The study of transport in nano-structured devices and molecular junctions has become a topic of great interest with the recent call for quantum technologies. Most of our knowledge has been guided by experimental and theoretical studies of the single-electron transistor (SET), an elementary device constituted by a quantum dot coupled to two otherwise independent free electron gases. The SET is particularly interesting because its transport properties at low temperatures are governed by the Kondo effect. A methodological difficulty has nonetheless barred theoretical progress in describing accurately realistic devices. On the one hand, Density-Functional Theory (DFT), the most convenient tool to obtain the electronic structure of complex materials, yields only qualitatively descriptions of the low-temperature physical properties of quantum dot devices. On the other hand, a quantitative description of low-temperature transport properties of the SET, such that obtained through the solution of the Anderson model via exact methods, is nonetheless unable to account for realistic features of experimental devices, such as geometry, band structure and electron-electron interactions in the electron gases. DFT describes the electron gases very well, but proves inadequate to treat the electronic correlations introduced by the quantum dot. This thesis proposes a way out of this frustrating dilemma. Our contribution is founded on renormalization-group (RG) concepts. Specifically, we show that, under conditions of experimental interest, the high and low temperatures regimes of a SET corresponds to the weakly-coupling and strongly-coupling fixed points of the Anderson Hamiltonian. Based on an RG analysis, we argue that, at this low-temperature fixed point, the entanglement between impurity and gas-electron spins introduces non-local correlations that lie beyond the reach of local- or quasi-local-density approximations, hence rendering inadequate approximations for the exchange-correlation energy functional. By contrast, the weak-coupling fixed point is within the reach of local-density approximations. With a view to describing realistic properties of quantum dot devices, we therefore propose a hybrid self-consistent procedure that starts with the weak-coupling fixed point and takes advantage of a reliable numerical method to drive the Hamiltonian to the strong-coupling fixed point. Our approach employs traditional DFT to treat the weak-coupling system and the Numerical Renormalization-Group (NRG) method to obtain properties in the strongcoupling regime. As an illustration, we apply the procedure to a single-electron transistor modeled by a generalized one-dimensional Hubbard Hamiltonian. We analyze the thermal dependence of the conductance in the SET and discuss its behavior at low-temperatures, comparing our results with other self-consistent approaches and with experimental data. / O estudo de propriedades de transporte em dispositivos nano estruturados e junções moleculares tornou-se um tópico de grande interesse com a recente demanda por novas tecnologias quânticas. Grande parte do nosso conhecimento tem sido guiado por trabalhos experimentais e teóricos de um dispositivo conhecido como transístor de um elétron (SET), o qual é constituído por um ponto quântico acoplado a dois gases de elétrons independentes. O SET é particularmente interessante devido as suas propriedades de transporte a baixas temperaturas, as quais são governadas pelo efeito Kondo. Uma dificuldade metodológica, no entanto, tem barrado novos avanços teóricos para se obter uma descrição precisa de dispositivos realistas. Por um lado, a teoria do funcional da densidade (DFT), uma das ferramentas mais convenientes para calcular a estrutura eletrônica de materiais complexos, provê uma descrição apenas qualitativa das propriedades de transporte de transístores quânticos a baixas temperaturas. Por outro lado, uma descrição quantitativa satisfatória do SET a baixas temperaturas, tal como a modelagem e solução do modelo de Anderson via métodos exatos, é incapaz de levar em conta características realistas de dispositivos complexos, tal como geometria, estrutura de bandas e interações inter