THE CONDUCTANCE OF A LINEAR-CHAIN - ELASTIC AND INELASTIC-SCATTERING EFFECTS

The electronic transport properties of a linear chain have been analysed. The chain conductance, the electrochemical potential variations along the chain, and some defect scattering effects have been discussed using the non-equilibrium Keldysh formalism. For the elastic regime we show that there is a deep fink between the chain conductance and the electrochemical potential drop along the chain. For the inelastic regime we discuss how the quantum interference associated with the electronic transport is damped by the inelastic scattering.