Broadband and wide angle nonreciprocal thermal emission from Weyl semimetal structures

Andrew Butler, Christos Argyropoulos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nonreciprocal thermal emission is a cutting-edge technology that enables fundamental control over thermal radiation and has exciting applications in thermal energy harvesting. However, thus far one of the foremost challenges is making nonreciprocal emission operate over a broad wavelength range and for multiple angles. In this work, we solve this outstanding problem by proposing three different types of structures that always utilize only one Weyl semimetal (WSM) thin film combined with one or two additional dielectric or metallic layers and terminated by a metallic substrate. First, a tradeoff relationship between the magnitude and bandwidth of the thermal nonreciprocity contrast is established based on the thickness of the WSM film. Then, the bandwidth broadening effect is demonstrated via the insertion of a dielectric spacer layer that can also be fine-tuned by varying its thickness. Finally, further control on the resulting strong nonreciprocal thermal radiation is demonstrated by the addition of a thin metallic layer in the proposed few layer designs. The presented composite structures work for a broad frequency range and for multiple emission angles, resulting in highly advantageous properties for various nonreciprocal thermal radiation applications. Moreover, the proposed designs do not require any patterning and can be experimentally realized by simple deposition fabrication methods. They are expected to aid in the creation of broadband nonreciprocal thermal emitters that can find applications in new energy harvesting devices.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2122-2128
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of the Optical Society of America B: Optical Physics
Volume40
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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