Field dependence of the thermopower of CeNiSn

TL;DR

This paper investigates the intrinsic thermopower behavior of CeNiSn in magnetic fields, revealing the influence of the Nernst effect and Zeeman splitting of a pseudogap, clarifying previous sample-dependent observations.

Contribution

It demonstrates how to correct for Nernst effect contributions to accurately measure the thermopower of CeNiSn under magnetic fields.

Findings

Thermopower is affected by the Nernst coefficient in moderate fields.

Corrected thermopower shows Zeeman splitting of a pseudogap.

Behavior explained by pseudogap Zeeman splitting.

Abstract

Previously measured thermopower data of CeNiSn exhibit a significant sample dependence and non-monotonous behavior in magnetic fields. In this paper we demonstrate that the measured thermopower S(T) may contain a contribution from the huge Nernst coefficient of the compound, even in moderate fields of 2 T. A correction for this effect allows to determine the intrinsic field dependence of S(T). The observed thermopower behavior can be understood from Zeeman splitting of a V-shaped pseudogap in magnetic fields.