We investigate thermoelectric transport through Andreev interferometers. We show that the ratio of the thermal and the charge conductance exhibits large oscillations with the phase difference $\phi$ between the two superconducting contacts, and that the Wiedemann-Franz law holds only when $\phi=\pi$. A large average thermopower furthermore emerges whenever there is an asymmetry in the dwell times to reach the superconducting contacts. When this is the case, the thermopower is odd in $\phi$. In contrast, when the average times to reach either superconducting contact are the same, the average thermopower is zero, however mesoscopic effects (analogous to universal conductance fluctuations) lead to a sample-dependent thermopower which is systematically even in $\phi$.

Categories: cond-mat.supr-con cond-mat.mes-hall nlin.CD

Coherent Thermoelectric Effects in Mesoscopic Andreev Interferometers