Published
Schematic of the experimental setup for measuring the nonlinear anomalous thermal Hall effect. Here, the dark pink color shows the hot end of the sample, while the light blue color shows the cold end. This sets a temperature gradient along the x direction. We probe the nonlinear thermal Hall response along the y (Hall) and x (longitudinal) directions.
Harsh Varshney, Kamal Das, Pankaj Bhalla, and Amit Agarwal
We investigate the second-order nonlinear electronic thermal transport induced by temperature gradient. We develop the quantum kinetic theory framework to describe thermal transport in the presence of a temperature gradient. Using this, we predict an intrinsic scattering time-independent nonlinear thermal current in addition to the known extrinsic nonlinear Drude and Berry curvature dipole contributions. We show that the intrinsic thermal current is determined by the band geometric quantities and is non-zero only in systems where both the space inversion and time-reversal symmetries are broken. We employ the developed theory to study the thermal response in tilted massive Dirac systems. We show that besides the different scattering time dependents, the various current contributions have distinct temperature dependencies in the low-temperature limit. Our systematic and comprehensive theory for nonlinear thermal transport paves the way for future theoretical and experimental studies on intrinsic thermal responses.
Origin of the different conductivity contributions in the quantum kinetic theory framework and their scattering time dependence. The off-diagonal terms of the density matrix capture the impact of inter-band coherence. All band geometry-induced transport responses arise from the off-diagonal components of the linear or nonlinear density matrix.
Harsh Varshney, Rohit Mukherjee, Arijit Kundu, and Amit Agarwal
We present a systematic study of the nonlinear thermal Hall responses in bosonic systems using the quantum kinetic theory framework. We demonstrate the existence of an intrinsic nonlinear boson thermal current, arising from the quantum metric which is a wavefunction dependent band geometric quantity. In contrast to the nonlinear Drude and nonlinear anomalous Hall contributions, the intrinsic nonlinear thermal conductivity is independent of the scattering timescale. We demonstrate the dominance of this intrinsic thermal Hall response in topological magnons in a two-dimensional ferromagnetic honeycomb lattice without Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Our findings highlight the significance of band geometry induced nonlinear thermal transport and motivate experimental probe of the intrinsic nonlinear thermal Hall response with implications for quantum magnonics.
Schematic for 2D planar Hall effect (2DPHE). Layered 2D materials host hidden planar Berry curvature (Ω_planar) and planar orbital magnetic moment (m_planar) arising from inter-layer tunneling. The Ω_planar and m_planar combine with the in-plane electric and magnetic field to induce a longitudinal and transverse current in the 2D plane.
Koushik Ghorai, Sunit Das, Harsh Varshney, and Amit Agarwal
The planar Hall effect in 3D systems is an effective probe for their Berry curvature, topology, and electronic properties. However, the Berry curvature-induced conventional planar Hall effect is forbidden in 2D systems as the out-of-plane Berry curvature cannot couple to the band velocity of the electrons moving in the 2D plane. Here, we demonstrate a unique 2D planar Hall effect (2DPHE) originating from the hidden planar components of the Berry curvature and orbital magnetic moment in quasi-2D materials. We identify all planar band geometric contributions to 2DPHE and classify their crystalline symmetry restrictions. Using gated bilayer graphene as an example, we show that in addition to capturing the hidden band geometric effects, 2DPHE is also sensitive to the Lifshitz transitions. Our work motivates further exploration of hidden planar band geometry-induced 2DPHE and related transport phenomena for innovative applications.
Suvronil Datta, Saisab Bhowmik, Harsh Varshney, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Amit Agarwal, and U Chandni
Van Hove singularities enhance many-body interactions and induce collective states of matter ranging from superconductivity to magnetism. In magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, van Hove singularities appear at low energies and are malleable with density, leading to a sequence of Lifshitz transitions and resets observable in Hall measurements. However, without a magnetic field, linear transport measurements have limited sensitivity to the band’s topology. Here, we utilize nonlinear longitudinal and transverse transport measurements to probe these unique features in twisted bilayer graphene at zero magnetic field. We demonstrate that the nonlinear responses, induced by the Berry curvature dipole and extrinsic scattering processes, intricately map the Fermi surface reconstructions at various fillings. Importantly, our experiments highlight the intrinsic connection of these features with the moiré bands. Beyond corroborating the insights from linear Hall measurements, our findings establish nonlinear transport as a pivotal tool for probing band topology and correlated phenomena.
Tanweer Ahmed, Harsh Varshney, Bao Q Tu, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Marco Gobbi, Felix Casanova, Amit Agarwal, and Luis E Hueso
The second-order nonlinear electrical response (NLER) is an intrinsic property of inversion symmetry-broken systems that can provide deep insights into the electronic band structures of atomically thin quantum materials. However, the impact of Fermi surface reconstructions, also known as Lifshitz transitions, on the NLER has remained elusive. NLER is investigated in bilayer graphene (BLG), where the low-energy bands undergo Lifshitz transitions. Here, NLER undergoes a sign change near the Lifshitz transitions even at elevated temperatures T ≥ 10 K. At the band edge, NLER in BLG is modulated by both extrinsic scattering and interfacial-strain-induced intrinsic Berry curvature dipole, both of which can be finely tuned externally by varying doping and interlayer potential. Away from the band edge, BLG exhibits second-order conductivity exceeding 30 µm V−1 Ω−1 at 3 K, higher than any previous report. This work establishes NLER as a reliable tool to probe Lifshitz transitions in quantum materials.
