Density-Functional Theory on Graphs

The principles of density-functional theory are studied for finite lattice systems represented by graphs. Surprisingly, the fundamental Hohenberg–Kohn theorem is found void, in general, while many insights into the topological structure of the density-potential mapping can be won. We give precise conditions for a ground state to be uniquely v-representable and are able to prove that this property holds for almost all densities. A set of examples illustrates the theory and demonstrates the non-convexity of the pure-state constrained-search functional. peerReviewed

The contour idea

Long-range interactions and the sign of natural amplitudes in two-electron systems

In singlet two-electron systems the natural occupation numbers of the one-particle reduced density matrix are given as squares of the natural amplitudes which are defined as the expansion coefficients of the two-electron wave function in a natural orbital basis. In this work we relate the sign of the natural amplitudes to the nature of the two-body interaction. We show that long-range Coulomb-type interactions are responsible for the appearance of positive amplitudes and give both analytical and numerical examples that illustrate how the long-distance structure of the wave function affects these amplitudes. We further demonstrate that the amplitudes show an avoided crossing behavior as func…

Natural occupation numbers: When do they vanish?

The non-vanishing of the natural orbital (NO) occupation numbers of the one-particle density matrix of many-body systems has important consequences for the existence of a density matrix-potential mapping for nonlocal potentials in reduced density matrix functional theory and for the validity of the extended Koopmans’ theorem. On the basis of Weyl’s theorem we give a connection between the differentiability properties of the ground state wavefunction and the rate at which the natural occupations approach zero when ordered as a descending series. We show, in particular, that the presence of a Coulomb cusp in the wavefunction leads, in general, to a power law decay of the natural occupations, …

Strictly correlated electrons approach to excitation energies of dissociating molecules

In this work we consider a numerically solvable model of a two-electron diatomic molecule to study a recently proposed approximation based on the density functional theory of so-called strictly correlated electrons (SCE). We map out the full two-particle wave function for a wide range of bond distances and interaction strengths and obtain analytic results for the two-particle states and eigenenergies in various limits of strong and weak interactions, and in the limit of large bond distance. We then study the so-called Hartree-exchange-correlation (Hxc) kernel of time-dependent density functional theory which is a key ingredient in calculating excitation energies. We study an approximation b…

Partial self-consistency and analyticity in many-body perturbation theory: Particle number conservation and a generalized sum rule

We consider a general class of approximations which guarantees the conservation of particle number in many-body perturbation theory. To do this we extend the concept of $\Phi$-derivability for the self-energy $\Sigma$ to a larger class of diagrammatic terms in which only some of the Green's function lines contain the fully dressed Green's function $G$. We call the corresponding approximations for $\Sigma$ partially $\Phi$-derivable. A special subclass of such approximations, which are gauge-invariant, is obtained by dressing loops in the diagrammatic expansion of $\Phi$ consistently with $G$. These approximations are number conserving but do not have to fulfill other conservation laws, such…

One-particle Green's function

In this chapter we get acquainted with the one-particle Green's function G , or simply the Green's function. The chapter is divided in three parts. In the first part (Section 6.1) we illustrate what kind of physical information can be extracted from the different Keldysh components of G . The aim of this first part is to introduce some general concepts without being too formal. In the second part (Section 6.2) we calculate the noninteracting Green's function. Finally in the third part (Sections 6.3 and 6.4) we consider the interacting Green's function and derive several exact properties. We also discuss other physical (and measurable) quantities that can be calculated from G and that are re…

Many-particle Green's functions

Approximate energy functionals for one-body reduced density matrix functional theory from many-body perturbation theory

We develop a systematic approach to construct energy functionals of the one-particle reduced density matrix (1RDM) for equilibrium systems at finite temperature. The starting point of our formulation is the grand potential $\Omega [\mathbf{G}]$ regarded as variational functional of the Green's function $G$ based on diagrammatic many-body perturbation theory and for which we consider either the Klein or Luttinger-Ward form. By restricting the input Green's function to be one-to-one related to a set on one-particle reduced density matrices (1RDM) this functional becomes a functional of the 1RDM. To establish the one-to-one mapping we use that, at any finite temperature and for a given 1RDM $\…

