Hierarchical energy relaxation in mesoscopic tunnel junctions: effect of a nonequilibrium environment on low-temperature transport.

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 UTC 2009 · Phys. Rev. Lett.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.247003· OSTI ID:1014827

Chtchelkatchev, N M; Vinokur, V M; Baturina, T I ^[1]

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1. Materials Science Division

We develop a theory of far from the equilibrium transport in arrays of tunnel junctions. We find that if the rate of the electron-electron interactions exceeds the rate of the electron-phonon energy exchange, the energy relaxation ensuring the charge transfer may occur sequentially. In particular, cotunneling transport in arrays of junctions is dominated by the relaxation via the intermediate bosonic environment, the electron-hole excitations, rather than by the electron-phonon mechanism. The current-voltage characteristics are highly sensitive to the spectrum of the environmental modes and to the applied bias, which sets the lower bound for the effective temperature. We demonstrate that the energy gap in the electron-hole spectrum which opens below some critical temperature T* due to long-range Coulomb interactions gives rise to the suppression of the tunneling current.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1014827
• Report Number(s): ANL/MSD/JA-68558
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. Lett., Journal Name: Phys. Rev. Lett. Journal Issue: Dec. 2009 Vol. 103; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
ELECTRON-ELECTRON INTERACTIONS
ENERGY GAP
ENERGY TRANSFER
RELAXATION
TRANSPORT
TUNNELING