From thermal rectifiers to thermoelectric devices
Statistical Mechanics
2016-05-11 v1 Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Chaotic Dynamics
Abstract
We discuss thermal rectification and thermoelectric energy conversion from the perspective of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and dynamical systems theory. After preliminary considerations on the dynamical foundations of the phenomenological Fourier law in classical and quantum mechanics, we illustrate ways to control the phononic heat flow and design thermal diodes. Finally, we consider the coupled transport of heat and charge and discuss several general mechanisms for optimizing the figure of merit of thermoelectric efficiency.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1512.06889,
title = {From thermal rectifiers to thermoelectric devices},
author = {Giuliano Benenti and Giulio Casati and Carlos Mejia-Monasterio and Michel Peyrard},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.06889},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
42 pages, 22 figures, review paper, to appear in the Springer Lecture Notes in Physics volume "Thermal transport in low dimensions: from statistical physics to nanoscale heat transfer" (S. Lepri ed.)