# Conductance and polarization in quantum junctions

Godby, R.W. and Bokes, P. (2004) Conductance and polarization in quantum junctions. Physical Review B (PRB). Art. No. 245420. ISSN 1098-0121

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## Abstract

We revisit the expression for the conductance of a general nanostructure -- such as a quantum point contact -- as obtained from the linear response theory. We show that the conductance represents the strength of the Drude singularity in the conductivity $\sigma(k,k';i\omega \to 0)$. Using the equation of continuity for electric charge we obtain a formula for conductance in terms of polarization of the system. This identification can be used for direct calculation of the conductance for systems of interest even at the {\it ab-initio} level. In particular, we show that one can evaluate the conductance from calculations for a finite system without the need for special transport'' boundary conditions.

Item Type: Article © 2004 American Physical Society. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Physical Review B and uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self archiving policy. The University of York The University of York > Physics (York) Physics Import 19 Aug 2008 15:39 26 Mar 2015 07:29 http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.69.245420 Published Yes http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/4022