Many-body Green's function theory of electrons and nuclei beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation

The method of many-body Green's functions is developed for arbitrary systems of electrons and nuclei starting from the full (beyond Born-Oppenheimer) Hamiltonian of Coulomb interactions and kinetic energies. The theory presented here resolves the problems arising from the translational and rotational invariance of this Hamiltonian that afflict the existing many-body Green's function theories. We derive a coupled set of exact equations for the electronic and nuclear Green's functions and provide a systematic way to approximately compute the properties of arbitrary many-body systems of electrons and nuclei beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The case of crystalline solids is discussed …

In- and out-of-equilibrium {\em ab initio} theory of electrons and phonons

We lay down the {\em ab initio} many-body quantum theory of electrons and phonons in- and out-of-equilibrium at any temperature. We begin by addressing a fundamental issue concerning the {\em ab initio} Hamiltonian in the harmonic approximation, which we show must be determined {\em self-consistently} to avoid inconsistencies. After identifying the most suitable partitioning into a ``noninteracting'' and an ``interacting'' part we embark on the Green's function diagrammatic analysis. We single out key diagrammatic structures to carry on the expansion in terms of dressed propagators and screened interaction. The final outcome is the finite-temperature nonequilibrium extension of the Hedin eq…

Linear response theory: many-body formulation

Comment on “Critique of the foundations of time-dependent density-functional theory”

A recent paper [J. Schirmer and A. Dreuw, Phys. Rev A. 75, 022513 (2007)] challenges exact time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) on several grounds. We explain why these criticisms are either irrelevant or incorrect, and that TDDFT is both formally exact and predictive.

Equilibrium and nonequilibrium many-body perturbation theory: a unified framework based on the Martin-Schwinger hierarchy

We present a unified framework for equilibrium and nonequilibrium many-body perturbation theory. The most general nonequilibrium many-body theory valid for general initial states is based on a time-contour originally introduced by Konstantinov and Perel'. The various other well-known formalisms of Keldysh, Matsubara and the zero-temperature formalism are then derived as special cases that arise under different assumptions. We further present a single simple proof of Wick's theorem that is at the same time valid in all these flavors of many-body theory. It arises simply as a solution of the equations of the Martin-Schwinger hierarchy for the noninteracting many-particle Green's function with…

The adiabatic strictly-correlated-electrons functional : kernel and exact properties

We investigate a number of formal properties of the adiabatic strictly-correlated electrons (SCE) functional, relevant for time-dependent potentials and for kernels in linear response time-dependent density functional theory. Among the former, we focus on the compliance to constraints of exact many-body theories, such as the generalised translational invariance and the zero-force theorem. Within the latter, we derive an analytical expression for the adiabatic SCE Hartree exchange-correlation kernel in one dimensional systems, and we compute it numerically for a variety of model densities. We analyse the non-local features of this kernel, particularly the ones that are relevant in tackling p…

Numerical construction of the density-potential mapping

We demonstrate how a recently developed method Nielsen et al. [Nielsen et al., EPL 101, 33001 (2013)] allows for a comprehensive investigation of time-dependent density functionals in general, and of the exact time-dependent exchange-correlation potential in particular, by presenting the first exact results for two- and three-dimensional multi-electron systems. This method is an explicit realization of the Runge–Gross correspondence, which maps time-dependent densities to their respective potentials, and allows for the exact construction of desired density functionals. We present in detail the numerical requirements that makes this method efficient, stable and precise even for large and rap…

Curvature in graphene nanoribbons generates temporally and spatially focused electric currents

