Seebeck coefficient in low-dimensional fluctuating charge-density-wave systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how charge density-wave fluctuations affect the Seebeck coefficient in low-dimensional conductors, combining theoretical modeling with experimental comparisons to understand thermoelectric behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Ginzburg-Landau approach for modeling charge density-wave fluctuations and links it to the Seebeck coefficient via Boltzmann transport calculations.

Findings

Charge density-wave fluctuations significantly influence the Seebeck coefficient.

Theoretical results align with experimental data on molecular conductors.

Energy-dependent scattering times elucidate fluctuation effects on thermoelectric properties.

Abstract

We study the role of charge density-wave fluctuations on the temperature dependence of Seebeck coefficient in quasi-one dimensional conductors with a Peierls instability. The description of low-dimensional incommensurate charge density-wave fluctuations as obtained by a generalized Ginzburg-Landau approach for arrays of weakly coupled chains is embodied in the numerical solution of the semi-classical Boltzmann transport equation. The energy and temperature dependence of the scattering time of electrons on fluctuations can then be extracted and its influence on the Seebeck coefficient calculated. The connexion between theory and experiments carried out on molecular conductors is presented and critically discussed.