Quantized thermal conductance of dielectric quantum wires

TL;DR

This paper predicts that dielectric quantum wires exhibit universal, quantized thermal conductance at low temperatures in a ballistic phonon regime, independent of material specifics, based on the Landauer transport theory.

Contribution

It introduces the theoretical prediction of universal quantized thermal conductance in dielectric quantum wires using the Landauer approach.

Findings

Thermal conductance is quantized at low temperatures.

The quantum of thermal conductance is universal and material-independent.

Quantized conductance should be observable in current nanostructures.

Abstract

Using the Landauer formulation of transport theory, we predict that dielectric quantum wires should exhibit quantized thermal conductance at low temperatures in a ballistic phonon regime. The quantum of thermal conductance is universal, independent of the characteristics of the material, and equal to $\pi^2 k^2_B T /3h$ where $k_B$ is the Boltzmann constant, h is Planck's constant and T is the temperature. Quantized thermal conductance should be experimentally observable in suspended nanostructures adiabatically coupled to reservoirs, devices that can be realized at the present time.