Scanning probe-induced thermoelectrics in a quantum point contact

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a scanning probe tip influences thermoelectric effects in a quantum point contact, revealing oscillations and diode-like behavior in thermopower depending on the tip position and QPC conductance.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed numerical analysis of tip-induced thermoelectric phenomena in a QPC, highlighting the diode-like behavior on conductance plateaus.

Findings

Tip-induced oscillations of thermopower observed.

QPC can act as a perfect thermoelectric diode.

Thermoelectric effects depend on tip position and conductance.

Abstract

We study three-terminal thermoelectric transport in a two-dimensional Quantum Point Contact (QPC) connected to left and right electronic reservoirs, as well as a third one represented by a scanning probe tip. The latter acts as a voltage probe exchanging heat with the system but no charges on average. The thermoelectric coefficients are calculated numerically within the Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism in the low-temperature and linear response regimes. We find tip-induced oscillations of the local and non-local thermopowers and study their dependence on the QPC opening. If the latter is tuned on a conductance plateau, the system behaves as a perfect thermoelectric diode: for some tip positions the charge current through the QPC, driven by a local Seebeck effect, can flow in one direction only.