https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-02107-8
Review
Quantum thermocouples: nonlocal conversion and control of heat in nanostructures
1
Departmento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
2
Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
3
Instituto Nicolás Cabrera (INC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
Received:
23
April
2025
Accepted:
10
December
2025
Published online:
3
January
2026
Nanoscale conductors are interesting for thermoelectrics because of their particular spectral features connecting separated heat and particle currents. Multiterminal devices in the quantum regime benefit from phase-coherent phenomena, which turns the thermoelectric effect nonlocal, and from tunable single-particle interactions. This way one can define quantum thermocouples which convert an injected heat current into useful power in an isothermal conductor, or work as refrigerators. In addition, efficient heat management devices can be defined. We review recent theoretical and experimental progress in the research of multiterminal thermal and thermoelectric quantum transport leading to proposals of autonomous quantum heat engines and thermal devices.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
