CHINESE JOURNAL OF PHYSICS VOL. 39, NO. 1 FEBRUARY 2001

Effects of Incoherent Processes on the Quantum Transport
through a Finite-range Time-modulated Potential

H. C. Liang and C. S. Chu

Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University,

Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, R.O.C.
(Received June 21, 2000)

We study the effect of phase randomization on the quantum transport through a finite-range time-modulated potential. The time-modulated potential leads only to coherent inelastic scatterings, and the incoherent processes are described by an S-matrix model proposed originally by Büttiker for the case of time-independent transport. This S-matrix model provides us a systematic way to reinject into the system those electrons that have suffered with incoherent scatterings. The distribution of these reinjected electrons is determined by an effective chemical potential $\tilde{\mu}$. For comparison, we study the cases where the incoherent processes occur inside and outside the time-modulated region. The incoherent processes are found to broaden and to smear the structures in the conductance G that are associated with the coherent inelastic scatterings. However, the smearing is more effective when the incoherent processes occur inside the time-modulated potential region.

PACS. 72.10.-d $\;$- Theory of electronic transport; scattering mechanisms.
PACS. 72.40.+w - Photoconduction and photovoltaic effects.
PACS. 73.40.-c $\;$- Electronic transport in interface structures.

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