Thermometer for the 2D Electron Gas using 1D Thermopower

Abstract

We measure the temperature of a 2D electron gas in GaAs from the thermopower of a one-dimensional ballistic constriction, using the Mott relation to confirm the calibration from the electrical conductance. Under hot electron conditions, this technique shows that the power loss by the electrons follows a ${T}^{5}$ dependence in the Gruneisen-Bloch regime, as predicted for acoustic phonon emission with a screened piezoelectric interaction. An independent measurement using conventional thermometry based on Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations gives a ${T}^{3}$ loss rate. We discuss reasons for this discrepancy.