Coulomb gap triptych in a periodic array of metal nanocrystals

Tianran Chen; Brian Skinner; B. I. Shklovskii

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.109.126805

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arXiv · 1204.4935

Coulomb gap triptych in a periodic array of metal nanocrystals

Tianran Chen·Brian Skinner·B. I. Shklovskii

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Abstract

The Coulomb gap in the single particle density of states (DOS) is a universal consequence of electron-electron interaction in disordered systems with localized electron states. Here we show that in arrays of monodisperse metallic nanocrystals, there is not one but three identical adjacent Coulomb gaps, which together form a structure that we call a "Coulomb gap triptych." We calculate the DOS and the conductivity in two- and three-dimensional arrays using a computer simulation. Unlike in the conventional Coulomb glass models, in nanocrystal arrays the DOS has a fixed width in the limit of large disorder. The Coulomb gap triptych can be studied via tunneling experiments.

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Tianran Chen, Brian Skinner, B. I. Shklovskii. 2012-04-22. Coulomb gap triptych in a periodic array of metal nanocrystals. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.109.126805

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