NSE: Shot Noise in Nanoscale Conductors from First Principles

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

0102277 Di Ventra This Nanoscale Exploratory Research award, which results from the Nanoscale Science and Engineering solicitation (NSF 00-119), supports theoretical research on shot noise in nanoscale conductors. The PI will develop theoretical and computational tools that use the wavefunctions of density functional theory-based calculations for molecular devices in an external bias to calculate current flow and current fluctuations. These tools would be applied to study shot noise in nanoscale conductors composed of atomic and molecular chains with the further aim to innovate new designs for reduced noise electronic devices with dimensions on the nanoscale. The proposal has an additional educational component that aims to incorporate the research approach into the graduate Computational Physics course. %%% This Nanoscale Exploratory Research award, which results from the Nanoscale Science and Engineering solicitation, supports theoretical research on shot noise in nanoscale conductors. The PI will develop theoretical tools based on modern electronic structure methods to describe the flow of electric current in molecular devices. A particular focus of the research is to calculate self consistently electronic currents and current fluctuations in these nanoscale devices. The PI aims to use these tools to innovate new designs for reduced noise electronic devices with dimensions on the nanoscale. The proposal has an additional educational component that aims to incorporate the research approach into the graduate Computational Physics course. ***