eletrônicas nos gases de elétrons. Embora a DFT os descreva bem, ela é inadequada para tratar correlações introduzidas pelo ponto quântico. Na presente tese propomos uma alternativa para este dilema. Nossa contribuição é fundamentada em conceitos de grupo de renormalização (RG). Especificamente, mostramos que, em condições de interesse experimental, os regimes de altas e baixas temperaturas em um SET correspondem aos pontos fixos de acoplamento fraco e forte do Hamiltoniano de Anderson. Baseando-nos em na análise do RG, mostramos que, no ponto fixo de baixas temperaturas, o emaranhamento entre a impureza e os spins dos gases eletrônicos introduz correlações não-locais que não podem ser descritas com abordagens DFT baseadas em aproximações locais ou quase locais para o potencial de troca e correlação. Em contraste, o ponto fixo de acoplamento fraco pode ser descrito por aproximações locais. Com o objetivo de obter uma descrição realista das propriedades de transístores quânticos, propomos um procedimento auto-consistente que começa do ponto fixo de acoplamento fraco e se aproveita de um método numérico eficiente para levar o Hamiltoniano para o ponto fixo de acoplamento forte. Nossa abordagem emprega DFT para tratar o sistema no limite de acoplamento fraco e o método de Grupo de Renormalização Numérico (NRG) para obter propriedades no regime de acoplamento forte. Como ilustração, aplicamos o procedimento para um transístor de um elétron modelado através do Hamiltoniano de Hubbard generalizado. Analisamos a dependência térmica da condutância no SET discutindo seu comportamento a baixas temperatura e comparamos nossos resultados com outras abordagens auto-consistentes e resultados experimentais.

Orientadores: Roberto Eugenio Lagos Monaco, Guillermo Gerardo Cabrera Oyarzun / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T08:16:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ChavesNeto_AntonioMaiadeJesus_D.pdf: 1164069 bytes, checksum: a0ef564c6eb492fa671d7430fad4221a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / Resumo: O Hamiltoniano do modelo de Anderson para duas impurezas é estudado via um desacoplamento das funções de Green. Neste caso resulta ser equivalente a aproximação de potencial coerente (CPA) que também, neste caso, coincide com a aproximação Hubbard-I. Consideram-se todos os termos de interação impureza-impureza, tanto os denominados termos de um corpo como os de dois corpos. Os parâmetros associados às interações mencionadas acima incluem: repulsão coulombiana intra e intersítio, hopping direto, hopping correlacionado e o termo de troca (exchange). Todos estes são modelados via orbitais atômicos de Slater, e neste caso se considera o modelo mais simples, o caso não degenerado, ou seja, um nível por impureza. Nesta modelagem, incluindo o metal hospedeiro, os parâmetros independentes resultam ser: a constante de hibridização eletrônica impureza-metal, o número de portadores do metal hospedeiro, o vetor de onda de Fermi associado ao mesmo, a largura dos orbitais atômicos das impurezas e a distância impureza-impureza. Para o caso particular de temperatura nula e no regime denominado de banda semicheia (a metade dos níveis das impurezas são preenchidos considerando os valores esperados) são calculadas as densidades espectrais (densidade de estados) associadas às impurezas, as funções de correlações de spin e carga, suscetibilidades magnéticas e de carga, e a energia de correlação associada as impurezas. Os resultados são discutidos no contexto dos modelos já a existentes na literatura, assim como os casos limites para os quais existem resultados exatos. Os resultados encontrados estão de acordo com os casos limites conhecidos e são interessantes. Mostram também a importância de se considerar todas as interações impureza-impureza, fato negligenciado até agora na literatura / Abstract: We study the two impurity Anderson Model Hamiltonian via a Greens function decoupling scheme. This case turns out to be equivalent to the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) and furthermore equivalent to the Hubbard-I approximation. We consider all one and two body impurity-impurity interactions. The parameters associated to the latter include: the intra and intersite Coulomb repulsion, direct (band) hopping, correlated hopping and the exchange term. All of the above are modeled via Slater atomic orbitals, and here we consider the simplest model, non degenerate single impurity level. Including the host metal the resulting independent parameters are: The impurity-metal hybridization constant, the metal host carrier density, the associated Fermi wavevector, the atomic orbital width and the impurity-impurity distance. For the zero temperature case and in the so called band half called regime (impurities levels half called, in the mean) we compute the impurities spectral densities (density of states), spin and charge correlation functions, their respective susceptibilities and the correlation energy. We discuss our results considering the existing literature as well as the exact results for particular limiting cases. Our results agree with the latter and also yield interesting consequences, among others: the importance of including all impurity-impurity interactions, hitherto not considered. / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Mestre em Física

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude théorique des propriétés de transportd'un nanodispositif comme par exemple une boîte quantique. A faible dimensionnalité,les propriétés de transport sont fortement liées à la densité d'étatsélectroniques du système, il est donc important d'utiliser une approche capablede calculer cette dernière correctement notamment en tenant comptedu confinement électronique.En utilisant le modèle d'Anderson et l'approximation de non croisementafin de calculer la densité d'états, on a pu observer et caractériser les transfertsde poids spectral pour des orbitales simplement, doublement ou triplementdégénérées. Ces transferts de poids spectral sont typiques des systèmescorrélés, mais lorsqu'une différence de potentiel est appliquée, on a pu remarquerque ces transferts se faisaient en deux temps.Dans un second temps, on a analysé les signatures du couplage de Hundincluant le terme de saut de paires dans les diagrammes de stabilité. Ces deuxtermes, provenant de l'interaction Coulombienne, modifient sensiblement lastructure des diamants de Coulomb et doivent donc être considérés lorsqu'ondéduit les paramètres microscopiques à partir du diagramme de stabilitéexpérimental.Enfin, on s'est placé dans le régime de générateur thermoélectrique, et ona utilisé le pic de Kondo comme canal de transport. Cependant l'optimisationà la fois du rendement et de la puissance en utilisant les bandes de Hubbardcomme canaux de transport est impossible. Or les particularités et les grandeurscaractérisant le pic de Kondo permettent d'une part de s'affranchirpartiellement de ce compromis mais cela permet également de générer uneplus grande puissance. / This thesis is devoted to the theoretical study of a nanodevice transportproperties, such as a quantum dot. At low dimensionality, transport propertiesare strongly related to the local density of state, it is important to use anapproach able to compute the latter properly especially tanking into accountthe electronic containment.Using the Anderson model and the non-crossing approximation to computedensity of states, we observed and characterize spectral weight transfersfor simply, doubly and triply degenerated orbitals. These spectral weighttransfers are typical of correlated systems, but when potential bias is applied,we note that these transfers occur in two stages.In a second step, we analyze Hund coupling footprint including pair hoppingin stability diagrams. These two terms, from the Coulomb interaction,substantially alter the Coulomb diamonds structure and must be considerwhen microscopic parameters are derived from experimental stability diagrams.Finally, we placed in the thermoelectric generator regime, and we usedKondo peak as transport channel. However, optimization of both efficiencyand power output using Hubbard bands as transport channel is impossible.But the features and scales characterizing Kondo peak serve on the one handto overcome this compromise and on the other hand to generate a greaterpower output.

Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, Beziehungen zwischen den kristallchemischen Eigenschaften und dem beobachteten anomalen Verhalten im spezifischen elektrischen Widerstand (nicht-magnetischer Kondo-Effekt) aufzuzeigen und zusammenhängend zu interpretieren. Verbindungen, an denen dieser Effekt beobachtet wurde, werden aus einem Übergangs-, oder Actinidmetall mit je einem Vertreter der 15. (Pniktogene) und 16. Gruppe (Chalkogene) des Periodensystems gebildet und kristallisieren im PbFCl-Strukturtyp. Da zu ternären Actinidmetall-Pniktid-Chalkogeniden (z.B. ThAsSe, UPS) nur sehr wenige chemische und kristallographische Informationen existieren, wurden in dieser Arbeit umfassende Untersuchungen zur Kristallchemie ternärer Phasen aus den Systemen M-Pn-Q (M = Zr, Hf, La-Ce; Pn = As, Sb; Q = Se, Te durchgeführt. Der Schwerpunkt lag dabei auf der strukturellen Lokalisierung der beobachteten Widerstandsanomalie und der Erarbeitung chemisch-physikalischer Eigenschaftsbeziehungen. Die Darstellung der untersuchten ternären Phasen in Form von Einkristallen gelang über exothermen Chemischen Transport mit Jod. Da die erhaltenen Kristalle bis zu mehreren Millimetern groß sind, konnten an ein und demselben Kristallindividuum sowohl die stoffliche Charakterisierung (EDXS, WDXS, ICP-OES, LA-ICP-MS, CIC) und die strukturelle Charakterisierung, als auch die Messung der physikalischen Eigenschaften erfolgen. Es konnte u.a. gezeigt werden, dass ZrAs1,4Se0,5 und HfAs1,7Se0,2 ein ähnlich ungewöhnliches Verhalten im temperaturabhängigen elektrischen Widerstand zeigen, welches bereits an Thorium-Arsenid-Seleniden und Uran-Phosphid-Sulfiden beobachtet wurde. Desweiteren gelang es den beobachteten Verlauf im elektrischen Widerstand, mit seinem Minium bei etwa T = 15 K, auf intrinsische strukturelle Merkmale in der anionischen Arsen-Teilstruktur zurückzuführen. / The aim of this work was, to evaluate and interpret a relationship between the crystal-chemical properties and the observed unusual behavior in the electrical resistivity (non-magnetic Kondo-effect). Compounds, which show such an effect, are formed by a transition- or actinide-metal with both a group 15 element and a group 16 element of the periodic table. All these compounds crystallizing in the PbFCl type of structure. Because of less crystallographic and chemical information about actinide-metal-pnictide-chalcogenides (i.e. ThAsSe, UPS), intensive investigation were made concerning the crystal-chemistry of ternary phases of the systems M-Pn-Q (M = Zr, Hf, La-Ce; Pn = As, Sb; Q = Se, Te. Our studies were focused on the structurally localization of the observed anomaly in the electrical resistivity and the evaluation of chemical-physical relations of properties. The synthesis of the investigated ternary phases was realized by exothermically Chemical Transport with iodine as transport agent. The dimension of the synthesized crystals allowed a chemical (EDXS, WDXS, ICP-OES, LA-ICP-MS, CIC) and structurally characterization, as well as a determination of the physical properties on one large single crystal. It could be shown, that ZrAs1,4Se0,5 and HfAs1,7Se0,2 reveal a similar unusual behavior in the temperature dependent electrical resistivity, as it was observed in thorium-arsenide-selenides and uranium-phosphide-sulphides. In conclusion, the non-magnetic Kondo-effect, which was found in the low-temperature range (about 15 K), arises from structurally features of the anionic sublattice with arsenic.

Die Elektronenspinresonanz (ESR) untersucht die im quasistatischen Magnetfeld resonante Absorption eines an die Probe angelegten Mikrowellenmagnetfeldes. Es wurde das System Yb1-w A1-w (Rh1-x Cox)2 (Si1-y Gey) 2 mit A=La, bzw. Lu, sowie das System YbIr2Si2 mittels ESR untersucht. Unter Kondo-Wechselwirkung vieler Leitungselektronen mit einem lokalen 4f-Moment des Kondo-Ions bildet sich ein nicht-magnetisches Grundzustands-Singlett, was zur Abschirmung des magnetischen Moments führt. YbRh2Si2 ist das erste Schwere-Fermionen-System mit Kondo-Ionen, das ohne Dotierung zusätzlicher ESR-Sonden ein ESR-Signal unterhalb der Kondo-Temperatur aufweist. Es zeigt sich, dass das ESR-Signal nicht mittels gängiger ESR-Theorien konsistent beschrieben werden kann. Die Messungen, die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit angestellt wurden, flossen in die Entwicklung von weiterführenden Theorien (z.B. [1], [2]) ein. Die Temperaturabhängigkeit des ESR-g-Faktors konnte damit erfolgreich beschrieben werden, womit erstmals der Nachweis einer Kondo-Wechselwirkung in Kondo-Gitter-Systemen mittels ESR gelang. Ferner konnte die Bedeutung von ferromagnetischen Fluktuationen für eine kleine, beobachtbare Linienbreite beschrieben werden. Der ESR-Methode ist somit die Kondo-Spindynamik direkt zugänglich. Dieser Zugang ist neu und einzigartig, denn andere Methoden (NMR, inelastische Neutronenstreuung) charakterisieren die Kondo-Spindynamik auf indirekte Weise. [1] P. Wölfle und E. Abrahams. Phenomenology of esr in heavy-fermion systems: Fermi-liquid und nicht-fermi-liquid regimes Phys. Rev. B, 80(23): 235112, 2009. [2] B. I. Kochelaev, S. I. Belov, A. M. Skvortsova, A. S. Kutusov, J. Sichelschmidt, J. Wykhoff, C. Geibel und F. Steglich. Why could electron spin resonance be observed in a heavy fermion kondo lattice? Eur. Phys. J. B, 72(4): 485, 2009.

