Measurements and Modeling of the Spectral and Directional Radiative Properties of Micro/Nanostructured Materials

Abstract

Spectral and directional control of thermal radiation is a challenging yet important task for a number of applications, including thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, solar energy utilization, space thermal management, and high-efficiency incandescent lamps. A number of structures have been proposed as coherent emission sources, with spectral emission peaks in well-defined directions. The grating structure has been commonly used in which coherent emission is achieved by the excitation of surface polaritons or surface waves. Along with the development of metamaterials, magnetic polaritons have also received much attention lately and have been demonstrated to be useful for controlling the radiative properties of periodic structures. Furthermore, planar structures can also support surface waves or optical resonance for thermal emission control, such as the truncated one-dimensional photonic crystals and asymmetric Fabry–Perot structures. This article provides an overview of theoretical and experimental research activities, performed in the Nanoscale Thermal Radiation Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, on tailoring the spectral and directional thermal radiative properties.