The heavy-electron superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ exhibits a puzzling precursor state above its superconducting critical temperature at $T_c$ = 2.3 K. The thermopower and Nernst signal are anomalous. Below 15 K, the entropy current of the electrons undergoes a steep decrease reaching $\sim$0 at $T_c$. Concurrently, the off-diagonal thermoelectric current $α_{xy}$ is enhanced. The delicate sensitivity of the zero-entropy state to field implies phase coherence over large distances. The prominent anomalies in the thermoelectric current contrast with the relatively weak effects in the resistivity and magnetization.
Very recently large Nernst effect and Seebeck effect were observed above the superconducting transition temperature 2.3K in a heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn_5. We shall interpret this large Nernst effect in terms of unconventional density wave (UDW), which appears around T=18K. Also the temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient below T=18K is described in terms of UDW. Another hallmark for UDW is the angular dependent magnetoresistance, which should be readily accessible experimentally.
We present the first measurement on Nernst effect in the normal state of odd-parity, spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$. Below 100 K, the Nernst signal was found to be negative, large, and, as a function of magnetic field, nonlinear. Its magnitude increases with the decreasing temperature until reaching a maximum around $T^*$ $\approx$ 20 - 25 K, below which it starts to decrease linearly as a function of temperature. The large value of the Nernst signal appears to be related to the multiband nature of the normal state and the nonlinearity to band-dependent magnetic fluctuation in S…
We present a study of thermoelectric coefficients in CeCoIn_5 down to 0.1 K and up to 16 T in order to probe the thermoelectric signatures of quantum criticality. In the vicinity of the field-induced quantum critical point, the Nernst coefficient nu exhibits a dramatic enhancement without saturation down to lowest measured temperature. The dimensionless ratio of Seebeck coefficient to electronic specific heat shows a minimum at a temperature close to threshold of the quasiparticle formation. Close to T_c(H), in the vortex-liquid state, the Nernst coefficient behaves anomalously in puzzling con…
We present a study of Nernst and Seebeck coefficients of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_{5}$. Below 18 K, concomitant with a field-dependent Seebeck coefficient, a large sub-linear Nernst signal emerges with a magnitude drastically exceeding what is expected for a multi-band Fermi-liquid metal. In the mixed state, in contrast with all other superconductors studied before, this signal overwhelms the one associated with the motion of superconducting vortices. The results point to a hitherto unknown source of transverse thermoelectricity in strongly interacting electrons.
Semiconducting-like low-temperature in-plane resistivity indicates that there are no remnants of superconductivity above the resistive phase transition at T > Tc in underdoped cuprates. The model with the chemical potential pinned near the mobility edge inside the charge-transfer optical gap describes quantitatively the Nernst effect, thermopower, diamagnetism and the unusual low-temperature resistivity of underdoped cuprates as normal state phenomena above Tc.
The lead chalcogenides (Pb,Sn)Te and (Pb,Sn)Se are the first examples of topological crystalline insulators (TCI) predicted \cite{Fu,Hsieh} (and confirmed \cite{Hasan,Story,Takahashi}) to display topological surface Dirac states (SDS) that are protected by mirror symmetry. A starting premise \cite{Hsieh} is that the SDS arise from bulk states describable as massive Dirac states \cite{Wallis,Svane}, but this assumption is untested. Here we show that the thermoelectric response of the bulk states display features specific to the Dirac spectrum. We show that, in the quantum limit, the lowest Land…
A large, strongly temperature-dependent Nernst coefficient, $ν$, is observed between $T$ = 2 K and 300 K for CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ and Ce$_{0.8}$La$_{0.2}$Cu$_2$Si$_2$. The enhanced $ν(T)$ is determined by the asymmetry of the on-site Kondo (conduction electron$-4f$ electron) scattering rate. Taking into account the measured Hall mobility, $μ_H$, the highly unusual thermopower, $S$, of these systems can be semiquantitatively described by $S(T)$ $=$ $-$$ν(T)/μ_H(T)$, which explicitly demonstrates that the thermopower originates from the local Kondo scattering process over a wide temperature range from…
We examine the possibility that the large Nernst signal observed in the pseudogap regime of hole-doped cuprates originates from quasiparticle transport in a state with d-density wave (DDW) order, proposed by S. Chakravarty et al. [Phys. Rev. B 63, 094503 (2001)]. We find that the Nernst coefficient can be moderately enhanced in magnitude by DDW order, and is generally of negative sign. Thus, the quasiparticles of the DDW state cannot account for the large and positive Nernst signal observed in the pseudogap phase of the cuprates. However, the general considerations outlined in this paper may b…
On the basis of the linear response transport theory, the general expressions for the thermoelectric transport coefficients, such as thermoelectric power (S), Nernst coefficient (ν), and thermal conductivity (κ), are derived by using the Fermi liquid theory. The obtained expression is exact as for the most singular term in terms of 1/γ_k^* (γ_k^* being the quasiparticle damping rate). We utilize the Ward identities for the heat current which is derived by the local energy conservation law. Based on the derived expressions, we can calculate various thermoelectric transport coefficients within t…
Dirac/Weyl semimetals hosting linearly-dispersing bands have received recent attention for potential thermoelectric applications, since their ultrahigh-mobility carriers could generate large thermoelectric and Nernst power factors. To optimize these efficiencies, the Fermi energy needs to be chemically controlled in a wide range, which is generally difficult in bulk materials because of disorder effects from the substituted ions. Here it is shown that the Fermi energy is tunable across the Dirac point for layered magnet EuMnBi$_2$ by partially substituting Gd$^{3+}$ for Eu$^{2+}$ in the insula…
We examine the possibility that the experimentally observed enhancement of superconducting (SC) fluctuations above the SC transition temperature in the underdoped cuprates is caused by stripes -- an intrinsic electronic inhomogeneity, common to hole-doped cuprates. By evaluating the strengths of the diamagnetic response and the Nernst effect within the striped SC model, we find results that are qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations. We make a prediction for anisotropic thermopower in detwinned samples that can be used to further test the proposed scenario.
We report the observation of a universal scaling of the Nernst coefficient over a wide intermediate temperature range in heavy fermion materials, including the superconductors CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, CeCoIn$_5$, and Ce$_2$PdIn$_8$, the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice Ce$_3$RhSi$_3$, the nonmagnetic CeRu$_2$Si$_2$, the intermediate valent YbAl$_3$, and the hidden order compound URu$_2$Si$_2$, that cover a broad spectrum of heavy fermion materials with different crystal, valence and ground state properties. The scaling formula follows exactly the magnetic susceptibility of emergent heavy quasiparticles as p…
We develop a theory of transverse thermoelectric (Peltier) conductivity, α_{xy}, in finite magnetic field -- this particular conductivity is often the most important contribution to the Nernst thermopower. We demonstrate that α_{xy} of a free electron gas can be expressed purely and exactly as the entropy per carrier irrespective of temperature (which agrees with seminal Hall bar result of Girvin and Jonson). In two dimensions we prove the universality of this result in the presence of disorder which allows explicit demonstration of a number features of interest to experiments on graphene and …
The magnetic field and angular dependencies of the thermopower and Nernst effect of the quasi-two-dimensional organic conductor alpha-(ET)2KHg(SCN)4 are experimentally measured at temperatures below (4 K) and above (9 K) the transition temperature to fields of In addition, a theoretical model which involves a magnetic breakdown effect between the q1D and q2D bands is proposed in order to simulate the data. Analysis of the background components of the thermopower and Nernst effect imply that at low temperatures, in the CDW state, the properties of alpha-(ET)2KHg(SCN)4 are determined mostly by t…
We report the Nernst effect (v) and thermoelectric power (S) data for the Ce2PdIn8 heavy-fermion compound. Both S and v behave anomalously at low temperatures: the thermopower shows a Kondo-like maximum at T = 37 K, while the Nernst coefficient becomes greatly enhanced and field dependent below T ~ 30 K. In the zero-T limit S/T and v/T diverge logarithmically, what is related to occurrence of the quantum critical point (QCP). Presented results suggest that the antiferromagnetic spin-density-wave scenario may be applicable to QCP in Ce2PdIn8.
We report a systematic study of temperature- and field-dependent charge ($\boldsymbolρ$) and entropy ($\mathbf{S}$) transport in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn$_5$. Its large positive thermopower $S_{xx}$ is typical of Ce-based Kondo lattice systems, and strong electronic correlations play an important role in enhancing the Nernst signal $S_{xy}$. By separating the off-diagonal Peltier coefficient $α_{xy}$ from $S_{xy}$, we find that $α_{xy}$ becomes positive and greatly enhanced at temperatures well above the bulk $T_c$. Compared with the non-magnetic analog LaIrIn$_5$, these results…
Motivated by the high sensitivity to Fermi surface topology and scattering mechanisms in magneto-thermoelectric transport, we have measured the thermopower and Nernst effect on the (011)-plane of the proposed topological Kondo insulator SmB$_6$. These experiments, together with electrical resistivity and Hall effect measurements, demonstrate that the (011)-plane also harbors a metallic surface with the effective mass in the order of 10-10$^2$ $m_0$. The surface and bulk conductances are well distinguished in these measurements and are categorized into metallic and non-degenerate semiconducting…
The first heavy fermion superconductor CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ has not revealed all its striking mysteries yet. At high pressures, superconductivity is supposed to be mediated by valence fluctuations, in contrast to ambient pressure, where spin fluctuations most likely act as pairing glue. We have carried out a multiprobe (electric transport, thermopower, ac specific heat, Hall and Nernst effects) experiment up to $7 \text{GPa}$ on a high quality CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ single crystal. Reliable resistivity data reveal for the first time a scaling behavior close to the supposed valence transition, and allow to l…