Today graphene nanoribbons and other graphene-based nanostructures can be synthesized with atomic precision. But while investigations have concentrated on straight graphene ribbons of fixed crystal orientation, ribbons with intrinsic curvature have remained mainly unexplored. Here, we investigate electronic transport in intrinsically curved graphene nanoribbons coupled to straight leads using two computational approaches. Stationary approach shows how transport gaps are affected both by the straight leads and by the degree of edge asymmetry in the curved ribbons. An advanced time-dependent approach shows that behind the façade of calm stationary transport the currents run violently: curvatu…

Time-dependent Landauer—Büttiker formalism for superconducting junctions at arbitrary temperatures

We discuss an extension of our earlier work on the time-dependent Landauer– Büttiker formalism for noninteracting electronic transport. The formalism can without complication be extended to superconducting central regions since the Green’s functions in the Nambu representation satisfy the same equations of motion which, in turn, leads to the same closed expression for the equal-time lesser Green’s function, i.e., for the time-dependent reduced one-particle density matrix. We further write the finite-temperature frequency integrals in terms of known special functions thereby considerably speeding up the computation. Simulations in simple normal metal – superconductor – normal metal junctions…

Time-linear scaling nonequilibrium Green's function methods for real-time simulations of interacting electrons and bosons. I : Formalism

Simulations of interacting electrons and bosons out of equilibrium, starting from first principles and aiming at realistic multiscale scenarios, is a grand theoretical challenge. Here, using the formalism of nonequilibrium Green's functions and relying in a crucial way on the recently discovered time-linear formulation of the Kadanoff-Baym equations, we present a versatile toolbox for the simulation of correlated electron-boson dynamics. A large class of methods are available, from the Ehrenfest to the dressed GD for the treatment of electron-boson interactions in combination with perturbative, i.e., Hartree-Fock and second-Born, or nonperturbative, i.e., GW and T matrices either without or…

Editorial for PCCP themed issue "Developments in Density Functional Theory''

This issue provides an overview of the state-of-the-art of DFT, ranging from mathematical and software developments, via topics in chemical bonding theory, to all kinds of molecular and material properties. Through this issue, we also celebrate the enormous contributions that Evert Jan Baerends has made to this field.

Kadanoff-Baym approach to quantum transport through interacting nanoscale systems: from the transient to the steady-state regime

We propose a time-dependent many-body approach to study the short-time dynamics of correlated electrons in quantum transport through nanoscale systems contacted to metallic leads. This approach is based on the time-propagation of the Kadanoff-Baym equations for the nonequilibrium many-body Green's function of open and interacting systems out of equilibrium. An important feature of the method is that it takes full account of electronic correlations and embedding effects in the presence of time-dependent external fields, while at the same time satisfying the charge conservation law. The method further extends the Meir-Wingreen formula to the time domain for initially correlated states. We stu…

Diagrammatic Expansion for Positive Spectral Functions in the Steady-State Limit

Recently, a method was presented for constructing self-energies within many-body perturbation theory that are guaranteed to produce a positive spectral function for equilibrium systems, by representing the self-energy as a product of half-diagrams on the forward and backward branches of the Keldysh contour. We derive an alternative half-diagram representation that is based on products of retarded diagrams. Our approach extends the method to systems out of equilibrium. When a steady-state limit exists, we show that our approach yields a positive definite spectral function in the frequency domain.

Challenges in Truncating the Hierarchy of Time-Dependent Reduced Density Matrices Equations: Open Problems

In this work, we analyze the Born, Bogoliubov, Green, Kirkwood and Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy of equations for describing the full time-evolution of a many-body fermionic system in terms of its reduced density matrices (at all orders). We provide an exhaustive study of the challenges and open problems linked to the truncation of such hierarchy of equations to make them practically applicable. We restrict our analysis to the coupled evolution of the one- and two-body reduced density matrices, where higher order correlation effects are embodied into the approximation used to close the equations. We prove that within this approach, the number of electrons and total energy are conserved, regardless…

Electronic transport in molecular junctions : The generalized Kadanoff–Baym ansatz with initial contact and correlations

