Abstract:
In this talk I will review our recent activities on theoretical studies of transport properties of correlated quantum dots and molecules coupled to external contacts. First, I will give a brief introduction to the Kondo effect and discuss the numerical renormalization group (NRG) method used to study the transport properties of correlated nanostructures. Next, I will discuss the behavior of correlation clouds in hybrid systems with superconducting electrodes. Then, I will present the results on spin-resolved transport through single and double quantum dots focusing on the development of exchange fields. Finally, I will comment on the extension of NRG to nonequilibrium and present some of our results on transport properties in out-of-equilibrium settings. These will include spin-resolved properties as well as transport induced by finite temperature gradients.