockade.

Authors:
;  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Department of Chemistry and Kenneth S. Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry, University of California, and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
  2. School of Physics and Astronomy, The Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel)
  3. Institute for Theoretical Physics and Interdisciplinary Center for Molecular Materials, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstr. 7/B2, 91058 Erlangen (Germany)
  4. School of Chemistry, The Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22253451
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Chemical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 140; Journal Issue: 10; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; CHARGE TRANSPORT; ELECTRIC POTENTIAL; HAMILTONIANS; QUANTIZATION

Citation Formats

Li, Bin, Miller, William H., Wilner, Eli Y., Thoss, Michael, and Rabani, Eran. A quasi-classical mapping approach to vibrationally coupled electron transport in molecular junctions. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4867789.
Li, Bin, Miller, William H., Wilner, Eli Y., Thoss, Michael, & Rabani, Eran. A quasi-classical mapping approach to vibrationally coupled electron transport in molecular junctions. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867789
Li, Bin, Miller, William H., Wilner, Eli Y., Thoss, Michael, and Rabani, Eran. 2014. "A quasi-classical mapping approach to vibrationally coupled electron transport in molecular junctions". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867789.
@article{osti_22253451,
title = {A quasi-classical mapping approach to vibrationally coupled electron transport in molecular junctions},
author = {Li, Bin and Miller, William H. and Wilner, Eli Y. and Thoss, Michael and Rabani, Eran},
abstractNote = {We develop a classical mapping approach suitable to describe vibrationally coupled charge transport in molecular junctions based on the Cartesian mapping for many-electron systems [B. Li and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 137, 154107 (2012)]. To properly describe vibrational quantum effects in the transport characteristics, we introduce a simple transformation rewriting the Hamiltonian in terms of occupation numbers and use a binning function to facilitate quantization. The approach provides accurate results for the nonequilibrium Holstein model for a range of bias voltages, vibrational frequencies, and temperatures. It also captures the hallmarks of vibrational quantum effects apparent in step-like structure in the current-voltage characteristics at low temperatures as well as the phenomenon of Franck-Condon blockade.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4867789},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22253451}, journal = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
issn = {0021-9606},
number = 10,
volume = 140,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Fri Mar 14 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}