Plasmon and charge quantization effects in a double-barrier quantum wire

The nonlinear transport properties of a single-channel quantum wire in the presence of two impurities are investigated. Treating the electron interact ion within the Luttinger model, Coulomb oscillations and Coulomb staircase phenomena are identified. Several limiting cases of transport are discussed . The regime of temperatures smaller than the discretization energy of the charge density mode in the dot is treated in detail. For weak to intermedia te interaction strengths, the nonlinear current exhibits a peculiar: step-l ike behavior related to the activation of excited plasmonic states. The cor responding differential conductance shows sharp peaks with non-analytic pow er law line-shape typical of Luttinger liquids.