Heat flow enhancement in a nanoscale plasmonic junction induced by Kondo resonances and electron-phonon coupling

• Published in: Physica. E, Low-dimensional systems & nanostructures Low-dimensional systems & nanostructures, 2021-03, Vol.127 (C), p.114536, Article 114536
• Main Authors: Goker, Ali, Aksu, Huseyin, Dunietz, Barry D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electron-phonon; Heat transport; Kondo temperature; NEGF; Plasmonic
• ISSN: 1386-9477; 1873-1759
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physe.2020.114536

Recently, we showed that plasmon-exciton coupling can increase entropy current through a bridge coupled to plasmonic metal nanoparticles. Here we show that electron-phonon coupling can also be used to control the entropy current in similar systems. Entropy current tends to decrease due to electron-phonon coupling and to exhibit a monotonous decrease upon temperature ramping. However, an anomaly affecting the current where it is enhanced by electron-phonon coupling is indicated at around 42 times the system's Kondo temperature. We therefore report means to control heat flow by tuning the Kondo resonance through the electron-phonon coupling. We analyze the conditions that bring about these trends due to electron-phonon coupling by employing non-equilibrium Green's function formulation addressing the entropy current and the derived heat flow. [Display omitted] •We model two-level quantum emitter embedded in a plasmonic nanojunction.•We study the influence of electron-phonon coupling on heat current.•An increase in electron-phonon coupling results decrease in the heat current.•A buildup of the Kondo resonance results in enhanced flow at temperatures around 42Tk.