WAVE-PACKET ANALYSIS OF ELECTRON-PHONON INTERACTION IN THE WIGNER FORMALISM

A theoretical and computational analysis is presented of the motion of a single one-dimensional electron, represented by a wave packet of gi ven average momentum and position, in a fixed potential profile in the presence of electron-phonon interaction. The electron propagation can take place with or without an external bias. A perturbative approach is used in the theoretical framework of the Wigner function accounting for the continuous quantum dynamical evolution of the scattering proc ess. The unperturbed Hamiltonian contains the one-dimensional potentia l profile and the external field, while the electron-phonon coupling p otential is considered as the perturbation Hamiltonian. Computational results are presented for the case of an electron propagating (a) with out applied forces, (b) through a region where a uniform electric fiel d is applied, and (c) in a double-barrier potential in resonance condi tions, due to the relevance of these physical cases for practical appl ications.