2025/08/05 by Antola, Filippo, De Simoni, Giorgio, Giazotto, Francesco +1
#FOS: Physical sciences #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2508.03219
Thermoelectricity is generally understood as a classical effect emerging from energy-dependent transport asymmetries. Here we uncover a purely quantum mechanism, where a superconducting S-I-S' tunnel junction in thermal equilibrium develops a nonlinear bipolar thermoelectric response owing to the dynamical Coulomb blockade and the emission-absorption imbalance of a cold electromagnetic bath. Two representative environments are analysed, revealing Seebeck coefficients up to 100 μV/K for realistic junction parameters. Because the response directly reflects the spectral properties of the surrounding environment, our results suggest that bipolar quantum thermoelectricity could provide a new route for spectroscopic sensing of electromagnetic modes and for designing low-temperature thermoelectric devices with environmentally engineered performance.