Electron-electron-interaction-induced instability in double quantum-wire structures

The tendency of a double quantum-wire electron system towards a charge-density-wave instability is examined in the framework of linear-response theory. We choose model parameters that approximate realistic structures based on GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$As materials. Local-field effects associated with exchange and correlation are treated self-consistently. It is found that the uniform double quantum-wire electron system at low temperature is unstable under conditions of low density and sufficiently close proximity of the quantum wires.