Robust negative differential conductance and enhanced shot noise in transport through a molecular transistor with vibration assistance

In this paper, we analyze vibration-assisted sequential tunneling (including current-voltage characteristics and zero-frequency shot noise) through a molecular quantum dot with two electronic orbitals asymmetrically coupled to the internal vibration. We employ rate equations for the case of equilibrated phonons, and strong Coulomb blockade. We find that a system with a strongly phonon-coupled ground state orbital and weakly phonon-coupled excited state orbital exhibits strong negative differential conductance; and it also shows super-Poissonian current noise. We discuss in detail the reasons and conditions for the appearance of negative differential conductance.