Degenerate quasi-normal mode theory for near-field radiation between plasmonic structures
Abstract
Near-field radiation can exceed the blackbody radiation limit due to the contributions from evanescent waves. One promising approach to further enhance near-field radiation beyond existing bulk materials is to utilize metamaterials or metasurfaces made from subwavelength plasmonic structures. In this work, we investigate the near-field thermal radiation between complex plasmonic structures with higher-order symmetry and degeneracy, which is crucial for understanding the radiative heat exchange between metamaterials or metasurfaces at extremely small gaps. We demonstrate that the introduction of degeneracy can drastically boost near-field thermal radiation between plasmonic structures. The enhancement of near-field thermal radiation originates from the emergence of degenerate resonance modes and the secondary emission of thermal photons due to the nonzero coupling between the degenerate modes. Our study provides new pathways for designing high-intensity near-field thermal emitters and absorbers for thermophotovoltaics, thermal management, and infrared spectroscopy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 27, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1364/oe.405308
Entities
People
- Jiayu Li
- Ming-Jia Li
- Sheng Shen
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- National Science Foundation