Nonlinear Conductance of Long Quantum Wires at a Conductance Plateau Transition: Where Does the Voltage Drop?

Abstract

We calculate the linear and nonlinear conductance of spinless fermions in clean, long quantum wires, where short-ranged interactions lead locally to equilibration. Close to the quantum phase transition, where the conductance jumps from zero to one conductance quantum, the conductance obtains a universal form governed by the ratios of temperature, bias voltage, and gate voltage. Asymptotic analytic results are compared to solutions of a Boltzmann equation which includes the effects of three-particle scattering. Surprisingly, we find that for long wires the voltage predominantly drops close to one end of the quantum wire due to a thermoelectric effect.