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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Characterization of Thermal Transport in One-dimensional Solid Materials
Published on: January 26, 2014
Charge, heat, and spin transport phenomena in metallic conductors
Nynke Vlietstra1,2, Sebastian T B Goennenwein3, Rudolf Gross1,2,4
1Walther-Meißner-Institut, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Abstract:
In solid state materials, gradients of the electro-chemical potential, the temperature, or the spin-chemical potential drive the flow of charge, heat, and spin angular momentum, resulting in a net transport of energy. Beyond the primary transport processes-such as the flow of charge, heat, and spin angular momentum driven by gradients in their respective potentials-a wide range of coupled or cross-linked transport responses can occur, giving rise to a rich variety of transport phenomena. These transport phenomena are commonly categorized under (anomalous) thermoelectric, thermomagnetic, and galvanomagnetic effects, along with their spin-dependent counterparts. However, establishing a systematic classification and comparison among them remains a complex and nontrivial task. This paper attempts a didactic overview of the different transport phenomena, by categorizing and briefly discussing each of them based on charge, heat, and spin transport in conducting solids. The phenomena are structured in three categories: collinear, transverse, and so-called 'planar' transport effects. The resulting overview attempts to categorize all effects in a consistent manner.
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