Experimental verification of reciprocity relations in quantum thermoelectric transport

J. Matthews, F. Battista, D. Sánchez, P. Samuelsson, and H. Linke
Phys. Rev. B 90, 165428 – Published 21 October 2014

Abstract

Fundamental symmetries in thermoelectric quantum transport, beyond Onsagers relations, were predicted two decades ago but have to date not been observed in experiments. Recent works have predicted the symmetries to be sensitive to energy-dependent, inelastic scattering, raising the question whether they exist in practice. Here, we answer this question affirmatively by experimentally verifying the thermoelectric reciprocity relations in a four-terminal mesoscopic device where each terminal can be electrically and thermally biased individually. The linear-response thermoelectric coefficients are found to be symmetric under simultaneous reversal of magnetic field and exchange of injection and emission contacts. We also demonstrate a controllable breakdown of the reciprocity relations by increasing thermal bias, putting in prospect enhanced thermoelectric performance.

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  • Received 29 October 2013
  • Revised 29 September 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.165428

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Matthews1, F. Battista2,3, D. Sánchez4, P. Samuelsson2,3, and H. Linke2,3

  • 1Physics Department and Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1274, USA
  • 2Physics Department, Lund University, Box 118, S-221 00, Lund, Sweden
  • 3Nanometer Structure Consortium (nmC@LU), Lund University, Box 118, S-221 00, Lund, Sweden
  • 4Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain

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Issue

Vol. 90, Iss. 16 — 15 October 2014

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