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Quantum Bipolar Thermoelectricity

Filippo Antola, Giorgio De Simoni, Francesco Giazotto, Alessandro Braggio

npj Quantum Inf. 12, 158 (2026), 2025

Abstract

Thermoelectricity is generally understood as a classical effect emerging from energy-dependent transport asymmetries. Here, we uncover a purely quantum mechanism, where a superconducting S-I-S' tunnel junction in thermal equilibrium develops a nonlinear bipolar thermoelectric response owing to the dynamical Coulomb blockade and the emission-absorption imbalance of a cold electromagnetic bath. Two representative environments are analysed, revealing Seebeck coefficients up to 100 uV/K for realistic junction parameters. Because the response directly reflects the spectral properties of the surrounding environment, our results suggest that bipolar quantum thermoelectricity could provide a new route for spectroscopic sensing of electromagnetic modes and for designing low-temperature thermoelectric devices with environmentally engineered performance.

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