Phase-controlled heat modulation with Aharonov-Bohm interferometers

TL;DR

This paper proposes a heat modulation device using an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer, demonstrating controllable temperature differences and spin-polarized heat flows, advancing caloritronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel heat modulator based on a voltage-biased Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with predictions of spin-polarized heat flows without ferromagnetic contacts.

Findings

Temperature difference up to 80 mK at 600 mK base temperature.

Relative temperature variations can reach 10%.

Prediction of spin-polarized heat flows via Rashba spin-orbit interaction.

Abstract

A heat modulator is proposed based on a voltage-biased Aharonov-Bohm interferometer. Once an electrical bias is applied, Peltier effects give rise to a flow of heat that can be modulated by a magnetic flux. We determine the corresponding temperature changes using a simple thermal model. Our calculations demonstrate that the modulated temperature difference can be as large as 80 mK at base temperature about 600 mK with relative temperature variations reaching 10\%. Our model also predicts, quite generally, the emergence of spin-polarized heat flows without any ferromagnetic contacts, if Rashba spin-orbit interaction is combined with the applied magnetic flux, which potentially paves the way towards caloritronic information processing.