Thermoelectric transport through Majorana bound states and violation of Wiedemann-Franz law

Abstract

We study features of thermoelectric transport through a one-dimensional topological system model hosting Majorana bound states (MBSs) at its ends. We describe the behavior of the Seebeck coefficient and the $ZT$ figure of merit for two configurations between the MBS and normal current leads. We find an important violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law in one of these geometries, leading to sizable values of the thermoelectric efficiency over a narrow window in chemical potential away from neutrality. These findings could lead to interesting thermoelectric-based MBS detection devices, via measurements of the Seebeck coefficient and figure of merit.