Congratulations to John Neumeier, Ben White, and their collaborators
In collaboration with Prof. Joshua Cohn at the University of Miami, the MSU condensed matter group of Prof. John Neumeier reported in a recent article in Physical Review Letters on the giant Nernst effect in a quasi-one-dimensional conductor. The Nernst effect occurs when a conductor in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field is subjected to a temperature gradient in one direction. This causes an electric field in the third direction. The size of this so-called Nernst effect is characterized by the Nernst coefficient, which is typically related to the ratio of the mobility of charge carriers to the Fermi energy. Materials with a large Nernst coefficient are excellent candidates for cryogenic refrigeration since, in combination with an electric current and a perpendicular magnetic field they can be used to control the flow of heat. The Nernst effect has been known since its discovery in the semimetal bismuth, which, along with graphite, has one of the highest Nernst coefficients. In this article the Nernst coefficient of a quasi-one-dimensional oxide called the Lithium Purple Bronze was shown to rival that of bismuth and graphite, thereby opening the possibility of expanding the range of viable materials for thermomagnetic cooling.
- The article was chosen by the editors of Physical Review Letters as one of their highlighted articles.
It can be found at http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v108/i5/e056604
- The article was also mentioned in the online journal Physics, which spotlights exceptional research:
http://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.056604
- PDF of the paper here
A picture of the crystal structure is shown below:
