Interference represents one of the most striking manifestation of quantum physics in low-dimensional systems. Despite evidences of quantum interference in charge transport have been known for a long time, only recently signatures of interference indu
ced thermal properties have been reported, paving the way for the phase-coherent manipulation of heat in mesoscopic devices. In this work we show that anomalous thermoelectric properties and efficient heat rectification can be achieved by exploiting the phase-coherent edge states of quantum Hall systems. By considering a tunneling geometry with multiple quantum point contacts, we demonstrate that the interference paths effectively break the electron-hole symmetry, allowing for a thermoelectric charge current flowing either from hot to cold or viceversa, depending on the details of the tunnel junction. Correspondingly, an interference induced heat current is predicted, and we are able to explain these results in terms of an intuitive physical picture. Moreover, we show that heat rectification can be achieved by coupling two quantum Hall systems with different filling factors, and that this effect can be enhanced by exploiting the interference properties of the tunnel junction.
We analyze the backscattering current induced by a time dependent constriction as a tool to probe fractional topological insulators. We demonstrate an enhancement of the total current for a fractional topological insulator induced by the dominant tun
neling excitation, contrary to the decreasing present in the integer case for not too strong interactions. This feature allows to unambiguously identify fractional quasiparticles. Furthermore, the dominant tunneling processes, which may involve one or two quasiparticles depending on the interactions, can be clearly determined.
We study the DC spin current induced into an unbiased quantum spin Hall system through a two-point contacts setup with time dependent electron tunneling amplitudes. By means of two external gates, it is possible to drive a current with spin-preservin
g and spin-flipping contributions showing peculiar oscillations as a function of pumping frequency, electron-electron interaction and temperature. From its interference patterns as a function of the Fabry-Perot and Aharonov-Bohm phases, it is possible to extract information about the helical nature of the edge states and the intensity of the electron-electron interaction.
