Na Sai

Dynamical Corrections to the DFT-LDA Electron Conductance in Nanoscale Systems

Using time-dependent current-density functional theory, we derive analytically the dynamical exchange-correlation correction to the dc conductance of nanoscale junctions. The correction pertains to the conductance calculated in the zero-frequency limit of time-dependent density functional theory within the adiabatic local-density approximation. In particular, we show that in linear response, the correction depends nonlinearly on the gradient of the electron density; thus, it is more pronounced for molecular junctions than for quantum point contacts. We provide specific numerical examples to illustrate these findings.

Light quasiparticles dominate electronic transport in molecular crystal field-effect transistors

We report on an infrared spectroscopy study of mobile holes in the accumulation layer of organic field-effect transistors based on rubrene single crystals. Our data indicate that both transport and infrared properties of these transistors at room temperature are governed by light quasiparticles in molecular orbital bands with the effective masses m* comparable to free electron mass. Furthermore, the m* values inferred from our experiments are in agreement with those determined from band structure calculations. These findings reveal no evidence for prominent polaronic effects, which is at variance with the common beliefs of polaron formation in molecular solids.

Microscopic current dynamics in nanoscale junctions

So far, transport properties of nanoscale contacts have been studied mostly within the static scattering approach. The electron dynamics and the transient behavior of current flow, however, remain poorly understood. We present a numerical study of microscopic current flow dynamics in nanoscale quantum point contacts. We employ an approach that combines a microcanonical picture of transport with time-dependent density-functional theory. We carry out atomic and jellium model calculations to show that the time evolution of the current flow exhibits several noteworthy features, such as nonlaminarity and edge flow. We attribute these features to the interaction of the electron fluid with the ionic lattice, to the existence of pressure gradients in the fluid, and to the transient dynamical formation of surface charges at the nanocontact-electrode interfaces. Our results suggest that quantum transport systems exhibit hydrodynamical characteristics, which resemble those of a classical liquid.

Electronic excitations and metal-insulator transition in poly(3-hexylthiophene) organic field-effect transistors

We carry out a comprehensive theoretical and experimentalstudy of charge injection in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) to determinethe most likely scenario for metal-insulator transition in this system.Wecalculate the optical-absorption frequencies corresponding to a polaronand a bipolaron lattice in P3HT. We also analyze the electronicexcitations for three possible scenarios under which a first- or asecond-order metal-insulator transition can occur in doped P3HT. Thesetheoretical scenarios are compared with data from infrared absorptionspectroscopy on P3HT thin-film field-effect transistors (FETs). Ourmeasurements and theoretical predictions suggest that charge-inducedlocalized states in P3HT FETs are bipolarons and that the highest dopinglevel achieved in our experiments approaches that required for afirst-order metal-insulator transition.

Saiet al.Reply

We reply to the comment by Jung, Bokes, and Godby (arXiv:0706.0140) on our paper Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 186810 (2005). We show that the results in their comment should not be taken as an indication that the viscosity corrections to the conductance of real nanoscale structures are small. A more accurate treatment of the density and current density distribution and of the electronic correlations may yield much larger corrections in realistic systems.