The generalized Kadanoff-Baym ansatz (GKBA) offers a computationally inexpensive approach to simulate out-of-equilibrium quantum systems within the framework of nonequilibrium Green's functions. For finite systems the limitation of neglecting initial correlations in the conventional GKBA approach has recently been overcome [Phys. Rev. B 98, 115148 (2018)]. However, in the context of quantum transport the contacted nature of the initial state, i.e., a junction connected to bulk leads, requires a further extension of the GKBA approach. In this work, we lay down a GKBA scheme which includes initial correlations in a partition-free setting. In practice, this means that the equilibration of the …

Phononic heat transport in the transient regime: An analytic solution

We investigate the time-resolved quantum transport properties of phonons in arbitrary harmonic systems connected to phonon baths at different temperatures. We obtain a closed analytic expression of the time-dependent one-particle reduced density matrix by explicitly solving the equations of motion for the nonequilibrium Green's function. This is achieved through a well-controlled approximation of the frequency-dependent bath self-energy. Our result allows for exploring transient oscillations and relaxation times of local heat currents, and correctly reduces to an earlier known result in the steady-state limit. We apply the formalism to atomic chains, and benchmark the validity of the approx…

Density gradient expansion of correlation functions

We present a general scheme based on nonlinear response theory to calculate the expansion of correlation functions such as the pair-correlation function or the exchange-correlation hole of an inhomogeneous many-particle system in terms of density derivatives of arbitrary order. We further derive a consistency condition that is necessary for the existence of the gradient expansion. This condition is used to carry out an infinite summation of terms involving response functions up to infinite order from which it follows that the coefficient functions of the gradient expansion can be expressed in terms the local density profile rather than the background density around which the expansion is ca…

Analytic density-functionals with initial-state dependence and memory

We analytically construct the wave function that, for a given initial state, produces a prescribed density for a quantum ring with two noninteracting particles in a singlet state. In this case the initial state is completely determined by the initial density, the initial time derivative of the density and a single integer that characterizes the (angular) momentum of the system. We then give an exact analytic expression for the exchange-correlation potential that relates two noninteracting systems with different initial states. This is used to demonstrate how the Kohn-Sham procedure predicts the density of a reference system without the need of solving the reference system’s Schrodinger equa…

Cutting rules and positivity in finite temperature many-body theory

Abstract For a given diagrammatic approximation in many-body perturbation theory it is not guaranteed that positive observables, such as the density or the spectral function, retain their positivity. For zero-temperature systems we developed a method [2014 Phys. Rev. B 90 115134] based on so-called cutting rules for Feynman diagrams that enforces these properties diagrammatically, thus solving the problem of negative spectral densities observed for various vertex approximations. In this work we extend this method to systems at finite temperature by formulating the cutting rules in terms of retarded N-point functions, thereby simplifying earlier approaches and simultaneously solving the issu…

Existence, uniqueness, and construction of the density-potential mapping in time-dependent density-functional theory

In this work we review the mapping from densities to potentials in quantum mechanics, which is the basic building block of time-dependent density-functional theory and the Kohn-Sham construction. We first present detailed conditions such that a mapping from potentials to densities is defined by solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. We specifically discuss intricacies connected with the unboundedness of the Hamiltonian and derive the local-force equation. This equation is then used to set up an iterative sequence that determines a potential that generates a specified density via time propagation of an initial state. This fixed-point procedure needs the invertibility of a certain…

Distinguishing Majorana Zero Modes from Impurity States through Time-Resolved Transport

We study time-resolved charge transport in a superconducting nanowire using time-dependent Landauer-B{\"u}ttiker theory. We find that the steady-state Majorana zero-bias conductance peak emerges transiently accompanied by characteristic oscillations after a bias-voltage quench. These oscillations are absent for a trivial impurity state that otherwise shows a very similar steady-state signal as the Majorana zero mode. In addition, we find that Andreev bound states or quasi-Majorana states in the topologically trivial bulk phase can give rise to a zero-bias conductance peak, also retaining the transient properties of the Majorana zero mode. Our results imply that (1) time-resolved transport m…

Multicomponent density-functional theory for electrons and nuclei

We present a general multi-component density functional theory in which electrons and nuclei are treated completely quantum mechanically, without the use of a Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The two fundamental quantities in terms of which our theory is formulated are the nuclear N-body density and the electron density expressed in coordinates referring to the nuclear framework. For these two densities coupled Kohn-Sham equations are derived and the electron-nuclear correlation functional is analyzed in detail. The formalism is tested on the hydrogen molecule $H_2$ and its positive ion $H_2^+$ using several approximations for the electron-nuclear correlation functional.

