Thermal transport in superconductor/normal-metal structures

We review experiments over the last ten years on thermal transport in mesoscopic normal metals in contact with a superconductor. The main focus of this effort has been on the exploration of coherent thermal effects in mesoscopic normal-metal/superconductor structures, i.e. effects in which the phase of the quasiparticles participating in thermal transport is important. Coherence in thermal transport manifests itself as oscillations of the thermal conductance and the thermopower of mesoscopic devices with an externally applied magnetic field. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)