Anomalous Nernst and thermal Hall effects in tilted Weyl semimetals

Abstract

In the thermal Hall and Nernst effects, electric and heat currents, respectively, are induced perpendicular to an applied temperature gradient. Usually, such a response requires the application of a magnetic field. In contrast, here the authors establish that in Weyl semimetals -- semimetals with a linear conical energy dispersion around a set of points called Weyl nodes -- the Nernst effect can be realized without magnetic field, provided that the Weyl cones are tilted. This is the anomalous Nernst effect. It is significantly altered by the tilt of the Weyl cones, with Fermi surface contributions becoming important. Two experimental setups that would allow measuring both responses are discussed.