Electron tunneling in one-dimensional channels: Effects of electromagnetic interaction

We show that electromagnetic interaction suppresses the rate of electron tunneling through the barrier in a one-dimensional (1D) electron channel at low voltages and temperatures. For narrow channels, the Fermi velocity may be comparable to the phase velocity of electromagnetic excitations (1D plasmons). In this case, tunneling electrons experience a quantum effective impedance ${\mathit{Z}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$=h/${\mathit{e}}^2$, which results in a universal behavior of the zero-temperature I-V characteristic (I∝${\mathit{V}}^3$) and of the temperature dependence of the conductance (G∝${\mathit{T}}^2$).