Phonon transport across a vacuum gap

Phonon transport across a silicon/vacuum-gap/silicon structure is modeled using lattice dynamics calculations and Landauer theory. The phonons transmit thermal energy across the vacuum gap via atomic interactions between the leads. Because the incident phonons do not encounter a classically impenetr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2012-01, Vol.85 (2), p.024118-024118, Article 024118
Main Authors: Sellan, D. P., Landry, E. S., Sasihithlu, K., Narayanaswamy, A., McGaughey, A. J. H., Amon, C. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic interactions
Atomic structure
Condensed matter
Heat flux
Lattices
Phonons
Photons
Silicon
Transport
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Summary:Phonon transport across a silicon/vacuum-gap/silicon structure is modeled using lattice dynamics calculations and Landauer theory. The phonons transmit thermal energy across the vacuum gap via atomic interactions between the leads. Because the incident phonons do not encounter a classically impenetrable potential barrier, this mechanism is not a tunneling phenomenon. While some incident phonons transmit across the vacuum gap and remain in their original mode, many are annihilated and excite different modes. We show that the heat flux due to phonon transport can be 4 orders of magnitude larger than that due to photon transport predicted from near-field radiation theory.
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.85.024118