Chirality Induced Tilted-Hill Giant Nernst Signal

TL;DR

This paper uncovers a new chiral ground state mechanism causing giant, non-linear Nernst signals with a tilted-hill temperature profile, explaining anomalous thermoelectric effects across various complex materials.

Contribution

It introduces a novel chiral ground state explanation for giant Nernst signals, differing from traditional quasiparticle or vortex mechanisms.

Findings

Identifies chiral d-density wave as the source of the Nernst response.

Explains the tilted-hill temperature profile in materials.

Provides a unified framework for diverse material behaviors.

Abstract

We reveal a novel source of giant Nernst response exhibiting strong non-linear temperature and magnetic field dependence including the mysterious tilted-hill temperature profile observed in a pleiad of materials. The phenomenon results directly from the formation of a chiral ground state, e.g. a chiral d-density wave, which is compatible with the eventual observation of diamagnetism and is distinctly different from the usual quasiparticle and vortex Nernst mechanisms. Our picture provides a unified understanding of the anomalous thermoelectricity observed in materials as diverse as hole doped cuprates and heavy-fermion compounds like URu2Si2.