Thermoelectric transport coefficients of quark matter

Abstract

A thermal gradient and/or a chemical potential gradient in a conducting medium can lead to an electric field, an effect known as thermoelectric effect or Seebeck effect. In the context of heavy-ion collisions, we estimate the thermoelectric transport coefficients for quark matter within the ambit of the Nambu–Jona Lasinio (NJL) model. We estimate the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and the Seebeck coefficient of hot and dense quark matter. These coefficients are calculated using the relativistic Boltzmann transport equation within relaxation time approximation. The relaxation times for the quarks are estimated from the quark–quark and quark–antiquark scattering through meson exchange within the NJL model. As a comparison to the NJL model estimation of the Seebeck coefficient, we also estimate the Seebeck coefficient within a quasiparticle approach.