Electron-hole imbalance and large thermoelectric effect in superconducting hybrids with spin-active interfaces

Abstract

We argue that spin-sensitive quasiparticle scattering may generate electron-hole imbalance in superconducting structures, such as, e.g., superconducting-normal hybrids with spin-active interfaces. We elucidate a transparent physical mechanism for this effect demonstrating that scattering rates for electrons and holes at such interfaces differ from each other. Explicitly evaluating the wave functions of electron-like and hole-like excitations in superconducting-normal bilayers we derive a general expression for the thermoelectric current and show that -- in the presence of electron-hole imbalance -- this current can reach maximum values as high as the critical current of a superconductor.

arXiv comment7 pages, 2 figures; published version

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• Enhancement of thermoelectric effect in diffusive superconducting bilayers with magnetic interfaces
• Stimulated quasiparticles in spin-split superconductors
• Spin-flip Enhanced Thermoelectricity in Superconductor-Ferromagnet Bilayers
• Topology-controlled thermopower oscillations in multiterminal Andreev interferometers
• Thermopower and thermophase in a $d$-wave superconductor
• Observation of magnetic state dependent thermoelectricity in superconducting spin valves
• Diffusive superconductors beyond Usadel approximation: Electron-hole asymmetry and large photoelectric effect
• Complete magnetic control over the superconducting thermoelectric effect
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• Giant thermopower in superconducting heterostructures with spin-active interfaces
• Phase-coherent thermoelectricity in superconducting hybrids (Brief Review)
• Nonlinear heat transport in ferromagnetic-quantum dot-superconducting systems
• Spontaneous symmetry breaking-induced thermospin effect in superconducting tunnel junctions