Quantum phase transition and underscreened Kondo effect in electron transport through parallel double quantum dots

Abstract

We investigate electronic transport through parallel double quantum dot(DQD) system with strong on-site Coulomb interaction and capacitive interdot coupling. By applying numerical renormalization group(NRG) method, the ground state of the system and the transmission probability at zero temperature have been obtained. For a system of quantum dots with degenerate energy levels and small interdot tunnel coupling, the spin correlations between the DQDs is ferromagnetic, and the ground state of the system is a spin 1 triplet state. The linear conductance will reach the unitary limit ($2e^2/h$) due to the underscreened Kondo effect at low temperature. As the interdot tunnel coupling increases, there is a quantum phase transition from ferromagnetic to anti-ferromagnetic spin correlation in DQDs and the linear conductance is strongly suppressed.

5 pages, 5 figures, references added