The generalized Kadanoff-Baym ansatz with initial correlations

Within the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism, the Generalized Kadanoff-Baym Ansatz (GKBA) has stood out as a computationally cheap method to investigate the dynamics of interacting quantum systems driven out of equilibrium. Current implementations of the NEGF--GKBA, however, suffer from a drawback: real-time simulations require {\em noncorrelated} states as initial states. Consequently, initial correlations must be built up through an adiabatic switching of the interaction before turning on any external field, a procedure that can be numerically highly expensive. In this work, we extend the NEGF--GKBA to allow for {\em correlated} states as initial states. Our scheme makes i…

Time-dependent density-functional theory for strongly interacting electrons

We consider an analytically solvable model of two interacting electrons that allows for the calculation of the exact exchange-correlation kernel of time-dependent density functional theory. This kernel, as well as the corresponding density response function, is studied in the limit of large repulsive interactions between the electrons and we give analytical results for these quantities as an asymptotic expansion in powers of the square root of the interaction strength. We find that in the strong interaction limit the three leading terms in the expansion of the kernel act instantaneously while memory terms only appear in the next orders. We further derive an alternative expansion for the ker…

The Kadanoff-Baym approach to double excitations in finite systems

We benchmark many-body perturbation theory by studying neutral, as well as non-neutral, excitations of finite lattice systems. The neutral excitation spectra are obtained by time-propagating the Kadanoff–Baym equations in the Hartree–Fock and the second Born approximations. Our method is equivalent to solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation with a high-level kernel while respecting self-consistency, which guarantees the fulfillment of a frequency sum rule. As a result, we find that a time-local method, such as Hartree–Fock, can give incomplete spectra, while already the second Born approximation, which is the simplest time-non-local approximation, reproduces well most of the additional excitati…

Linear response theory: preliminaries

Time-dependent Landauer-Büttiker formula for transient dynamics

We solve analyti ally the Kadano Baym equations for a nonintera ting jun tion onne ted to an arbitrary number of nonintera ting wide-band terminals. The initial equilibrium state is properly des ribed by the addition of an imaginary tra k to the time ontour. From the solution we obtain the time-dependent ele tron densities and urrents within the jun tion. The nal results are analyti expressions as a fun tion of time, and therefore no time propagation is needed either in transient or in steady-state regimes. We further present and dis uss some appli ations of the obtained formulae. peerReviewed

Levels of self-consistency in the GW approximation

We perform $GW$ calculations on atoms and diatomic molecules at different levels of self-consistency and investigate the effects of self-consistency on total energies, ionization potentials and on particle number conservation. We further propose a partially self-consistent $GW$ scheme in which we keep the correlation part of the self-energy fixed within the self-consistency cycle. This approximation is compared to the fully self-consistent $GW$ results and to the $G W_0$ and the $G_0W_0$ approximations. Total energies, ionization potentials and two-electron removal energies obtained with our partially self-consistent $GW$ approximation are in excellent agreement with fully self-consistent $…

Compact two-electron wave function for bond dissociation and Van der Waals interactions: A natural amplitude assessment

Electron correlations in molecules can be divided in short range dynamical correlations, long range Van der Waals type interactions and near degeneracy static correlations. In this work we analyze for a one-dimensional model of a two-electron system how these three types of correlations can be incorporated in a simple wave function of restricted functional form consisting of an orbital product multiplied by a single correlation function $f(r_{12})$ depending on the interelectronic distance $r_{12}$. Since the three types of correlations mentioned lead to different signatures in terms of the natural orbital (NO) amplitudes in two-electron systems we make an analysis of the wave function in t…

