Nernst Effect in Semimetals: The Effective Mass and the Figure of Merit

2006/11/30 by Kamran Behnia, Marie-Aude Measson, Marie-Aude Méasson +2 · 6 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Topological Materials and Phenomena #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.98.076603

published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 076603 (2007) · 4 pages, including 4 figures

openalex publication_date 2007/02/15 · arxiv created 2007/02/21 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We present a study of electric, thermal, and thermoelectric transport in elemental bismuth, which presents a Nernst coefficient much larger than what was found in correlated metals. We argue that this is due to the combination of an exceptionally low carrier density with a very long electronic mean-free path. The low thermomagnetic figure of merit is traced to the lightness of electrons. Heavy-electron semimetals, which keep a metallic behavior in the presence of a magnetic field, emerge as promising candidates for thermomagnetic cooling at low temperatures.

Citations

• The theory of the galvanomagnetic and thermomagnetic effects in metals
• Metal-Insulator-Like Behavior in Semimetallic Bismuth and Graphite

Cited by

• On the destruction of the hidden order in URu 2 Si 2 by a strong magnetic field
• Oscillating Nernst-Ettingshausen Effect in Bismuth across the Quantum Limit
• Quantum Nernst effect in a bismuth single crystal
• Magnetothermal evidence of a partial gap at the Fermi surface ofUPt2Si2
• Transport anomalies across the quantum limit in semimetallicBi0.96Sb0.04
• Nernst effect as a probe of superconducting fluctuations in disordered thin films