The Role of Bound States in Time-Dependent Quantum Transport

E. Khosravi, S. Kurth, G. Stefanucci, E. K. U. Gross

Published 2008-02-18Version 1

Charge transport through a nanoscale junction coupled to two macroscopic electrodes is investigated for the situation when bound states are present. We provide numerical evidence that bound states give rise to persistent, non-decaying current oscillations in the junction. We also show that the amplitude of these oscillations can exhibit a strong dependence on the history of the applied potential as well as on the initial equilibrium configuration. Our simulations allow for a quantitative investigation of several transient features. We also discuss the existence of different time-scales and address their microscopic origin.