Development of non-equilibrium Green's functions for use with full interaction in complex systems

We present an ongoing development of an existing code for calculating groundstate, steady-state, and transient properties of many-particle systems. The development involves the addition of the full four-index two electron integrals, which allows for the calculation of transport systems, as well as the extension to multi-level electronic systems, such as atomic and molecular systems and other applications. The necessary derivations are shown, along with some preliminary results and a summary of future plans for the code. peerReviewed

Geometry of Degeneracy in Potential and Density Space

In a previous work [J. Chem. Phys. 155, 244111 (2021)], we found counterexamples to the fundamental Hohenberg-Kohn theorem from density-functional theory in finite-lattice systems represented by graphs. Here, we demonstrate that this only occurs at very peculiar and rare densities, those where density sets arising from degenerate ground states, called degeneracy regions, touch each other or the boundary of the whole density domain. Degeneracy regions are shown to generally be in the shape of the convex hull of an algebraic variety, even in the continuum setting. The geometry arising between density regions and the potentials that create them is analyzed and explained with examples that, amo…

Time propagation of the Kadanoff–Baym equations for inhomogeneous systems

We have developed a time propagation scheme for the Kadanoff-Baym equations for general inhomogeneous systems. These equations describe the time evolution of the nonequilibrium Green function for interacting many-body systems in the presence of time-dependent external fields. The external fields are treated nonperturbatively whereas the many-body interactions are incorporated perturbatively using Phi-derivable self-energy approximations that guarantee the satisfaction of the macroscopic conservation laws of the system. These approximations are discussed in detail for the time-dependent Hartree-Fock, the second Born and the GW approximation.

Comment on "Critique of the foundations of time-dependent density functional theory" [Phys. Rev.A. 75, 022513 (2007)]

A recent paper (Phys. Rev A. 75, 022513 (2007), arXiv:cond-mat/0602020) challenges exact time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) on several grounds. We explain why these criticisms are either irrelevant or incorrect, and that TDDFT is both formally exact and predictive.

Kadanoff-Baym approach to time-dependent quantum transport in AC and DC fields

We have developed a method based on the embedded Kadanoff-Baym equations to study the time evolution of open and inhomogeneous systems. The equation of motion for the Green's function on the Keldysh contour is solved using different conserving many-body approximations for the self-energy. Our formulation incorporates basic conservation laws, such as particle conservation, and includes both initial correlations and initial embedding effects, without restrictions on the time-dependence of the external driving field. We present results for the time-dependent density, current and dipole moment for a correlated tight binding chain connected to one-dimensional non-interacting leads exposed to DC …

MBPT for the Green's function

Conserving approximations: two-particle Green's function

Image charge dynamics in time-dependent quantum transport

In this work we investigate the effects of the electron-electron interaction between a molecular junction and the metallic leads in time-dependent quantum transport. We employ the recently developed embedded Kadanoff-Baym method [Phys. Rev. B 80, 115107 (2009)] and show that the molecule-lead interaction changes substantially the transient and steady-state transport properties. We first show that the mean-field Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation does not capture the polarization effects responsible for the renormalization of the molecular levels neither in nor out of equilibrium. Furthermore, due to the time-local nature of the HF self-energy there exists a region in parameter space for which …

Time-linear scaling nonequilibrium Green's function method for real-time simulations of interacting electrons and bosons. II : Dynamics of polarons and doublons

Nonequilibrium dynamics of the open chain Holstein-Hubbard model is studied using the linear time-scaling GKBA+ODE scheme developed in Pavlyukh et al. [Phys. Rev. B 105, 125134 (2022)]. We focus on the set of parameters relevant for photovoltaic materials, i.e., a pair of electrons interacting with phonons at the crossover between the adiabatic and antiadiabatic regimes and at moderately large electron-electron interaction. By comparing with exact solutions for two corner cases, we demonstrate the accuracy of the T matrix (in the pp channel) and the second-order Fan (GD) approximations for the treatment of electronic (e−e) and electron-phonon (e-ph) correlations, respectively. The feedback …

