Splitting of temperature distributions due to dual-channel photon heat exchange in many-body systems

TL;DR

This paper explores how dual-channel photon heat exchange causes splitting of temperature distributions in periodic many-body systems, revealing mechanisms for controlling thermal patterns in nano devices.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of dual-channel photon heat exchange leading to split temperature distributions and demonstrates potential for tunable thermal control in nano-scale systems.

Findings

Temperature distributions show alternating patterns due to dual-channel heat exchange.

Long-range electromagnetic coupling causes spatial temperature splitting.

Tunable nonmonotonic temperature variations can be achieved in transient states.

Abstract

We investigate the radiative heat transfer and spatial distributions of stationary temperatures in periodic many-body systems composed of alternating slabs of two different materials. We show that temperature distributions exhibit an alternating spatial pattern and split into two distinct components, with each component corresponding to one of the two materials. Spatial temperature variations following the periodicity of the structure can be attributed to a dual-channel photon heat exchange through a long-range coupling of electromagnetic modes supported by bodies of the same material. We also analyze the thermal relaxation of the temperatures in the system to verify potential applications in dynamical situations. The results reveal that tunable nonmonotonic temperature variations can be also designed and utilized at a transient mode. The dual-channel mechanism to control temperature distributions proposed in the present work may pave new avenues for prospective applications in nano devices, especially for thermal photon-driven logic circuitry and thermal management.