Transport through a double quantum dot in the sequential tunneling and cotunneling regimes

We study transport through a double quantum dot, both in the sequential tunneling and cotunneling regimes. Using a master equation approach, we find that, in the sequential tunneling regime, the differential conductance G as a function of the bias voltage Δμ has a number of satellite peaks with respect to the main peak of the Coulomb blockade diamond. The position of these peaks is related to the interdot tunnel splitting and the singlet-triplet splitting. We find satellite peaks with both positive and negative values of differential conductance for realistic parameter regimes. Relating our theory to a microscopic (Hund-Mulliken) model for the double dot, we find a temperature regime for which the Hubbard ratio (=tunnel coupling over on-site Coulomb repulsion) can be extracted from G(Δμ) in the cotunneling regime. In addition, we consider a combined effect of cotunneling and sequential tunneling, which leads to new peaks (dips) in G(Δμ) inside the Coulomb blockade diamond below some temperature scales, which we specify.