Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate the minimal requirements that induce a nonreciprocal response to temperature differences in a mesoscopic electronic conductor. We identify two distinct mechanisms involved in electron-electron interactions, namely inelastic scattering and screening, that locally affect the internal properties of the device, leading to thermal and thermoelectric rectification effects in the absence of inversion symmetry. We propose resonant tunneling samples to efficiently exploit these effects, and find configurations acting as bipolar thermoelectric diodes whose current flows in the same direction irrespective of the sign of the temperature difference, a case of antireciprocity.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: José Balduque, Rafael Sánchez
Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4410159194