2013/10/21 by Yiling Yu, Yu, Yiling, Linyou Cao +1
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Optics (physics.optics) #Photonic Crystals and Applications #Photonic and Optical Devices #Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1310.5392
openalex publication_date 2013/10/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We elucidate the theoretically maximal thermal radiation power from real materials at a given temperature. Our results demonstrate that the thermal radiation from real materials may be larger than the blackbody emission in free space,and indicate that this is rooted in the high refractive index of the materials. The refractive index contrast between the materials and environment dictates the radiation of real materials genetically not under thermodynamic equilibrium, but on the other hand can give rise to a larger density of photonic modes than that of the blackbody. One key to maximize the thermal radiation is to minimize the impedance mismatch of the materials with environment. By following this principle, we present a design of a carbon core coated by a four-layer transparent shell with gradually changed refractive indexes that can emit > 30 times more power than the blackbody, which reasonably approaches the predicted radiation maximum.