Kondo and mixed valence regimes in multi-level quantum dots

Abstract

We investigate the dependence of the ground state of a multi-level quantum dot on the coupling to an external fermionic system and on the interactions in the dot. As the coupling to the external system increases, the rearrangement of the effective energy levels in the dot signals the transition from the Kondo regime to a mixed valence (MV) regime. The MV regime in a two level dot is characterized by an intrinsic mixing of the levels in the dot, resulting in non-perturbative sub- and super-tunneling phenomena that strongly influence the Kondo effect.