Cette thèse présente les résultats de mesures expérimentales effectués à basse température par les techniques de microscopie tunnel à balayage et de spectroscopie par tunnel à balayage (STS) sur les métaux de transitions phthalocyanines déposées sur les surfaces de métaux nobles. Les mesures STM/STS ont été effectuées pour les molécules MnPc et CuPc adsorbées sur les surfaces Ag (111) et Au (111) à la température expérimentale de travail de 4,5 K. Ces deux types de molécules présentent une différence substantielle de configurations d'adsorption, des comportements électroniques et magnétiques et des structures vibratoires moléculaire. Les études STM/STS ont principalement porté sur les propriétés magnétiques de ces molécules à travers l’effet Kondo et une attention particulière a été accordée à la molécule de MnPc en raison de son comportement magnétique plus intéressant issu de l'atome Mn central. Particulièrement, nous avons étudié l'évolution spectrale des structures électroniques et magnétiques du MnPc partant d'une molécule unique jusqu'à la structure bicouche ordonnée sur la surface Ag (111). En outre, les études STM/STS ont montré une preuve de couplage magnétique entre les moments magnétiques de l'atome de Co et de la molécule de MnPc ainsi que sa forte dépendance vis-à-vis du site d'adsorption de l'atome de Co. Ces études STM/STS sur ce système nous ont permis de comprendre l'effet des interactions molécule-substrat, molécule-molécule et molécules-atome sur les propriétés électroniques et magnétiques des molécules de MnPc. / This thesis presents the results of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) studies on transition-metal phthalocyanines molecules on the noble metal surfaces. The STM/STS measurements have been performed for MnPc and CuPc molecules adsorbed on Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces at the experimental working temperature of 4.5 K. These two types of molecules exhibit substantially different adsorption configurations, the electronic and magnetic behaviors and the molecule vibrational structures. The STM/STS studies have focused mainly on the magnetic properties of these molecules by means of Kondo effect, and special attention has been paid to MnPc molecule due to its more interesting magnetic behavior arising from the central Mn atom. Particularly we investigated the spectral evolution of electronic and magnetic structures of MnPc starting from a single molecule up to the ordered bilayer structures on Ag(111) surface. In addition, the STM/STS investigations showed an evidence of magnetic coupling between the magnetic moments of the Co atom and MnPc molecule and its strong dependence on the adsorption site of Co atom. These STM/STS investigations on this system allowed us to understand the effect of molecule-substrate, molecule-molecule and molecule-atom interactions on the electronic and magnetic properties of MnPc molecules.

No description available.

