Dielectric breakdown of a Mott insulator

Article

关键词: ANDERSON IMPURITY;    TRANSITION;    DRIVEN;    FIELDS;    MODEL;   

DOI  :  10.1103/PhysRevB.86.085127

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

We study the nonequilibrium steady state of a Mott insulator coupled to a thermostat and driven by a constant electric field, starting from weak fields, until the dielectric breakdown, and beyond. We find that the conventional Zener picture does not describe the steady-state physics. In particular, the current at weak field is found to be controlled by the dissipation. Moreover, in connection with the electric-field-driven dimensional crossover, we find that the dielectric breakdown occurs when the field strength is on the order of the Mott gap of the corresponding lower-dimensional system. We also report a resonance and the meltdown of the quasiparticle peak when the field strength is half of this Mott gap.

【 授权许可】

Free