Large anomalous Nernst effect and nodal plane in an iron-based kagome ferromagnet

Abstract

Anomalous Nernst effect (ANE), converting a heat flow to transverse electric voltage, originates from the Berry phase of electronic wave function near the Fermi energy <i>E</i>_F. Thus, the ANE provides a sensitive probe to detect a topological state that produces large Berry curvature. In addition, a magnet that exhibits a large ANE using low-cost and safe elements will be useful to develop a novel energy harvesting technology. Here, we report our observation of a high ANE exceeding 3 microvolts per kelvin above room temperature in the kagome ferromagnet Fe₃Sn with the Curie temperature of 760 kelvin. Our theoretical analysis clarifies that a “nodal plane” produces a flat hexagonal frame with strongly enhanced Berry curvature, resulting in the large ANE. Our discovery of the large ANE in Fe₃Sn opens the path for the previously unexplored functionality of flat degenerate electronic states and for developing flexible film thermopile and heat current sensors.