Title

Thermoelectric Microscope Theory

Author

Daniel Mueller, UndergraduateFollow

Files

Publication Date

4-2020

Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Type

Individual

Degree Type

Undergraduate

Department

Physics

Mentor

Justin Bergfield

Mentor Department

Physics

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) image the nanoworld by measuring the current flowing through a sample. In response to an applied temperature difference, current flows until a voltage is built up to oppose the flow. The ratio of the voltage to the temperature difference is a measurable quantity known as the thermopower. Although thermoelectric devices are important for a variety of heating and cooling applications, we propose that the thermopower is also of interest as a microscopic observable because it is a probe of the second moment of the transport. In this work, we derive the theory necessary to describe this new microscopic technique. We also simulate several images produced by a scanning thermopower probe (SThM) and discuss the implications of the technique.

Notes

Authors: Daniel Mueller, Justin Bergfield

This project has not received IRB approval.

Recommended Citation

Mueller, Daniel, "Thermoelectric Microscope Theory" (2020). Physics. 4.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ursphy/4