High-Efficiency Thermoelectric Transport in Aharonov-Bohm-Casher Rings

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Rashba spin-orbit interaction influences thermoelectric efficiency in Aharonov-Bohm rings, revealing that spin-dependent interference can enhance device performance at the nanoscale.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of spin-dependent effects in quantum heat engines based on Aharonov-Bohm rings, highlighting the role of Rashba SOI in improving thermoelectric efficiency.

Findings

Rashba SOI increases the figure of merit ZT.

Spin-dependent interference enhances thermoelectric performance.

Controlling spin effects can improve thermoelectric device fabrication.

Abstract

Quantum heat engines are nanoscale devices that convert heat into work by exploiting quantum effects, such as coherence and interference. Previous studies of these devices did not consider spin-dependent effects, which can influence the thermoelectric performance of the engine. In this work, we study the thermoelectric behavior of a quantum heat engine based on an Aharonov-Bohm ring - a mesoscopic ring where electrons exhibit interference depending on the magnetic flux it encloses - incorporating Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI), which couples the electron's motion and spin. We find that Rashba SOI enhances the figure of merit $ZT$, measure of the engine's conversion efficiency. Our results suggest that controlling spin-dependent interference could lead to improvements in the fabrication of efficient thermoelectric devices.