Gaussian superconducting fluctuations, thermal transport, and the Nernst effect

TL;DR

This paper calculates how superconducting fluctuations affect thermal transport and the Nernst effect in the normal state of cuprates, providing new theoretical results that align with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces new calculations of thermal conductivity and Nernst response due to Gaussian superconducting fluctuations, advancing understanding of fluctuation effects in cuprates.

Findings

Thermal conductivity tensor results are new.

Transverse thermoelectric response matches experimental data.

Fluctuation effects are significant near the superconducting transition.

Abstract

We calculate the contribution of superconducting fluctuations to thermal transport in the normal state, for low magnetic fields. We do so in the Gaussian approximation to their critical dynamics which is also the Aslamazov-Larkin approximation in the microscopics. Our results for the thermal conductivity tensor and the transverse thermoelectric response are new. The latter compare favorably with the data of Ong and collaborators on the Nernst effect in the cuprates.