Four terminal quantum dot as an efficient rectifier of heat and charge currents

TL;DR

This paper introduces a four-terminal quantum dot system that efficiently rectifies heat and charge currents, especially Hall-like currents, using asymmetry and broken mirror symmetry, applicable in linear and non-linear regimes.

Contribution

It presents a novel four-terminal quantum dot device capable of rectifying heat and charge currents, including Hall-like currents, with high efficiency and under conditions not requiring time reversal symmetry.

Findings

Hall-like currents exist in linear and non-linear regimes.

Rectification factor is higher for Hall-like currents.

System is feasible with current nanotechnology.

Abstract

We propose an efficient method of heat rectification in a simple system consisting of a quantum dot asymmetrically coupled to four mutually perpendicular electrodes. In such a device the Hall-like charge and heat currents appear in response to the voltage bias or temperature difference between one pair of electrodes. Even though both longitudinal (along the bias) and Hall-like (perpendicular to the bias) currents are rectified under appropriate conditions, the rectification factor is typically much bigger for the latter currents. This is true for heat and charge flow. The Hall-like currents are predicted to exist in linear as well as non-linear transport regimes and require broken mirror symmetry but not time reversal symmetry. The linear effect exists only in geometry which breaks two inversion symmetries along two pairs of electrically coupled terminals. The proposed system is attainable within current technology and provides novel platform of simultaneous heat and charge management at the nanoscale.