2013/07/31 by Rafael Sánchez, Björn Sothmann, Andrew N. Jordan +2 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Charge (physics) #Conductor #Current (fluid) #Heat current #Heat engine #Noise (video) #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum tunnelling #Thermoelectric effect #cond-mat.mes-hall #stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1367-2630/15/12/125001
published as New J. Phys. 15, 125001 (2013) · 17 pages, 7 figures. Published version
openalex publication_date 2013/12/04 · arxiv created 2013/12/09 · arxiv updated 2013/12/10 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We analyze the noise properties of both electric charge and heat currents as well as their correlations in a quantum-dot based thermoelectric engine. The engine is a three-terminal conductor with crossed heat and charge flows where heat fluctuations can be monitored by a charge detector. We investigate the mutual influence of charge and heat dynamics and how it is manifested in the current and noise properties. In the presence of energy-dependent tunneling, operating conditions are discussed where a charge current can be generated by heat conversion. In addition, heat can be pumped into the hot source by driving a charge current in the coupled conductor. An optimal configuration is found for structures in which the energy dependence of tunneling maximizes asymmetric transmission with maximal charge–heat cross-correlations. Remarkably, at a voltage that stalls the heat engine we find that in the optimal case the non-equilibrium state is maintained by fluctuations in the heat and charge currents only.