Nernst- and Seebeck effect at high temperatures and high magnetic fields

Abstract

As part of this diploma thesis a measurement setup to study the Seebeck- and Nernst effect at high temperatures and high magnetic fields was designed and created.The measurement setup allows for simultaneous measurements of both effects for temperatures up to 560 Kelvin and magnetic fields up to 10 Tesla. Apart from the experimental work, the underlying theory of both effects is presented. Based on the theoretical concepts, measurement equations are derived, that counteract constant spurious offset voltages and systematic errors of the measurement setup.For automation of the measurement process, a measurement software and a graphical user interface were developed. The measurement setup was tested and optimized using a wide variety of polycrystalline materials for which reliable reference data were published. For all reference samples the published results could be reproduced for both the Seebeck- and Nernst effect, allowing the measurement setup to be a reliable system for future research at the institute.