Electron Transport and Dissipation in Nanoscale Devices

Roberto Car
Princeton University

We present a quantum-kinetic scheme for the calculation of non-equilibrium transport properties in nanoscale systems. Our approach is based on a Liouville-master equation for a reduced density operator and represents a fully quantum generalization of the well-known semi-classical Boltzmann kinetic equation. The approach allows us, in particular, to model transport situations under high applied fields by adopting periodic boundary conditions. Applications to nanoscale devices and molecular structures are discussed.

3/05/04