Large thermoelectric effects in unconventional superconductors

T. Löfwander; M. Fogelström

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.70.024515

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Large thermoelectric effects in unconventional superconductors

T. Löfwander, M. Fogelström

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.70.024515 · Physical Review B

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Abstract

We present analytic and numerical results for the thermoelectric effect in unconventional superconductors with a dilute random distribution of impurities, each scattering isotropically but with a phase shift intermediate between the Born and unitary limits. The thermoelectric response function has a linear temperature dependence at low temperatures, with a slope that depends on the impurity concentration and phase shift. Although the thermoelectric effect vanishes identically in the strict Born and unitary limits, even a small deviation of the phase shift from these limits leads to a large response, especially in clean systems. We also discuss possibilities of measuring counterflowing supercurrents in a SQUID-setup. The nonquantized thermoelectrically induced flux can easily be of the order of a percent of the flux quantum in clean systems at He4 temperatures.