Photon-Mediated Thermoelectric and Heat Currents through a Resonant Quantum Wire-Cavity System

Abstract

We theoretically consider a short quantum wire, which on both ends is connected to leads that have different temperatures. The quantum wire is assumed to be coupled to a cavity with a single-photon mode. We calculate the heat and thermoelectric currents in the quantum wire under the effect of the photon field. In the absence of the photon field, a plateau in the thermoelectric current is observed due to the thermal smearing at a high temperature gradient. In the presence of the resonance photon field, when the energy spacing between the lowest states of the quantum wire is approximately equal to the photon energy, a suppression in thermoelectric current and negativity in the heat current are seen due to the dressed electron-photon states. It is also found that the cavity with high photon energy has more influence on the thermoelectric current at a high temperature gradient.