Theory of current-voltage asymmetries in double quantum dots

An explanation for the asymmetries in the current-voltage characteristics in mesoscopic quantum systems weakly coupled to reservoirs is proposed. Thus, it is suggested that inelastic scattering between the states in the interacting region dynamically redistributes the tunneling rate through the system. This redistribution functions non-uniformly for negative and positive bias voltages. Based on a diagrammatic technique for non-equilibrium many-body operator Green functions, an expression is presented that accounts for these scattering effects between the states. The theory is consistent with recent experimental data on mesoscopic systems.