Transport in a one-channel Luttinger liquid

Abstract

We study theoretically the transport of a one-channel Luttinger liquid through a weak link. For repulsive electron interactions, the electrons are completely reflected by even the smallest scatterer, leading to a truly insulating weak link, in striking contrast to that for noninteracting electrons. At finite temperature (T) the conductance is nonzero, and is predicted to vanish as a power of T. At T=0 power-law current-voltage characteristics are predicted. For attractive interactions, a Luttinger liquid is argued to be perfectly transmitted through even the largest of barriers. The role of Fermi-liquid leads is also explored.