Thermoelectric effects in correlated quantum dots and molecules

Abstract

We investigate thermoelectric properties of correlated quantum dots and molecules, described by a single level Anderson model coupled to conduction electron leads, by using Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. In the Kondo regime, the thermopower, $S(T)$, exhibits two sign changes, at temperatures $T=T_1$ and $T=T_2>T_1$. We find that $T_2$ is of order the level width $\Gamma$ and $T_1>T_p\approx T_K$, where $T_p$ is the position of the Kondo induced peak in the thermopower and $T_K$ is the Kondo scale. No sign change is found outside the Kondo regime, or, for weak correlations, making a sign change in $S(T)$ a particularly sensitive signature of strong correlations and Kondo physics. For molecules, we investigate the effect of screening by conduction electrons on the thermoelectric transport. We find that a large screening interaction enhances the figure of merit in the Kondo and mixed valence regimes.

4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, Santa Fe 2010; revised version: typos corrected and references updated