Nonequilibrium free energy, H theorem and self-sustained oscillations for Boltzmann-BGK descriptions of semiconductor superlattices

DOI10.1088/1742-5468/2011/01/P01018MaRDI QIDQ3301209zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors M. Álvaro, L. L. Bonilla

Publication date 11 August 2020

Published in Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1011.3007

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Statistical thermodynamics (82B30) Statistical mechanics of semiconductors (82D37)

Abstract: Semiconductor superlattices (SL) may be described by a Boltzmann-Poisson kinetic equation with a Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) collision term which preserves charge, but not momentum or energy. Under appropriate boundary and voltage bias conditions, these equations exhibit time-periodic oscillations of the current caused by repeated nucleation and motion of charge dipole waves. Despite this clear nonequilibrium behavior, if we `close' the system by attaching insulated contacts to the superlattice and keeping its voltage bias to zero volts, we can prove the H theorem, namely that a free energy $Phi(t)$ of the kinetic equations is a Lyapunov functional ($Phigeq0$, $dPhi/dtleq0$). Numerical simulations confirm that the free energy decays to its equilibrium value for a closed SL, whereas for an `open' SL under appropriate dc voltage bias and contact conductivity $Phi(t)$ oscillates in time with the same frequency as the current self-sustained oscillations.

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Cites work

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• WIGNER–POISSON AND NONLOCAL DRIFT-DIFFUSION MODEL EQUATIONS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR SUPERLATTICES

Cited in

(1)

• Self-sustained current oscillations in the kinetic theory of semiconductor superlattices

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