kvanttransport

Kvanttransport, or quantum transport, is the study of how quantum mechanics governs the motion of carriers—typically electrons—in nanoscale systems where coherence, tunneling, and interference play a defining role. It encompasses charge, spin, and energy transport in devices such as quantum wires, quantum dots, molecular junctions, graphene, and topological materials.

Theoretical frameworks include the Landauer–Büttiker formalism for coherent, phase-preserving transport and the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method for more general, interacting, and non-equilibrium situations. Other approaches use scattering theory, tight-binding models, and the Keldysh formalism. Phenomena of interest include conductance quantization, quantum interference, Coulomb blockade, the Kondo effect, Andreev reflection, spin transport, and phonon-assisted processes.

Experimentally, kvanttransport is studied with low-temperature electron transport measurements, enabling observation of conductance steps, shot noise, and quantum interference patterns. Techniques involve fabricating nanoscale contacts, measuring current-voltage characteristics, and probing thermoelectric responses in mesoscopic devices.

Applications span nanoelectronics, quantum information components, molecular electronics, and energy harvesting. Key challenges include maintaining coherence in realistic environments, understanding many-body interactions, contact resistance, disorder, and material imperfections, as well as scaling devices for practical use.

See also mesoscopic physics, quantum coherence, and quantum conductance. Kvanttransport is a term used in several languages for the broader field of quantum transport in nanoscale systems.