Electronic noise due to temperature differences in atomic-scale junctions: beyond standard thermal and shot noises

Since the discovery of electronic thermal and shot noise almost a century ago, these two forms of fundamental electronic noise have had an enormous impact on science and technology. Here, we report on a new version of electronic noise that is generated by temperature differences across nanoscale conductors, which we term ‘delta-T noise’¹. We experimentally demonstrate this noise in atomic and molecular junctions, and analyze it theoretically using the Landauer formalism. The delta-T noise reveals a peculiar combination of characteristics that makes it different from the known thermal noise and voltage-activated shot noise. This noise can be used to detect temperature differences across nanoscale conductors without the need for fabricating sophisticated local probes. Furthermore, delta-T noise should be considered when designing modern nanoscale electronics, since temperature gradients are often generated unintentionally across electronic components.



1. O. Shein-Lumbroso, L. Simine , A. Nitzan, D. Segal, and O. Tal, Electronic noise due to temperature differences in atomic-scale junctions. Nature, 562, 240 (2018); News & Views: E. Scheer, and W. Belzig, Unexpected noise from hot electrons. Nature, 562, 200 (2018).