The Nernst and Seebeck effects are crucial for thermoelectric energy harvesting. However, the
linear anomalous Nernst effect requires magnetic materials with intrinsically broken time-reversal
symmetry. In non-magnetic systems, the dominant transverse thermoelectric response is the non-
linear Nernst current. Here, we investigate nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck effects to reveal intrinsic
scattering-free Seebeck and Nernst currents arising from band geometric effects in bipartite antiferro-
magnets (parity-time-reversal symmetric systems). We show that these contributions, independent
of scattering time, originate from the Berry connection polarizability tensor which depends on the
quantum metric. Using CuMnAs as a model system, we demonstrate the dominance of intrinsic
nonlinear Seebeck and Nernst currents over other scattering-dependent contributions. Our find-
ings deepen the fundamental understanding of nonlinear thermoelectric phenomena and provide the
foundation for using them to develop more efficient, next-generation energy harvesting devices
Rahul Biswas, Harsh Varshney, and Amit Agarwal
The Nernst effect is a versatile phenomenon relevant for energy harvesting, magnetic sensing, probing band topology and charge-neutral excitations. The planar Nernst effect (PNE) generates an in-plane voltage transverse to an applied temperature gradient under an in-plane magnetic field. Conventional Berry curvature-induced PNE is absent in two-dimensional (2D) systems, as the out-of-plane Berry curvature does not couple to the in-plane electron velocity. We challenge this notion by demonstrating a distinct planar Nernst effect in quasi-2D materials (2DPNE). We show that the 2DPNE originates from previously overlooked planar components of Berry curvature and orbital magnetic moment, arising from inter-layer tunneling in multilayered 2D systems. We comprehensively analyze the band-geometric origin and crystalline symmetry constraints on 2DPNE responses. We illustrate its experimental feasibility in strained bilayer graphene. Our findings significantly expand the theoretical understanding of planar Nernst effects, providing a clear pathway for next-generation magnetic sensing and energy-harvesting applications.
Sankar Sarkar, Harsh Varshney, Sayan Sarkar, and Amit Agarwal
Generating spin magnetization and spin currents without magnetic or electric fields is a key frontier in spin caloritronics. Spin responses driven by thermal gradients offer a promising route, though the band geometric origin of intrinsic mechanisms, especially in non-magnetic materials, remains poorly understood. Here we develop a unified quantum theory of thermal spin magnetization and spin currents (including both the spin Seebeck and Nernst effects) in itinerant electrons, rooted in spin-band geometry and encompassing both Fermi-surface and Fermi-sea contributions. We identify two key geometric quantities: the spin-velocity metric tensor, which governs thermal spin magnetization, and the spin geometric tensor, combining spin Berry curvature and spin quantum metric, which generates thermal spin currents. Numerical calculations for chiral metal RhGe, antiferromagnet CuMnAs, and monolayer semiconductor MoS demonstrate sizable thermal spin responses. Our results establish the band geometric origin of thermal spin transport and provide guiding principles for discovering and engineering next-generation spin caloritronic materials.
Harsh Varshney and Amit Agarwal
The nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck effects (NNE and NSE) offer promising routes for thermoelectric energy conversion in non-magnetic systems. While intrinsic mechanisms such as the nonlinear Drude and Berry-curvature-dipole terms are well established, extrinsic contributions to thermoelectric responses arising from disorder-induced asymmetric scattering remain comparatively less explored, despite growing experimental evidence of their dominance. Here, we develop a unified semiclassical theory of NNE and NSE that incorporates skew scattering and side-jump processes, identifying four distinct extrinsic contributions to NNE and two for NSE. A systematic symmetry analysis shows that these responses are allowed in time-reversal-symmetric non-magnets, PT-symmetric antiferromagnets, and non-centrosymmetric magnetic systems such as altermagnets. As a case study, we demonstrate that ABA-stacked trilayer graphene hosts large nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck responses dominated by extrinsic scattering, in excellent agreement with recent experiments. Our results establish the microscopic origin of these effects and provide guiding principles for designing high-efficiency nonlinear thermoelectric devices.
Preprints
Harsh Varshney and Amit Agarwal
Longitudinal nonreciprocal charge transport is usually associated with broken time-reversal sym-
metry, either from magnetic order or an external magnetic field. Here, we show that it can also arise
in nonmagnetic conductors preserving time-reversal symmetry through disorder-induced asymmet-
ric scattering. Within a semiclassical Boltzmann theory, skew-scattering and side-jump processes
generate a finite longitudinal current quadratic in the electric field. Our symmetry analysis identifies
42 point groups that allow this longitudinal nonreciprocal response. As a concrete example, gated
Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene shows a gate-tunable nonreciprocal response with clear enhance-
ment near its Lifshitz transition. These results identify disorder-driven asymmetric scattering as a
route to bulk longitudinal nonreciprocal charge transport in crystalline conductors.
Outreach Activities
7) Participated in the WE-Heraeus-Seminar on "Spin Dynamics in Materials with Unconventional Symmetries" at Physikzentrum, Germany, and presented a poster on "Spin band geometry drives thermal spin magnetization and current."
6) Attended the "Graphene 2025" conference at San Sebastian (Spain) and presented a poster on "Intrinsic nonlinear Nernst and Seebeck effects."
5) Attended "QMAT2024" at IIT Guwahati and presented our recent work.
4) Attended "Recent Progress in Graphene and 2D Materials Research 2023" and presented a poster titled "Quantum Kinetic Theory of Nonlinear Thermal Currents."
3) Attended PQMS 2023 summer school in NISER, Bhubaneswar.
2) Presented a poster titled " Quantum kinetic theory of nonlinear thermal currents" at IIT Kanpur during the Research Scholar Meet in 2023.
1) Volunteered as the organizing team for QMAT 2022 held at IIT Kanpur.