Minimal realization of the Orbital Kondo effect in a Quantum Dot with two Leads

Abstract

We demonstrate theoretically how the Kondo effect may be observed in the transport of spinless electrons through a quantum dot. The role of conduction electron spin is played by a lead index. The Kondo effect takes place if there are two close levels in the dot populated by a single electron. For temperatures exceeding the Kondo temperature $T\gg T_K$ the conductance is maximal if the levels are exactly degenerate. However, at zero temperature the conductance is zero at the SU(2) symmetric point, but reaches the unitary limit $G = e^2/h$ for some finite value of the level splitting $\Delta\eps\sim T_K$. Introducing the spin-1/2 for electrons and having two degenerate orbital levels in the dot allows to observe the SU(4) Kondo effect in a single dot coupled to two leads.