Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer Between Metasurfaces: A Full-Wave Study Based on 2D Grooved Metal Plates

TL;DR

This study demonstrates enhanced near-field radiative heat transfer between 2D grooved metal metasurfaces, highlighting the roles of surface plasmon polaritons, waveguide modes, and non-resonant surface waves in controlling energy transfer.

Contribution

It provides a full-wave numerical analysis of RHT between metasurfaces, revealing the interplay of different surface modes and the significance of non-resonant waves at small separations.

Findings

Enhanced RHT due to surface plasmon polaritons and waveguide modes.

Frequency-selective and geometrically tailorable RHT spectrum.

Non-resonant surface waves dominate at extremely small gaps.

Abstract

Metamaterials possess artificial bulk and surface electromagnetic states. Tamed dispersion properties of surface waves allow one to achieve controllable super-Planckian radiative heat transfer (RHT) process between two closely spaced objects. We numerically demonstrate enhanced RHT between two 2D grooved metal plates by a full-wave scattering approach. The enhancement originates from both transverse magnetic spoof surface plasmon polaritons and a series of transverse electric bonding- and anti-bonding waveguide modes at surfaces. The RHT spectrum is frequency-selective, and highly geometrically tailorable. Our simulation also reveals thermally excited non-resonant surface waves in constituent materials can play a prevailing role for RHT at an extremely small separation between two plates, rendering metamaterial modes insignificant for the energy transfer process.