This thesis presents an experimental study of the thermoelectrical properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QD). The measurements give information about the interplay between first order tunneling and macroscopic quantum tunneling transport effects in the presence of thermal gradients by the direct comparison of the thermoelectric response and the energy spectrum of the QD. The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the charge and spin transport in few-electron quantum dots with respect to potential applications in future quantum computing devices. It also gives new insight into the field of low temperature thermoelectricity. The investigated QDs were defined electrostatically in a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed with a GaAs/(Al,Ga)As heterostructure by means of metallic gate electrodes on top of the heterostructure. Negative voltages with respect to the potential of the 2DEG applied to the gate electrodes were used to deplete the electron gas below them and to form an isolated island of electron gas in the 2DEG which contains a few ten electrons. This QD was electrically connected to the 2DEG via two tunneling barriers. A special electron heating technique was used to create a temperature difference between the two connecting reservoirs across the QD. The resulting thermoelectric voltage was used to study the charge and spin transport processes with respect to the discrete energy spectrum and the magnetic properties of the QD. Such a two dimensional island usually exhibits a discrete energy spectrum, which is comparable to that of atoms. At temperatures below a few degrees Kelvin, the electrostatic charging energy of the QDs exceeds the thermal activation energy of the electrons in the leads, and the transport of electrons through the QD is dominated by electron-electron interaction effects. The measurements clarify the overall line shape of thermopower oscillations and the observed fine structure as well as additional spin effects in the thermoelectrical transport. The observations demonstrate that it is possible to control and optimize the strength and direction of the electronic heat flow on the scale of a single impurity and create spin-correlated thermoelectric transport in nanostructures, where the experimenter has a close control of the exact transport conditions. The results support the assumption that the performance of thermoelectric devices can be enhanced by the adjustment of the QD energy levels and by exploiting the properties of the spin-correlated charge transport via localized, spin-degenerate impurity states. Within this context, spin entropy has been identified as a driving force for the thermoelectric transport in the spin-correlated transport regime in addition to the kinetic contributions. Fundamental considerations, which are based on simple model assumptions, suggest that spin entropy plays an important role in the presence of charge valence fluctuations in the QD. The presented model gives an adequate starting point for future quantitative analysis of the thermoelectricity in the spin-correlated transport regime. These future studies might cover the physics in the limit of single electron QDs or the physics of more complex structures such as QD molecules as well as QD chains. In particular, it should be noted that the experimental investigations of the thermopower of few-electron QDs address questions concerning the entropy transport and entropy production with respect to single-bit information processing operations. These questions are of fundamental physical interest due to their close connection to the problem of minimal energy requirements in communication, and thus ultimately to the so called "Maxwell's demon" with respect to the second law of thermodynamics. / Diese Dissertation präsentiert eine experimentelle Studie über die thermoelektrischen Eigenschaften von Halbleiterquantenpunkten. Das thermoelektrische Verhalten der Quantenpunkte wird unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihrer