Breakdown of an electric-field driven system: a mapping to a quantum walk

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Mar 18;94(10):100602. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.100602. Epub 2005 Mar 18.

Abstract

Quantum transport properties of electron systems driven by strong electric fields are studied by mapping the Landau-Zener transition dynamics to a quantum walk on a semi-infinite one-dimensional lattice with a reflecting boundary, where the sites correspond to energy levels and the boundary the ground state. Quantum interference induces a distribution localized around the ground state, and a delocalization transition occurs when the electric field is increased, which describes the dielectric breakdown in the original electron system.