Heat transfer between two nanoparticles through near field interaction

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Mar 4;94(8):085901. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.085901. Epub 2005 Mar 2.

Abstract

We introduce a thermal conductance by using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to analyze the heat transfer between two nanoparticles separated by a submicron distance. Using either a molecular dynamics technique or a model based on the Coulomb interaction between fluctuating dipoles, we derive the thermal conductance. Both models agree for distances larger than a few diameters. For separation distances smaller than the particle diameter, we find a transition regime characterized by a thermal conductance larger than the contact conductance.