Quantum interference between vortex- and impurity-bound states boosts thermoelectricity
Abstract
Thermoelectric effects in superconductors are generally suppressed by the approximate particle-hole symmetry of the quasiparticle spectrum, but can become pronounced near defects that host particle-hole asymmetric bound states. Here, we investigate how the local thermoelectric response is modified when multiple vortices or nonmagnetic impurities are brought into proximity. Using a lattice Bogolioubov-de Gennes approach combined with linear-response tunneling theory, we calculate the spatially resolved density of states and Seebeck coefficient in s- and d-wave superconductors. We find that the thermoelectric response can be strongly enhanced when spatially extended defect-induced states overlap. For vortices, this enhancement persists beyond the immediate core regions and originates from interference between vortex-bound states. For impurities, the thermoelectric response exhibits a comparable dependence on impurity separation in the s- and d-wave cases, although the associated spectral reconstruction is considerably more localized in the s-wave superconductor. Our results show that the spatial extent and interference of defect-induced quasiparticle states provide a means of controlling local thermoelectricity in inhomogeneous superconductors, with potential relevance for cryogenic thermoelectric sensing and energy conversion.
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BibTeX
@misc{haatuft2026quantum,
title = {{Quantum interference between vortex- and impurity-bound states boosts thermoelectricity}},
author = {Erik Haatuft and Jacob Linder},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.10687},
eprint = {2609.10687},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.10687},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantum interference between vortex- and impurity-bound states boosts thermoelectricity
AU - Erik Haatuft
AU - Jacob Linder
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.10687
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.10687
AB - Thermoelectric effects in superconductors are generally suppressed by the approximate particle-hole symmetry of the quasiparticle spectrum, but can become pronounced near defects that host particle-hole asymmetric bound states. Here, we investigate how the local thermoelectric response is modified when multiple vortices or nonmagnetic impurities are brought into proximity. Using a lattice Bogolioubov-de Gennes approach combined with linear-response tunneling theory, we calculate the spatially resolved density of states and Seebeck coefficient in s- and d-wave superconductors. We find that the thermoelectric response can be strongly enhanced when spatially extended defect-induced states overlap. For vortices, this enhancement persists beyond the immediate core regions and originates from interference between vortex-bound states. For impurities, the thermoelectric response exhibits a comparable dependence on impurity separation in the s- and d-wave cases, although the associated spectral reconstruction is considerably more localized in the s-wave superconductor. Our results show that the spatial extent and interference of defect-induced quasiparticle states provide a means of controlling local thermoelectricity in inhomogeneous superconductors, with potential relevance for cryogenic thermoelectric sensing and energy conversion.
ER -