Active control of the near-field radiative heat transfer between two metal plates through the external electric field

Abstract

We calculate the near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between two charged metallic plates with an external electric field oriented perpendicular to the plates. The near-field radiative heat flux is discussed in detail for gold, silver, and copper plates. The results show that the NFRHT between the copper plates is the largest. Due to the coupling between electrostatic interactions and surface fluctuations, the p-wave heat flux is amplified by several orders of magnitude by the perpendicular electric field. With increasing electric-field strength, the heat flux between the copper plates increases rapidly to a maximum value. Moreover, for a separation between the copper plates of 10–20 nm, the magnitude of the perpendicular electric field corresponding to the maximal heat flux increases exponentially with plate separation. We study how to use the external electric field to control the NFRHT between metal plates, which has a wide range of applications in thermal nano-devices.