Contribution of interfacial thermal resonance to phonon heat transfer across a sub-nanometer vacuum gap

Abstract

In near-field heat transfer, phonons contribute more efficiently than photons when heat exchanges between two objects separated by a nanoscale vacuum gap. Recent studies found Casimir heat transfer across a vacuum gap induced by the quantum fluctuations of electromagnetic fields. However, it remains an open question whether phonons can transmit across a vacuum gap without electromagnetic fields.

Wentao Chen

Research Fellow

My research interests include near-field heat transfer, thermal transport at the solid-solid and solid-liquid interface, and molecular dynamics simulation.