Electron transport through Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with laterally coupled double quantum dots

We theoretically investigate electron transport through an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer containing laterally coupled double quantum dots. We introduce the indirect coupling parameter alpha, which characterizes the strength of the coupling via the reservoirs between two quantum dots. vertical bar alpha vertical bar=1 indicates the strongest coupling, where only a single mode contributes to the transport in the system. Two conduction modes exist in a system where vertical bar alpha vertical bar not equal 1. The interference effects such as the Fano resonance and the Aharonov-Bohm oscillation are suppressed as the absolute value of the parameter alpha decreases from 1. The linear conductance does not depend on the flux when alpha=0 since it corresponds to independent coupling of the dots to the reservoir modes.