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Asymmetric scattering drives large nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck effects

Harsh Varshney* and Amit Agarwal†

  • *Contact author: hvarshny@iitk.ac.in
  • †Contact author: amitag@iitk.ac.in

Phys. Rev. B 113, 195417 – Published 15 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/973q-b957

Abstract

The nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck effects (NNE and NSE) offer promising routes for thermoelectric energy conversion in nonmagnetic systems. While intrinsic mechanisms such as the nonlinear Drude and Berry-curvature–dipole terms are well established, extrinsic contributions to thermoelectric responses arising from disorder-induced asymmetric scattering remain comparatively less explored, despite growing experimental evidence of their dominance. Here, we develop a unified semiclassical theory of NNE and NSE that incorporates skew scattering and side-jump processes, identifying four distinct extrinsic contributions to NNE and two for NSE. A systematic symmetry analysis shows that these responses are allowed in time-reversal–symmetric nonmagnets, PT-symmetric antiferromagnets, and noncentrosymmetric magnetic systems such as altermagnets. As a case study, we show that ABA-stacked trilayer graphene hosts large nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck responses dominated by extrinsic scattering, consistent with recent experiments. Our results clarify the microscopic origin of these effects and identify conditions under which large nonlinear thermoelectric responses can arise.

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