The Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficient in conductors with a narrow conduction band: Analysis and application of its results to HTSC materials

A theoretical analysis is made of the Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficient Q for the case of a narrow conduction band present in the band spectrum of a material. It is shown that the presence of such a band results in a qualitative change in the mechanism responsible for the Nernst-Ettingshausen effect as compared to the classical case of a broad conduction band and that the behavior of this coefficient reveals a number of specific features that are different from the case of the classical theory of transport coefficients in semiconductors and metals. It is demonstrated that the pattern of the Q(T) relation in the case of a narrow band is drastically affected by the asymmetry of the dispersion curve, whereas the other features of the band spectrum and of the properties of the carrier system, including the character of the energy dependence of the relaxation time, are less significant and, in a first approximation, can be disregarded. The calculated Q(T) curves are in qualitative agreement with the experimental relationships obtained for doped HTSCs of the YBa₂Cu₃O_y system. The possibility of using this approach for a complex analysis of the experimental temperature dependences of the four transport coefficients in the normal phase of HTSC materials is demonstrated.