Experimental verification of reciprocity relations in quantum thermoelectric transport

Abstract

© 2014 American Physical Society. Fundamental symmetries in thermoelectric quantum transport, beyond Onsagers relations, were predicted two decades ago but have to date not been observed in experiments. Recent works have predicted the symmetries to be sensitive to energy-dependent, inelastic scattering, raising the question whether they exist in practice. Here, we answer this question affirmatively by experimentally verifying the thermoelectric reciprocity relations in a four-terminal mesoscopic device where each terminal can be electrically and thermally biased individually. The linear-response thermoelectric coefficients are found to be symmetric under simultaneous reversal of magnetic field and exchange of injection and emission contacts. We also demonstrate a controllable breakdown of the reciprocity relations by increasing thermal bias, putting in prospect enhanced thermoelectric performance.