Communication: Mode-selective vibrational excitation induced by nonequilibrium transport processes in single-molecule junctions

Hierarchical equations of motion approach to hybrid fermionic and bosonic environments: Matrix product state formulation in twin space

We extend the twin-space formulation of the hierarchical equations of motion approach in combination with the matrix product state representation (introduced in J. Chem. Phys. 150, 234102, [2019]) to nonequilibrium scenarios where the open quantum system is coupled to a hybrid fermionic and bosonic environment. The key ideas used in the extension are a reformulation of the hierarchical equations of motion for the auxiliary density matrices into a time-dependent Schrödinger-like equation for an augmented multi-dimensional wave function as well as a tensor decomposition into a product of low-rank matrices. The new approach facilitates accurate simulations of non-equilibrium quantum dynamics in larger and more complex open quantum systems. The performance of the method is demonstrated for a model of a molecular junction exhibiting current-induced mode-selective vibrational excitation.

Mechanical Stabilization of Nanoscale Conductors by Plasmon Oscillations

External driving of the Fermion reservoirs interacting with a nanoscale charge-conductor is shown to enhance its mechanical stability during resonant tunneling. This counterintuitive cooling effect is predicted despite the net energy flow into the device. Field-induced plasmon oscillations stir the energy distribution of charge carriers near the reservoir's chemical potentials into a nonequilibrium state with favored transport of low-energy electrons. Consequently, excess heating of mechanical degrees of freedom in the conductor is suppressed. We demonstrate and analyze this effect for a generic model of mechanical instability in nanoelectronic devices, covering a broad range of parameters. Plasmon-induced stabilization is suggested as a feasible strategy to confront a major problem of current-induced heating and breakdown of nanoscale systems operating far from equilibrium.

High-Voltage-Assisted Mechanical Stabilization of Single-Molecule Junctions

Resonant tunneling is an efficient mechanism for charge transport through nanoscale conductance junctions due to the relatively high currents involved. However, continuous charging and discharging cycles of the nanoconductor during resonant tunneling often lead to mechanical instability. The realization of efficient nanoscale electronic components therefore depends to a large extent on the ability to mechanically stabilize them during resonant transport. In this work, we focus on single-molecule junctions, demonstrating that their mechanical stability during resonant transport can be increased by increasing the bias voltage. This counter-intuitive effect is attributed to the energy dependence of the molecule-lead coupling densities, which promote the rate of transport-induced cooling of molecular vibrations at higher voltages. The required energy dependence is characteristic of realistic electrodes (such as graphene), which cannot be modeled within the commonly invoked wide-band approximation. Our research provides new guidelines for the design of mechanically stable molecular devices operating in the regime of resonant charge transport and demonstrates these guidelines while considering realistic features of single-molecule junctions.

Probing the local environment of a single OPE3 molecule using inelastic tunneling electron spectroscopy

We study single-molecule oligo(phenylene ethynylene)dithiol junctions by means of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). The molecule is contacted with gold nano-electrodes formed with the mechanically controllable break junction technique. We record the IETS spectrum of the molecule from direct current measurements, both as a function of time and electrode separation. We find that for fixed electrode separation the molecule switches between various configurations, which are characterized by different IETS spectra. Similar variations in the IETS signal are observed during atomic rearrangements upon stretching of the molecular junction. Using quantum chemistry calculations, we identity some of the vibrational modes which constitute a chemical fingerprint of the molecule. In addition, changes can be attributed to rearrangements of the local molecular environment, in particular at the molecule-electrode interface. This study shows the importance of taking into account the interaction with the electrodes when describing inelastic contributions to transport through single-molecule junctions.

Breaking the simple proportionality between molecular conductances and charge transfer rates

A theoretical framework is presented to describe and to understand the observed relationship between molecular conductances and charge transfer rates across molecular bridges as a function of length, structure, and charge transfer mechanism. The approach uses a reduced density matrix formulation with a phenomenological treatment of system–bath couplings to describe charge transfer kinetics and a Green's function based Landauer–Buttiker method to describe steady-state currents. Application of the framework is independent of the transport regime and includes bath-induced decoherence effects. This model shows that the relationship between molecular conductances and charge transfer rates follows a power-law. The nonlinear rate–conductance relationship is shown to arise from differences in the charge transport barrier heights and from differences in environmental decoherence rates for the two experiments. This model explains otherwise puzzling correlations between molecular conductances and electrochemical kinetics.

Quantum interference and decoherence in single-molecule junctions: how vibrations induce electrical current

Quantum interference and decoherence in single-molecule junctions is analyzed employing a nonequilibrium Green's function approach. Electrons tunneling through quasidegenerate states of a molecular junction exhibit interference effects. We show that electronic-vibrational coupling, inherent to any molecular junction, strongly quenches such interference effects. This decoherence mechanism may cause significantly larger electrical currents and is particularly pronounced if the junction is vibrationally highly excited, e.g., due to inelastic processes in the resonant transport regime.

Resonant vibrations, peak broadening, and noise in single molecule contacts: the nature of the first conductance peak

We carry out experiments on single-molecule junctions at low temperatures, using the mechanically controlled break junction technique. Analyzing the results obtained with various molecules, the nature of the first peak in the differential conductance spectra is elucidated. We observe an electronic transition with a vibronic fine structure, if the first peak occurs at small voltages. This regime can accurately be described by the resonant tunneling model. At higher voltages, additional smearing is observed and no fine structure can be resolved. A detailed analysis of the noise signal indicates that the onset of current is associated with strong fluctuations as a precursor of current flow. The data indicate that a complex fluctuation-driven transport mechanism takes over in this regime.