Convection-modulated topological edge mode and extended-localized criticality in thermal metamaterials

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how convection modulation in thermal metamaterials can induce non-Hermitian topological edge modes and criticality, enabling reconfigurable thermal device design.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to realize topological and critical thermal modes via convection modulation, expanding the functionalities of thermal metamaterials.

Findings

Localized edge modes within the band gap.

Exponential decay of temperature at the topological edge.

Extended-localized criticality through quasiperiodic convection modulation.

Abstract

Convection offers a dynamic and flexible approach to achieving a variety of novel physical phenomena beyond pure conduction. Here, we demonstrate that thermal metamaterials with convection modulation enable the realization of non-Hermitian topological edge modes and bulk mode criticality. We illustrate that a periodic modulation can induce localized edge modes within the band gap. The temperature field of the topological state is localized at the edge rings, decaying exponentially at a fixed rate. Additionally, we introduce an extended-localized criticality through the quasiperiodic convection modulation in thermotics. The convections have an advantage of fantastic tunability in the application. Our work proposes a scheme for implementing topological modes and bulk mode criticality through modulating convection in diffusion systems, paving the way for the design of reconfigurable thermal devices.