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。这个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能。热电（TE）材料将在近期和长期可靠的高效发电和冷却方法中发挥关键作用。目前，热功率和总导热系数等材料特性限制了TE发电和冷却的效率。因此，TE发电的下一次革命很可能来自于能够提高热能的新材料。在Mott-Hubbard （MH）系统中已经观察到非凡的热能，这是产生高温超导性的相同材料。不幸的是，目前还没有完整的MH系统热电预测理论，因此优化这些材料用于TE应用是一项艰巨的挑战。被困在光学晶格中的超冷40K原子将用于模拟哈伯德模型中的热能，这是MH材料的范例。将开发技术，以测量材料参数、温度、掺杂和纳米级形貌对热功率的影响。这些研究将通过与材料理论和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，可能会使需要更少燃料的更高效的车辆，与传统技术竞争的制冷，以及更轻的核有效载荷用于rtg。下一代工程师和科学家将接受激光科学前沿技术的培训；高频微波电子学；高速、计算机控制的信号。学生也将参与发展凝聚态物质与原子物理之间的新兴界面。

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.