Additional details about the thermal design error in 'A Photon Thermal Diode'

TL;DR

This paper clarifies a fundamental symmetry error in the original photon thermal diode study, providing detailed thermal estimates and explaining why the cold-side collimator was incorrectly omitted, impacting the experimental validity.

Contribution

It offers a detailed analysis of the thermal estimate failure and addresses a symmetry error in the original experimental study of the photon thermal diode.

Findings

Identification of a symmetry error in the original study

Explanation of the failure of the thermal estimate for collimator omission

Clarification of the experimental limitations

Abstract

This note supplements a Reply [1] to a Comment [2] which identified a fundamental symmetry error we made in the original experimental study of a photon thermal diode [3]. For thermal specialists, here we provide some additional details about the thermal estimate originally used to justify omitting the cold-side thermal collimator, and the reasons for its failure. References [1]. C. Dames, Z. Chen, C. Wong, S. Lubner, S. Yee, J. Miller, W. Jang, C. Hardin, A. Fong, and J. E. Garay, "Correspondence: Reply to `The experimental requirements for a photon thermal diode'". Nature Communications (in press, 2017). [2]. B. V. Budaev, "Correspondence: The experimental requirements for a photon thermal diode". Nature Communications (in press, 2017). [3]. Z. Chen, C. Wong, S. Lubner, S. Yee, J. Miller, W. Jang, C. Hardin, A. Fong, J. E. Garay, and C. Dames, "A photon thermal diode". Nature Communications 5, 5446 (2014).