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arXiv:cond-mat/0702376 · Physical Review B

Fluctuation theorem for counting statistics in electron transport through quantum junctions

Massimiliano Esposito, Upendra Harbola, Shaul Mukamel

Published Apr 13, 2007• 84 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate that the probability distribution of the net number of electrons passing through a quantum system in a junction obeys a steady-state fluctuation theorem (FT) which can be tested experimentally by the full counting statistics (FCS) of electrons crossing the lead-system interface. The FCS is calculated using a many-body quantum master equation combined with a Liouville space generating function formalism. For a model of two coupled quantum dots, we show that the FT becomes valid for long binning times, and provide an estimate for the finite-time deviations. The Mandel (or Fano) parameter associated with the incoming or outgoing electron transfers shows sub-Poissonian (antibunching) statistics.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.75.155316

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We demonstrate that the probability distribution of the net number of electrons passing through a quantum system in a junction obeys a steady-state fluctuation theorem (FT) which can be tested experimentally by the full counting statistics (FCS) of electrons crossing the lead-system interface. The FCS is calculated using a many-body quantum master equation combined with a Liouville space generating function formalism. For a model of two coupled quantum dots, we show that the FT becomes valid for long binning times, and provide an estimate for the finite-time deviations. The Mandel (or Fano) parameter associated with the incoming or outgoing electron transfers shows sub-Poissonian (antibunching) statistics.
The statistical properties of quantum particles moving between two heat reservoirs at different temperatures are studied by solving the quantum master equation using a generating function technique. Bosons and fermions satisfy the same fluctuation theorem: Logarithm of the ratio of the probabilities of forward and backward transports reaches a constant value at long times, with an asymptotic $\ensuremath{\sim}1∕t$ correction. Non-Poissonian transfer statistics (bunching for bosons and antibunching for fermions) are examined using the Mandel parameter. These come primarily from the tail of the distribution corresponding to transfer of large number of particles, k⪢⟨k⟩k⪢⟨k⟩k⪢⟨k⟩.
We study the full counting statistics (FCS) of electron tunneling through a multiterminal quantum dot in the Kondo regime within the slave-boson mean-field theory. By employing the method of Gogolin and Komnik for calculating the FCS generating function based on the nonequilibrium Green's function [Phys. Rev. B 73, 195301 (2006)], we obtain the counting field $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-dependent self-consistent equations for the mean values of the slave-boson fields and the explicit expression for the derivative of the adiabatic potential of the system with respect to the counting fields. Performing a perturbative expansion to the first order of $\ensuremath{\lambda}$, we find an extra contribution to the shot noise due to the bias-induced Bose field fluctuation, and then confirm that the nonequilibrium particle number fluctuation plays an important role in the current noise of the Kondo dot: enhancement of the current autocorrelation and a positive current cross-correlation.
A theory of electron-counting processes is formulated in terms of the Liouville space method. The developed model is based on the quantum Markov processes developed by Davies and Srinivas. The time evolution of an electron system interacting with an electron counter and the counting probability distribution are investigated. The average value, fluctuation, and correlation function of the electron number registered by the counter are calculated, and the sub-Poissonian distribution and antibunching correlation of the electrons are obtained for an arbitrary noncorrelated initial state of electrons. For a correlated initial state, depending on the initial correlation among the electrons and on the electron counters used in the measurement, the statistics for the electron number registered by the counter is characterized as a sub-Poissonian, Poissonian, or super-Poissonian distribution, and the intensity correlation function exhibits antibunching or bunching correlation. As an example, the state with correlation between the up-spin and down-spin electrons is considered. The electron counting processes under the influence of a chaotic electron source are also considered, and the effect of the chaotic electron source on the counting statistics is investigated.
The calculation of the full counting statistics (FCS) for quantum mechanical systems has attracted much attention in recent years. In this thesis the FCS for superconducting quantum point contacts have been calculated. Such quantum point contacts frequently occur in modern microelectronic devices, which exploit the special features of superconductors. The FCS for normal metal-superconductor and superconductor-superconductor contacts have been calculated using a generalized Keldysh formalism and the results have been compared to both experimental and theoretical results. The calculation of the FCS allows a precise understanding of the physical nature of charge transfer. Particularly doubled shot noise due to Andreev reflections was explained and the behaviour of the Josephson current for long measurement times was calculated. The obtained results are also valuable for the understanding of transport through quantum dots with superconducting leads.
We develop a comprehensive framework for characterizing fluctuations in quantum transport and nonequilibrium thermodynamics using two complementary approaches: full counting statistics and first-passage times. Focusing on open quantum systems governed by Markovian Lindblad dynamics, we derive general ensemble relations that connect the two approaches at all times, and we clarify how the steady states reached at long times relate to those reached at large jump counts. In regimes of metastability, long-lived intermediate states cause violations of experimentally testable cumulant relations, as we discuss. We also formulate a fluctuation theorem governing the probability of rare fluctuations in the first-passage time distributions based on results from full counting statistics. Our results apply to general integer-valued trajectory observables that do not necessarily increase monotonically in time. Three illustrative applications, a two-state emitter, a driven qubit, and a variant of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, highlight the physical implications of our results and provide guidelines for practical calculations. Our framework provides a complete picture of first-passage time statistics in Markovian quantum systems, encompassing multiple earlier results, and it has direct implications for current experiments in quantum optics, superconducting circuits, and nanoscale heat engines.
Fluctuation theorems (FTs), which describe some universal properties of nonequilibrium fluctuations, are examined from a quantum perspective and derived by introducing a two-point measurement on the system. FTs for closed and open systems driven out of equilibrium by an external time-dependent force, and for open systems maintained in a nonequilibrium steady state by nonequilibrium boundary conditions, are derived from a unified approach. Applications to fermion and boson transport in quantum junctions are discussed. Quantum master equations and Green's functions techniques for computing the energy and particle statistics are presented.