Heat flux deflection induced by hydrodynamic electron transport in a homogeneous Corbino disk under magnetic field

TL;DR

This study investigates how hydrodynamic electron transport in a 2D Corbino disk causes heat flux deflection under magnetic fields, revealing new thermal behaviors influenced by scattering processes.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of heat flux deflection phenomena in hydrodynamic electron transport, a topic less explored compared to electric properties.

Findings

Heat flux deflection occurs under radial electric field or temperature gradient.

Momentum-conserving scattering promotes heat flux deflection, while momentum-relaxing scattering suppresses it.

Heat flux direction reverses when electric potential or temperature gradient is applied in the same direction.

Abstract

Hydrodynamic electron transport, namely, the electric behaviors in solid materials at the macroscopic level are similar to the fluid hydrodynamics when the momentum-conserving electron-electron scattering plays the leading role, has got much attention in the past ten years. However, most of previous studies mainly focus on the electric properties. In this work, the thermal behaviors of hydrodynamic electron transport in a homogeneous 2D Corbino disk geometry is studied by the electron Boltzmann transport equation (eBTE) coupled with the Poisson equation under the magnetic field perpendicular to disk plane. Results show that in the electron hydrodynamic regime, the heat flux deflection phenomenon appears under the radial electric field or temperature gradient, namely, the heat flux no longer flows only along the radial direction and there is heat flux in the tangential direction of the radius. Heat flux deflection phenomenon is suppressed by momentum-relaxing scattering process and promoted by momentum-conserving scattering process. When an electric potential gradient or temperature gradient in the same direction is applied separately, the direction of heat flux is reversed in the electron hydrodynamic regime.