Electric- and magnetic-field-induced evolution of transport windows in a vertical quantum dot

A theoretical description is presented for the quantum Coulomb blockade observed in a vertical gated quantum dot. We have applied a self-consistent approach to a solution of the Poisson-Schrödinger problem, which takes into account the electrostatics of the entire nanostructure. The conditions under which the Coulomb blockade and the transport windows appear in the current-voltage characteristics of the nanodevice are determined as functions of the external magnetic field and the potentials applied to the electrodes. We have discussed the magnetic-field induced ground-state transformations in the system of electrons confined in the quantum dot and their consequences for the measured characteristics of the nanodevice. The results of the present calculations are in a good agreement with the experimental data.