Contribution of Berry Curvature to Thermoelectric Effects

TL;DR

This paper derives a formula for the Seebeck coefficient in a 2D electron gas considering Berry curvature effects, revealing that Berry curvature can significantly influence thermoelectric properties under specific conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical formula for the Seebeck coefficient incorporating Berry curvature effects in 2DEG systems with AHE and ANE.

Findings

Berry curvature can significantly affect the Seebeck coefficient.

Deviation from traditional Seebeck estimates can be substantial.

Further research needed on other contributions to AHE and ANE.

Abstract

Within the semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory, the formula for Seebeck coefficient $S$ is derived for an isotropic two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) system that exhibits anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) originating from Berry curvature on their bands. Deviation of $S$ from the value $S_0$ estimated neglecting Berry curvarture is computed for a special case of 2DEG with Zeeman and Rashba terms. The result shows that, under certain conditions the contribution of Berry curvature to Seebeck effect could be non-negligible. Further study is needed to clarify the effect of additional contributions from mechanisms of AHE and ANE other than pure Berry curvature.