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arXiv · 2606.14861

Designing Strong and Broadband Nonreciprocal Thermal Radiation in Magnetic Topological Materials

Yiyang Jiang·Yufei Zhao·Linxiao Zhu·Binghai Yan
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Abstract

Breaking reciprocity in thermal radiation opens opportunities for energy harvesting, sensing, and thermal management. Traditional nonreciprocal radiative semiconductor devices need external magnetic field. In this work, we predict a series of magnetic topological materials for magnetic-field-free nonreciprocal thermal radiation in the infrared regime, by combining first-principles calculations with Maxwell electrodynamics. We find strong and broadband nonreciprocity in magnetic Weyl semimetals (e.g., Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$), outperforming the conventional semiconductor such as InAs. Furthermore, we propose universal material design recipes: strong nonreciprocity requires a large anomalous Hall response relative to the optical loss, whereas the broadband response favors large optical loss and small dielectric dispersion. Our work establishes a predictive materials-discovery framework and quantitative design rules for next-generation magnet-free nonreciprocal thermal devices.

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Yiyang Jiang, Yufei Zhao, Linxiao Zhu, Binghai Yan. 2026-06-12. Designing Strong and Broadband Nonreciprocal Thermal Radiation in Magnetic Topological Materials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.14861

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