Simulating Thermopower in Mott-Hubbard Materials

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该项目将使用被困在光学晶格中的超冷原子来探索哈伯德模型中的热电。 热电（TE）材料将在各种应用中的高效发电和冷却的短期和长期可靠方法中发挥关键作用。 目前，热电性和总导热率等材料特性限制了TE发电和冷却的效率。 因此，TE发电的下一次革命可能来自具有增加的热电性的全新材料。 在Mott-Hubbard（MH）系统中观察到了非凡的热电势，这是引起高温超导性的相同材料。 不幸的是，没有完整的，预测理论的热电在MH系统存在，并优化这些材料的TE应用，因此是一个艰巨的挑战。 超冷的40 K原子被困在一个光学晶格将被用来模拟热功率的哈伯德模型，这是MH材料的范例。 技术将被开发，使测量的影响，材料参数，温度，掺杂，和纳米形态的热电。 这些研究将用于通过与理论和材料实验的比较来促进对MH系统中热动力的理解。将使用该系统获得的知识转移到新材料的设计中，可以使更高效的车辆需要更少的燃料，与传统技术竞争的制冷，以及RTG的更轻的核有效载荷。 下一代工程师和科学家将接受激光科学、高频微波电子学和高速计算机控制信号等尖端技术的培训。 学生还将参与开发凝聚态和原子物理之间的新兴接口。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This project will use ultra-cold atoms trapped in an optical lattice to explore thermopower in the Hubbard model. Thermoelectric (TE) materials will play a key role in near- and long-term reliable methods for efficient power generation and cooling in a wide variety of applications. Material properties such as thermopower and total thermal conductivity presently limit the efficiency of TE power generation and cooling. The next revolution in TE power generation is therefore likely to come from fundamentally new materials having increased thermopower. Extraordinary thermopower has been observed in Mott-Hubbard (MH) systems, which are the same materials that give rise to high-temperature superconductivity. Unfortunately, no complete, predictive theory for thermopower in MH systems exists, and optimizing these materials for TE applications is therefore a daunting challenge. Ultra-cold 40K atoms trapped in an optical lattice will be used to simulate thermopower in the Hubbard model, which is the paradigm for MH materials. Techniques will be developed to enable measurements of the impact of material parameters, temperature, doping, and nanoscale morphology on thermopower. These studies will be used to advance understanding of thermopower in the MH systems through comparisons with theory and experiments on materialsTransferring knowledge gained using this system to the design of new materials may enable more efficient vehicles requiring less fuel, refrigeration competitive with conventional technology, and lighter nuclear payloads for RTGs. The next generation of engineers and scientists will be trained on cutting edge technologies in laser science; high frequency microwave electronics; and high speed, computer-controlled signaling. Students will also be engaged in developing the emerging interface between condensed matter and atomic physics.