jeweiligen Energiespektren und magnetischen bzw Spin-Eigenschaften diskutiert. Die durchgeführten Messungen geben Aufschluss über das Zusammenspiel von Einzelelektronentunnelprozessen erster und höherer Ordnung unter dem Einfluss thermischer Gradienten. Somit trägt diese Dissertation zum Verständnis des Ladungs- und Spintransports in potentiellen, zukünftigen Bausteinen für die Quanteninformationsverarbeitung bei und ermöglicht neue Einblicke in das Themengebiet der Thermoelektrizität bei sehr tiefen Temperaturen. Die untersuchten Quantenpunkte wurden in einem zweidimensionalen Elektronengas (2DEG) mittels nanostrukturierter, metallischer "gates" erzeugt, die auf der Oberfläche einer GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostrukturoberfläche aufgebracht wurden. Durch das Anlegen negativer Spannungen in Bezug auf das Potential des 2DEGs, wurde das Elektronengas unter den gates verdrängt, so dass eine isolierte Insel entstand, die bis zu ca. 30 Elektronen zählte. Zwei Tunnelbarrieren dienten als elektrische Verbindung dieses Quantenpunkts zu den Zuleitungen. Unter Verwendung einer speziellen Stromheizungstechnik wurde eine Temperaturdifferenz zwischen den zwei Zuleitungsreservoirs über dem Quantenpunkt erzeugt. Die Untersuchung von Ladungs- und Spintransportprozessen erfolgte über den direkten Vergleich der resultierenden thermoelektrischen Spannung mit den jeweiligen Energiespektren der Quantenpunkte. Im Allgemeinen weist eine solche zweidimensionale Insel ein diskretes Energiespektrum auf, das vergleichbar mit dem einzelner Atome ist. Unterhalb einer Temperatur von wenigen Grad Kelvin, ist die elektrostatische Aufladungsenergie des Quantenpunkts größer als die thermische Anregungsenergie der Elektronen in den Zuleitungen. Als Folge bestimmen Elektron-Elektron-Wechselwirkungseffekte den Transport von Elektronen durch den Quantenpunkt. Die durchgeführten Messungen erklären den Verlauf der Thermokraft als Funktion des Quantenpunktpotentials einschließlich der aufgeprägten Feinstruktur sowie zusätzliche thermoelektrische Effekte, die von den Spin-Eigenschaften des Quantenpunkts hervorgerufen werden. Die Beobachtungen beweisen, dass es möglich ist Stärke und Richtung des elektronischen Wärmeflusses auf der Größenskala einzelner Verunreinigungen zu kontrollieren und gegebenenfalls zu optimieren sowie Spin-korrelierten thermoelektrischen Transport in künstlich hergestellten Nanostrukturen zu verwirklichen, welche eine gezielte Kontrolle der Transportbedingungen erlauben. Die Ergebnisse untermauern die Annahmen einer möglichen Verbesserung der Effizienz thermoelektrisch aktiver Materialien durch die Anpassung der energetischen Lage entsprechender Quantenpunktzustände und durch die Ausnutzung der thermoelektrischen Effekte im Spin-korrelierten Ladungstransport durch energetisch entartete, lokalisierte Zustände. In diesem Rahmen wurde erläutert, dass Spinentropie neben den kinetischen Beiträgen eine weitere treibende Kraft des thermoelektrischen Transports durch Quantenpunkte darstellt. Grundlegende Überlegungen, die auf einfachen Modellannahmen beruhen, lassen erwarten, dass die Beiträge der Spinentropie zum thermoelektischen Transport bei vorhandenen Fluktuationen der Anzahl der Ladungen auf dem Quantenpunkt eine signifikante Rolle spielen. Das vorgestellte Modell bietet hierzu einen geeigneten Ausgangspunkt für weitere quantitative Analysen der Thermoelektrizität im Spin-korrelierten Transportregime. Insbesondere sei darauf hingewiesen, dass die experimentelle Untersuchung der Thermokraft von Quantenpunktstrukturen, wie sie hier verwendet wurden, den Entropietransport und die Entropieerzeugung in Bezug zu Ein-Bit-Rechenoperationen setzen. Fragestellungen dieser Art sind von fundamentalem physikalischen Interesse aufgrund ihrer engen Verknüpfung mit der Frage nach dem minimalen Energieaufwand, der eine Kommunikation ermöglicht. Dieses Problem wird häufig mittels des so genannten Maxwell'schen Dämon diskutiert und hinterfragt in ihrem Ursprung den zweiten Hauptsatz der Thermodynamik.

