Abstract
We present a study of electric, thermal, and thermoelectric transport in elemental bismuth, which presents a Nernst coefficient much larger than what was found in correlated metals. We argue that this is due to the combination of an exceptionally low carrier density with a very long electronic mean-free path. The low thermomagnetic figure of merit is traced to the lightness of electrons. Heavy-electron semimetals, which keep a metallic behavior in the presence of a magnetic field, emerge as promising candidates for thermomagnetic cooling at low temperatures.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 076603 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Feb 2007 |