Classifying destructive quantum interference in molecular junctions: Towards molecular quantum rulers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Krieger, Lukas, Ingold, Gert-Ludwig, Pauly, Fabian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Krieger, Lukas
Ingold, Gert-Ludwig
Pauly, Fabian
author_facet Krieger, Lukas
Ingold, Gert-Ludwig
Pauly, Fabian
contents Destructive quantum interference in molecular junctions might be used to build molecular quantum rulers, allowing to quantify changes in external control parameters electrically. For this reason, it is important to understand which patterns of destructive quantum interference can occur inside the electronic excitation gap of a molecule, coupled to conducting electrodes. By considering a four-level model, we show that much more complex destructive quantum interference behavior can arise than expected for just two levels. We classify the destructive quantum interferences analytically and show that they may even occur in regions forbidden by the standard orbital rule for electron transport. Our results suggest that appropriate molecular design may indeed allow to construct highly sensitive molecular quantum rulers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_18665
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Classifying destructive quantum interference in molecular junctions: Towards molecular quantum rulers
Krieger, Lukas
Ingold, Gert-Ludwig
Pauly, Fabian
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Chemical Physics
Destructive quantum interference in molecular junctions might be used to build molecular quantum rulers, allowing to quantify changes in external control parameters electrically. For this reason, it is important to understand which patterns of destructive quantum interference can occur inside the electronic excitation gap of a molecule, coupled to conducting electrodes. By considering a four-level model, we show that much more complex destructive quantum interference behavior can arise than expected for just two levels. We classify the destructive quantum interferences analytically and show that they may even occur in regions forbidden by the standard orbital rule for electron transport. Our results suggest that appropriate molecular design may indeed allow to construct highly sensitive molecular quantum rulers.
title Classifying destructive quantum interference in molecular junctions: Towards molecular quantum rulers
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.18665