We shall revisit the conventional treatment of open quantum devices based on the Wigner-Function formalism. Our analysis will show that the artificial spatial separation between device active region and external reservoirs - properly defined within a semiclassical simulation scheme - is intrinsically incompatible with the non-local character of quantum mechanics. More specifically, by means of an exactly-solvable semiconductor model, we shall show that the application of the conventional boundary-condition scheme to the Wigner transport equation may produce highly non-physical results, like thermal injection of coherent state superpositions and boundary-driven negative probability distributions.

Quantum-transport simulations with the Wigner-function formalism: Failure of conventional boundary-condition schemes / Taj, D.; Genovese, L.; Rossi, Fausto. - In: EUROPHYSICS LETTERS. - ISSN 0295-5075. - 74:6(2006), pp. 1060-1066. [10.1209/epl/i2006-10047-3]

Quantum-transport simulations with the Wigner-function formalism: Failure of conventional boundary-condition schemes

ROSSI, FAUSTO
2006

Abstract

We shall revisit the conventional treatment of open quantum devices based on the Wigner-Function formalism. Our analysis will show that the artificial spatial separation between device active region and external reservoirs - properly defined within a semiclassical simulation scheme - is intrinsically incompatible with the non-local character of quantum mechanics. More specifically, by means of an exactly-solvable semiconductor model, we shall show that the application of the conventional boundary-condition scheme to the Wigner transport equation may produce highly non-physical results, like thermal injection of coherent state superpositions and boundary-driven negative probability distributions.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/1538174
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