Electron transport through Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with laterally coupled double quantum dots

Abstract

We theoretically investigate electron transport through an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer containing laterally coupled double quantum dots. We introduce the indirect coupling parameter $\alpha$, which characterizes the strength of the coupling via the reservoirs between two quantum dots. $|\alpha|=1$ indicates the strongest coupling, where only a single mode contributes to the transport in the system. Two conduction modes exist in a system where $|\alpha|\neq 1$. The interference effects such as the Fano resonance and the Aharonov-Bohm oscillation are suppressed as the absolute value of the parameter $\alpha$ decreases from 1. The linear conductance does not depend on the flux when $\alpha=0$ since it corresponds to independent coupling of the dots to the reservoir modes.