Radiative heat transfer as a Landauer-B\"{u}ttiker problem

TL;DR

This paper models radiative heat transfer between layered media with conductive interfaces as a Landauer-Büttiker mesoscopic transport problem, providing a new theoretical framework for understanding heat flow in such systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach by interpreting radiative heat transfer as a Landauer-Büttiker transport problem, connecting fluctuational electrodynamics with mesoscopic transport theory.

Findings

Explicitly calculates conductance matrix for the system

Verifies Büttiker symmetry in heat transfer

Establishes a new theoretical framework for layered media

Abstract

We study the radiative heat transfer between two semi-infinite half-spaces, bounded by conductive surfaces in contact with vacuum. This setup is interpreted as a four-terminal mesoscopic transport problem. The slabs and interfaces are viewed as bosonic reservoirs, coupled perfectly to a scattering center consisting of the two interfaces and vacuum. Using Rytov's fluctuational electrodynamics and assuming Kirchhoff's circuital law, we calculate the heat flow in each bath. This allows for explicit evaluation of a conductance matrix, from which one readily verifies B\"{u}ttiker symmetry. Thus, radiative heat transfer in layered media with conductive interfaces becomes a Landauer-B\"{u}ttiker transport problem.