Interference induced thermoelectric switching and heat rectification in quantum Hall junctions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how quantum interference in quantum Hall junctions can induce thermoelectric effects and heat rectification, enabling phase-coherent control of heat flow in mesoscopic systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to manipulate heat and thermoelectric properties using interference in quantum Hall edge states with multiple quantum point contacts.

Findings

Interference breaks electron-hole symmetry, enabling thermoelectric currents in either direction.

Heat rectification is achievable by coupling quantum Hall systems with different filling factors.

Interference effects can be exploited to enhance heat control in mesoscopic devices.

Abstract

Interference represents one of the most striking manifestation of quantum physics in low-dimensional systems. Despite evidences of quantum interference in charge transport have been known for a long time, only recently signatures of interference induced thermal properties have been reported, paving the way for the phase-coherent manipulation of heat in mesoscopic devices. In this work we show that anomalous thermoelectric properties and efficient heat rectification can be achieved by exploiting the phase-coherent edge states of quantum Hall systems. By considering a tunneling geometry with multiple quantum point contacts, we demonstrate that the interference paths effectively break the electron-hole symmetry, allowing for a thermoelectric charge current flowing either from hot to cold or viceversa, depending on the details of the tunnel junction. Correspondingly, an interference induced heat current is predicted, and we are able to explain these results in terms of an intuitive physical picture. Moreover, we show that heat rectification can be achieved by coupling two quantum Hall systems with different filling factors, and that this effect can be enhanced by exploiting the interference properties of the tunnel junction.