Quantum Bipolar Thermoelectricity

Abstract:Thermoelectricity is generally understood as a classical effect emerging from energy-dependent transport asymmetries. Here, we uncover a purely quantum mechanism, where a superconducting S-I-S' tunnel junction in thermal equilibrium develops a nonlinear bipolar thermoelectric response owing to the dynamical Coulomb blockade and the emission-absorption imbalance of a cold electromagnetic bath. Two representative environments are analysed, revealing Seebeck coefficients up to 100 uV/K for realistic junction parameters. Because the response directly reflects the spectral properties of the surrounding environment, our results suggest that bipolar quantum thermoelectricity could provide a new route for spectroscopic sensing of electromagnetic modes and for designing low-temperature thermoelectric devices with environmentally engineered performance.

11 pages, 5 figures. Published in npj Quantum Information 12, 158 (2026)

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

arXiv:2508.03219 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

(or arXiv:2508.03219v3 [cond-mat.mes-hall] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.03219 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

npj Quantum Inf. 12, 158 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01237-8 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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