Quantum transport along a tight-binding chain connected to Markovian reservoirs

Abstract

We consider quantum transport of non-interacting particles in a tight-binding chain coupled to Markovian reservoirs at its boundaries and subject to uniform on-site dephasing. Using the masterequation approach, we derived the exact analytic solution for the mean current along the chain. This analytic solution is obtained in the framework of single-particle quantum mechanics and, thus, equally applies for transport of non-interacting bosons and fermions. In the absence of phase damping, the results are extended to the complete many-body solution for bosonic problem in the form of anti-normally ordered characteristic function. This function allows us to calculate the distribution function for the current at each bond in the chain as well as the inter-bond current correlation functions.