A thermokinetic approach to radiative heat transfer at the nanoscale

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58770. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058770. Epub 2013 Mar 18.

Abstract

Radiative heat exchange at the nanoscale presents a challenge for several areas due to its scope and nature. Here, we provide a thermokinetic description of microscale radiative energy transfer including phonon-photon coupling manifested through a non-Debye relaxation behavior. We show that a lognormal-like distribution of modes of relaxation accounts for this non-Debye relaxation behavior leading to the thermal conductance. We also discuss the validity of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The general expression for the thermal conductance we obtain fits existing experimental results with remarkable accuracy. Accordingly, our approach offers an overall explanation of radiative energy transfer through micrometric gaps regardless of geometrical configurations and distances.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Energy Transfer
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / radiation effects*
  • Photons
  • Quantum Theory
  • Thermal Conductivity*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by MICINN of the Spanish Government, under Grant No. FIS2008-04386, and by Fundação Araucária and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico of the Brazilian Government. JMR acknowledges financial support from Generalitat de Catalunya under program ICREA Academia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.