Fermi surface, the locus in momentum space of gapless low-energy excitations, is a concept of fundamental importance in solid state physics. Electronic properties of a material are determined by the long-lived low-energy excitations near the Fermi surface. Conventionally, Fermi surface is understood as a property exclusive to a metallic state, contoured by electronic bands crossed by the Fermi level, although there has been a continuing effort in searching for Fermi surface outside the conventional description. In this thesis, techniques developed to prepare high-quality single crystals of SmB$_6$ and YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (abbreviated as YBCO$_{6+x}$ hereinafter) are described. By utilising measurement techniques of exceptional sensitivity and exploring a wide range of temperatures, magnetic fields, and electrical currents, we found signatures of unconventional Fermi surfaces beyond the traditional description in these strongly correlated electronic systems. SmB$_6$ is a classic example of Kondo insulators whose insulating behaviour arises due to strong correlation between the itinerant $d$-electrons and localised $f$-electrons. The peculiar resistivity plateau onsets below 4 K has been a decades-long puzzle whose origin has been recently proposed as the manifestation of topological conducting surface states. We found that the insulating behaviour in electrical transport is robust against magnetic fields up to 45 T, while prominent quantum oscillations in magnetisation are observed above 10 T. Angular dependence of the quantum oscillations revealed a three-dimensional characteristics with an absolute amplitude consistent with a bulk origin, and temperature dependence showed a surprising departure from the conventional Lifshitz-Kosevich formalism. Complementary thermodynamic measurements showed results consistent with a Fermi surface originating from neutral itinerant low-energy excitations at low temperatures. Theoretical proposals of the unconventional ground state uncovered by our measurements in SmB$_6$ are discussed. YBCO$_{6+x}$ is a high-temperature superconductor with a maximum $T_{\rm c}$ of 93.5 K and the cleanest member in the family of copper-oxide, or {\it cuprate}, superconductors. The correct description of electronic ground state in the enigmatic pseudogap regime, where the antinodal density of states are suppressed below a characteristic temperature $T^*$ above $T_{\rm c}$, has been a subject of active debates. While the quantum oscillations observed in underdoped YBCO$_{6+x}$ have been predominately interpreted as a property of the normal state where the superconducting parameter is completely suppressed at $\approx$ 23 T, we made the discovery that YBCO$_{6.55}$ exhibits zero resistivity up to 45 T when a low electrical current is used, consistent with the observation of a hysteresis loop in magnetisation. Quantum oscillations in the underdoped YBCO$_{6+x}$ are thus seen to coexist with $d$-wave superconductivity. Characteristics of the quantum oscillations are consistent with an isolated Fermi pocket reconstructed by a charge density wave order parameter and unaccompanied by significant background density of states, suggesting the antinodal density of states is completely gapped out by a strong order parameter involving pairing correlations, potentially in addition to the other order parameters. Transport measurements performed over a wide doping range show signatures consistent with pairing correlations that persist up to the pseudogap temperature $T^*$. The surprising observation of quantum oscillations in insulating SmB$_6$ and superconducting YBCO$_{6+x}$ demonstrates a possible new paradigm of a Fermi surface without a conventional Fermi liquid. A new theoretical framework outside the realm of Fermi liquid theory may be needed to discuss the physics in these strongly correlated materials with enticing electronic properties.

Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à un point quantique<br />connecté à trois réservoirs. Le nuage Kondo se développe<br />essentiellement dans le troisième réservoir, fortement couplé au point<br />quantique, alors que les deux autres réservoirs, faiblement couplés au<br />point quantique, servent à sonder le système par des mesures de<br />transport.<br />Après avoir modélisé une telle géométrie triterminale, nous<br />avons calculé la matrice de conductance à température nulle par la<br />théorie des liquides de Fermi.<br />Dans le reste de la thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés au cas<br />où le troisième réservoir est de taille finie, ce qui confère à sa densité d'état une structure en pics.<br />Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié le système par le<br />groupe de renormalisation perturbatif et nous avons calculé la<br />température Kondo, principale échelle d'énergie du problème.<br />Ensuite, nous avons calculé la matrice de conductance du<br />système dans différents régimes de température. Pour des températures<br />très grandes devant la température Kondo, nous avons utilisé une<br />approche perturbative. Pour des températures très petites devant la<br />température Kondo, nous avons utilisé une théorie de type liquides de<br />Fermi. Et dans le régime intermédiaire, nous avons utilisé une méthode<br />numérique appelée théorie des bosons esclaves en champ moyen. Dans ce<br />dernier régime a également été menée à terme une analyse<br />spectroscopique de la densité d'état du point quantique.