Thermoelectric figure of merit and the deconfinement phase transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermoelectric figure of merit in hot QCD matter, revealing its complex behavior near the phase transition, which offers new insights into the microscopic dynamics and degrees of freedom in high-temperature nuclear matter.

Contribution

First phenomenological analysis of the thermoelectric figure of merit across the QCD phase transition, highlighting its temperature dependence and transport property changes.

Findings

ZT shows nontrivial behavior near the transition temperature

Transport properties change significantly across phases

Provides new perspective on QCD matter dynamics

Abstract

Thermoelectric phenomena are traditionally associated with the interconversion of thermal and electrical energy in many-body systems. In the context of high-temperature quantum chromodynamics (QCD) matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, thermoelectric responses can provide insight into the evolving microscopic dynamics and the redistribution of effective degrees of freedom across the phase transition region. In this work, for the first time, we present a phenomenological study of the thermoelectric figure of merit (\( ZT \)) in hot QCD matter, with a particular focus on its behavior across the hadronic and quark-gluon plasma phases. Using model-based calculations for the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity, we analyze the temperature dependence of \( ZT \) and identify characteristic features near the QCD phase transition temperature. Our results indicate that \( ZT \) exhibits nontrivial behavior near the transition region, reflecting the changing transport properties and active degrees of freedom in the medium. This phenomenological study of the thermoelectric figure of merit provides a complementary perspective to traditional transport studies and may provide critical insights for advancing the understanding of QCD matter through the transition region.