Resolving thermoelectric paradox in superconductors

Abstract

For almost a century thermoelectricity in superconductors has been one of the most intriguing topics of physics. At the early stages in the 1920s, the mere existence of thermoelectric effects in superconductors was questioned. Theoretical breakthrough came in the 1970s, when the generation of a measurable thermoelectric magnetic flux in superconducting loops was predicted; however a major crisis developed when experiments showed a gross discrepancy with the theory. Moreover, different experiments disagreed with each other by orders of magnitude. This led to a stalemate in bringing theory and experiment into agreement. With this work we resolve this stalemate, thus solving this long-standing paradox and open prospects for exploration of novel thermoelectric phenomena and new avenues for practical applications of superconductors.

References in corpus (5)

• Nonlocal Thermoelectric Effects and Nonlocal Onsager Relations in a Three-Terminal Proximity-Coupled Superconductor-Ferromagnet Device
• Recombination limited energy relaxation in a BCS superconductor
• Theory of a large thermoeffect in superconductors doped with magnetic impurities
• Observation of disorder-induced weakening of electron-phonon interaction in thin noble metal films
• Electron energy relaxation by phonons in the Kondo condensate

Cited by in corpus (24)

• Colloquium: Nonequilibrium effects in superconductors with a spin-splitting field
• Thermal, electric and spin transport in superconductor/ferromagnetic-insulator structures
• Thermopower and thermal conductance of a superconducting quantum point contact
• On-demand thermoelectric generation of equal-spin Cooper pairs
• Tuning microwave losses in superconducting resonators
• Development of a prototype superconducting radio-frequency cavity for conduction-cooled accelerators
• Large thermoelectric effect in ballistic Andreev interferometers
• Nonlocal thermoelectric engines in hybrid topological Josephson junctions
• Large Tunable Thermophase in Superconductor -- Quantum Dot -- Superconductor Josephson Junctions
• Current-phase relation and flux-dependent thermoelectricity in Andreev interferometers
• Phase-sensitive thermoelectricity and long-range Josephson effect supported by thermal gradient
• Topology-controlled thermopower oscillations in multiterminal Andreev interferometers
• Thermopower and thermophase in a $d$-wave superconductor
• Phase coherent electron transport in asymmetric cross-like Andreev interferometers
• Thermoelectric processes of quantum normal-superconductor interfaces
• Irreversible entropy transport enhanced by fermionic superfluidity
• Phase-coherent thermoelectricity and non-equilibrium Josephson current in Andreev interferometers
• Spin caloritronics as a probe of nonunitary superconductors
• Phase-coherent thermoelectricity in superconducting hybrids (Brief Review)
• Bipolar thermoelectrical SQUIPT (BTSQUIPT)
• Giant Thermoelectric Response of Fluxons in Superconductors
• Hybrid Quantum Interferometer in Bifurcation Mode as a Latching Quantum Readout
• Intrinsic Nernst Effect from Berry Curvature in Superconductors
• Thermoelectric response of Josephson junction: from ballistic to disordered