Km. Indlekofer et H. Luth, Many-particle density-matrix approach to a quantum dot system for the strong electron accumulation case, PHYS REV B, 62(19), 2000, pp. 13016-13021
We consider the system of an electronic quantum dot with a base set of disc
rete single-particle levels due to quantization effects in an arbitrarily g
iven attractive potential. Intradot electron-electron interaction is descri
bed employing the full many-particle Coulomb interaction Hamiltonian in sec
ond quantization. Interaction effects arising from a capacitive response of
the environment is incorporated within the framework of a classical intera
ction term. Hereby the environment consists of thermodynamical electron res
ervoirs coupled to the quantum dot system via weak tunnel barriers. Using t
his quantum dot model Hamiltonian we present a many-particle density-matrix
approach in order to describe the thermodynamical state of the many-electr
on system and calculate expectation values of observables such as particle
number and total spin. In the following we assume that exactly one reservoi
r dominates concerning a very weak particle injection. The other reservoirs
are thought of as negligible tunneling probes. Especially the system of a
laterally confined sub-mum resonant tunneling diode in the single-electron
tunneling regime for the case of strong barrier asymmetry will be discussed
as an example. Numerical results for realistic diode parameters suggest th
e definition of a capacitive and atomic regime of such an interacting quant
um dot system.