Radiative heat shuttling

TL;DR

This paper reveals a radiative heat shuttling effect caused by modulation of photon chemical potential or temperature difference, which can enhance or insulate heat exchange between bodies, offering new control strategies for nonequilibrium thermal systems.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of radiative heat shuttling due to modulation, demonstrating its impact on heat flux and potential for active thermal management.

Findings

Modulation of photon chemical potential or temperature difference induces a shuttling effect.

The shuttling effect can enhance heat exchange or insulate bodies depending on system properties.

Negative differential thermal resistance influences the role of radiative shuttling in thermal insulation.

Abstract

We demonstrate the existence of a shuttling effect for the radiative heat flux exchanged between two bodies separated by a vacuum gap when the chemical potential of photons or the temperature difference is modulated. We show that this modulation typically gives rise to a supplementary flux which superimposes to the flux produced by the mean gradient, enhancing the heat exchange. When the system displays a negative differential thermal resistance, however, the radiative shuttling contributes to insulate the two bodies from each other. These results pave the way for a novel strategy for an active management of radiative heat exchanges in nonequilibrium systems.