Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: The superconducting proximity effect is known to modify transport properties of hybrid normal-superconducting structures. In addition to changing electrical and thermal transport separately, it alters the thermoelectric effects. Changes to one off-diagonal element ${L}_{12}$ of the thermoelectric matrix $L$ have previously been studied via the thermopower, but the remaining coefficient ${L}_{21}$, which is responsible for the Peltier effect, has received less attention. We discuss symmetry relations between ${L}_{21}$ and ${L}_{12}$ in addition to the Onsager reciprocity, and calculate Peltier coefficients for a specific structure. Similar to the thermopower, for finite phase differences of the superconducting order parameter, the proximity effect creates a Peltier effect significantly larger than the one present in purely normal-metal structures. This results from the fact that a nonequilibrium supercurrent carries energy.
Source: Physical Review B
Authors: Pauli Virtanen, Tero T. Heikkilä
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1973438434