Interpretation of the thermomagnetic effects in bismuth—antimony alloys

An attempt is made to explain the previously reported thermomagnetic effects in alloys of Bi with 6•3 and 23 at. % Sb using the band structure model first proposed by Abeles and Meiboom. It is shown that this model predicts the qualitative features of the Nernst and magneto-Seebeck effects. It is concluded that the band structures of Bi and Bi—Sb alloys containing up to at least 23% Sb are similar. It is also suggested that there is a heavy-hole band that comes into prominence on raising the temperature from 80°K to 300°K.