Thermoelectric effects in two-dimensional topological insulators
Abstract
We explore the nontrivial thermoelectric properties of two-dimensional topological systems. For the Chern insulator, we show that the Seebeck coefficient is fully determined by the Kelvin formula, while the Nernst coefficient vanishes. For a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba spin-orbit interactions we reveal how the Berry curvature affects the thermoelectric coefficients, and derive the Mott-like equation for thermopower. We predict a strong variation of the thermopower of a two-dimensional topological insulator with time-reversal symmetry in the ballistic and dissipative regimes. The Kelvin formula applies in the ballistic regime, while the Mott formula holds in the dissipative regime. Importantly, in a system with trapezoidal geometry, the combination of ballistic and dissipative regimes leads to the anomalous Nernst effect. Finally, we analyze a two-dimensional Anderson insulator, where edge modes show distinct temperature behavior of the Seebeck coefficient near the weak localization-strong localization transition temperatures. In the trivial phase, the thermopower exhibits a strong power law temperature dependence, while in the topological phase both power law and exponential dependences coexist.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2502.20888,
title = {Thermoelectric effects in two-dimensional topological insulators},
author = {Z. Z. Alisultanov and E. G. Idrisov and A. V. Kavokin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.20888},
year = {2025}
}