Temperature-independent thermal radiation

Abstract

Conventional wisdom states that the hotter an object is, the brighter it glows. This is the case for thermal light at any wavelength and enables applications such as infrared imaging and noncontact thermometry. We demonstrate a coating that emits the same amount of thermal radiation irrespective of temperature, within a temperature range of about 30 °C. This is accomplished using samarium nickel oxide—a quantum material that changes strongly but gradually as a function of temperature. This is the first time that temperature-independent thermal radiation has been demonstrated, and has substantial implications for infrared camouflage, privacy shielding, and radiative heat transfer.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 17, 2019
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1911244116

Entities

People

  • Alireza Shahsafi
  • Chenghao Wan
  • Jad Salman
  • Jerzy T Sadowski
  • Jiarui Li
  • Mikhail A Kats
  • Patrick Roney
  • Raymond Wambold
  • Riccardo Comin
  • Shriram Ramanathan
  • You Zhou
  • Yuzhe Xiao
  • Zhaoning Yu
  • Zhen Zhang

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Brookhaven National Laboratory
  • Harvard University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Purdue University
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing