1999/03/31 by H. Ness, A. J. Fisher · 146 citations
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Carbon Nanotubes in Composites #Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) #Condensed matter physics #Conductance #Electron #Inelastic scattering #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Molecular wire #Molecule #Phonon #Physics #Polaron #Quantum #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Quantum tunnelling #Quantum wire #Scattering #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.83.452
published in Physical Review Letters 83(2), 452-455 (American Physical Society) · 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters
arxiv created 1999/06/10 · openalex publication_date 1999/07/12 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We calculate nonperturbatively the inelastic effects on the conductance through a conjugated molecular-wire--metal heterojunction, including realistic electron-phonon coupling. We show that at subband-gap energies the current is dominated by quantum coherent transport of virtual polarons through the molecule. In this regime, the tunneling current is strongly increased relative to the case of elastic scattering. It is essential to describe the full quantum coherence of the polaron formation and transport in order to obtain correct physics. Our results are generally applicable to one-dimensional atomic or molecular wires.