Photonic thermal diode based on superconductors

A photonic thermal diode capitalizing on the strong contrast of Nb permittivity around its critical temperature separating its normal and superconducting states is proposed and analyzed in both the near- and far-fields. For a diode with terminals made of Nb and SiO2 and operating at temperatures 1 K...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 2017-09, Vol.122 (9)
Main Authors: Ordonez-Miranda, Jose, Joulain, Karl, De Sousa Meneses, Domingos, Ezzahri, Younès, Drevillon, Jérémie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Critical temperature
Engineering Sciences
Insulation
Logic circuits
Photonics
Physics
Silicon dioxide
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Summary:A photonic thermal diode capitalizing on the strong contrast of Nb permittivity around its critical temperature separating its normal and superconducting states is proposed and analyzed in both the near- and far-fields. For a diode with terminals made of Nb and SiO2 and operating at temperatures 1 K and 8.7 K, the rectification factor is maximized to 71%, which occurs for the terminal separation distance of 59.9 μm and is among the highest values reported in the literature. For other terminal temperatures, the diode rectification factor takes smaller values, but can still be optimized with a different distance in the transition zone between the near and far fields driven by coherent effects. The rectification factor of the proposed diode can potentially be useful for the development of cryogenic radiative insulation and thermal logical gates.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.4991516