Scattering theory of nonlinear thermoelectric transport

Phys Rev Lett. 2013 Jan 11;110(2):026804. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.026804. Epub 2013 Jan 11.

Abstract

We investigate nonlinear transport properties of quantum conductors in response to both electrical and thermal driving forces. Within the scattering approach, we determine the nonequilibrium screening potential of a generic mesoscopic system and find that its response is dictated by particle and entropic injectivities which describe the charge and entropy transfer during transport. We illustrate our model analyzing the voltage and thermal rectification of a resonant tunneling barrier. Importantly, we discuss interaction induced contributions to the thermopower in the presence of large temperature differences.