Non-equilibrium Green’s Functions for Coupled Fermion-Boson Systems

Time-dependent Landauer-Büttiker formula: Application to transient dynamics in graphene nanoribbons

In this work we develop a time-dependent extension of the Landauer-B\"uttiker approach to study transient dynamics in time-dependent quantum transport through molecular junctions. A key feature of the approach is that it provides a closed integral expression for the time-dependence of the density matrix of the molecular junction after switch-on of a bias or gate potential which can be evaluated without the necessity of propagating individual single-particle orbitals. This allows for the study of time-dependent transport in large molecular systems coupled to wide band leads. As an application of the formalism we study the transient dynamics of zigzag and armchair graphene nanoribbons of diff…

Fast Green’s Function Method for Ultrafast Electron-Boson Dynamics

The interaction of electrons with quantized phonons and photons underlies the ultrafast dynamics of systems ranging from molecules to solids, and it gives rise to a plethora of physical phenomena experimentally accessible using time-resolved techniques. Green's function methods offer an invaluable interpretation tool since scattering mechanisms of growing complexity can be selectively incorporated in the theory. Currently, however, real-time Green's function simulations are either prohibitively expensive due to the cubic scaling with the propagation time or do neglect the feedback of electrons on the bosons, thus violating energy conservation. We put forward a computationally efficient Gree…

Quantum interference and the time-dependent radiation of nanojunctions

Using the recently developed time-dependent Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism and Jefimenko's retarded solutions to the Maxwell equations, we show how to compute the time-dependent electromagnetic field produced by the charge and current densities in nanojunctions out of equilibrium. We then apply this formalism to a benzene ring junction, and show that geometry-dependent quantum interference effects can be used to control the magnetic field in the vicinity of the molecule. Then, treating the molecular junction as a quantum emitter, we demonstrate clear signatures of the local molecular geometry in the non-local radiated power.

Beyond the Runge–Gross Theorem

The Runge–Gross theorem (Runge and Gross, Phys Rev Lett, 52:997–1000, 1984) states that for a given initial state the time-dependent density is a unique functional of the external potential. Let us elaborate a bit further on this point. Suppose we could solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for a given many-body system, i.e. we specify an initial state \(| \Uppsi_0 \rangle\) at \(t=t_0\) and evolve the wavefunction in time using the Hamiltonian \({\hat{H}} (t).\) Then, from the wave function, we can calculate the time-dependent density \(n (\user2{r},t).\) We can then ask the question whether exactly the same density \(n(\user2{r},t)\) can be reproduced by an external potential \(v^…

Time-dependent Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism for superconducting junctions at arbitrary temperatures

We discuss an extension of our earlier work on the time-dependent Landauer--B\"uttiker formalism for noninteracting electronic transport. The formalism can without complication be extended to superconducting central regions since the Green's functions in the Nambu representation satisfy the same equations of motion which, in turn, leads to the same closed expression for the equal-time lesser Green's function, i.e., for the time-dependent reduced one-particle density matrix. We further write the finite-temperature frequency integrals in terms of known special functions thereby considerably speeding up the computation. Numerical simulations in simple normal metal -- superconductor -- normal m…

Long-range interactions and the sign of natural amplitudes in two-electron systems

In singlet two-electron systems, the natural occupation numbers of the one-particle reduced density matrix are given as squares of the natural amplitudes which are defined as the expansion coefficients of the two-electron wave function in a natural orbital basis. In this work, we relate the sign of the natural amplitudes to the nature of the two-body interaction. We show that long-range Coulombtype interactions are responsible for the appearance of positive amplitudes and give both analytical and numerical examples that illustrate how the long-distance structure of the wave function affects these amplitudes. We further demonstrate that the amplitudes show an avoided crossing behavior as fun…