arXiv subjects

Baowen Li

Publications and source records attributed to Baowen Li.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Thermal conductance of the coupled-rotator chain: Influence of temperature and size

Thermal conductance of a homogeneous 1D nonlinear lattice system with neareast neighbor interactions has recently been computationally studied in detail by Li et al [Eur. Phys. J. B {\bf 88}, 182 (2015)], where its power-law dependence on temperature $T$ for high temperatures is shown. Here, we address its entire temperature dependence, in addition to its dependence on the size $N$ of the system. We obtain a neat data collapse for arbitrary temperatures and system sizes, and numerically show that the thermal conductance curve is quite satisfactorily described by a fat-tailed $q$-Gaussian dependence on $TN^{1/3}$ with $q \simeq 1.55$. Consequently, its $T \to\infty$ asymptotic behavior is given by $T^{-α}$ with $α=2/(q-1) \simeq 3.64$.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2017

A Unified Approach to Nonlinear Transformation Materials

The advances in geometric approaches to optical devices due to transformation optics has led to the development of cloaks, concentrators, and other devices. It has also been shown that transformation optics can be used to gravitational fields from general relativity. However, the technique is currently constrained to linear devices, as a consistent approach to nonlinearity (including both the case of a nonlinear background medium and a nonlinear transformation) remains an open question. Here we show that nonlinearity can be incorporated into transformation optics in a consistent way. We use this to illustrate a number of novel effects, including cloaking an optical soliton, modeling nonlinear solutions to Einstein's field equations, controlling transport in a Debye solid, and developing a set of constitutive to relations for relativistic cloaks in arbitrary nonlinear backgrounds.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2017

Thermal conduction across a boron nitride and silicon oxide interface

The needs for efficient heat removal and superior thermal conduction in nano/micro devices have triggered tremendous studies in low-dimensional materials with high thermal conductivity. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is believed to be one of the candidates for thermal management and heat dissipation due to its novel physical properties, i.e. thermal conductor and electrical insulator. Here we reported interfacial thermal resistance between few-layer h-BN and its silicon oxide substrate using differential 3 omega method. The measured interfacial thermal resistance is around ~1.6*10-8 m2K/W for monolayer h-BN and ~3.4*10-8 m2K/W for 12.8nm-thick h-BN in metal/h-BN/SiO2 interfaces. Our results suggest that the voids and gaps between substrate and thick h-BN flakes limit the interfacial thermal conduction. This work provides a deeper understanding of utilizing h-BN flake as lateral heat spreader in electronic and optoelectronic nano/micro devices with further miniaturization and integration.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Nonequilibrium spin-boson model: from weak to strong coupling

We present a general theory to explore energy transfer in nonequilibrium spin-boson models within the framework of nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF). In contrast to conventionally used NEGF methods based on a perturbation expansion in the system-bath coupling, we adopt the polaron transformation to the Hamiltonian and identify the tunneling term as a perturbation with the system-bath coupling being treated nonperturbatively, herein termed the polaron-transformed NEGF method. To evaluate terms in the Dyson series, we further utilize the Majorana-fermion representation. The proposed method not only allows us to deal with weak as well as strong coupling regime, but also enables an investigation on the role of bias. As an application of the method, we study the energy transfer between two Ohmic bosonic baths mediated by a spin. For a unbiased spin system, our energy current result smoothly bridges predictions of two benchmarks, namely, the quantum master equation and the nonequilibrium non-interacting blip approximation, thus our method is beyond existing theories. In case of a biased spin system, we reveal a bias-induced nonmomotonic behavior of the energy conductance in the intermediate coupling regime, due to the resonant character of the energy transfer. This finding may offer a nontrivial quantum control knob over energy transfer at the nanoscale.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

A topological transistor of waves via the Euler characteristic

Although topological materials have recently seen tremendous development, their applications have remained elusive. Simultaneously, there exists considerable interest in pushing the limits of topological materials, including the exploration of new forms of topological protection and the establishment of topologically protected order in non-electronic systems. Here we develop some novel forms of topological order (i.e. topological charges), primarily the Euler characteristic as well as manifold class. We further demonstrate that these topological orders can protect bulk current transmission, even when the topologically trivial phase possesses an arbitrarily large band gap. Such a transition between topologically trivial, periodic dispersion and topologically non-trivial, aperiodic dispersion can be obtained by the anomalous Doppler shift of waves in a gapped periodic medium. Our work suggests that additional topological charges may become relevant in moving beyond topological electronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Phonon thermal conduction in novel 2D materials

Recently, there have been increasing interests in phonon thermal transport in low dimensional materials, due to the crucial importance for dissipating and managing heat in micro and nano electronic devices. Significant progresses have been achieved for one-dimensional (1D) systems both theoretically and experimentally. However, the study of heat conduction in two-dimensional (2D) systems is still in its infancy due to the limited availability of 2D materials and the technical challenges in fabricating suspended samples suitable for thermal measurements. In this review, we outline different experimental techniques and theoretical approaches for phonon thermal transport in 2D materials, discuss the problems and challenges in phonon thermal transport measurements and provide comparison between existing experimental data. Special focus will be given to the effects of the size, dimensionality, anisotropy and mode contributions in the novel 2D systems including graphene, boron nitride, MoS2, black phosphorous, silicene etc.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Cargo Towing by Artificial Swimmers

An active swimmer can tow a passive cargo by binding it to form a self-propelling dimer. The orientation of the cargo relative to the axis of the active dimer's head is determined by the hydrodynamic interactions associated with the propulsion mechanism of the latter. We show how the tower-cargo angular configuration greatly influences the dimer's diffusivity and, therefore, the efficiency of the active swimmer as a micro-towing motor.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Quantum thermal transport through anharmonic systems: A self-consistent approach

We propose a feasible and effective approach to study quantum thermal transport through anharmonic systems. The main idea is to obtain an {\it effective} harmonic Hamiltonian for the anharmonic system by applying the self-consistent phonon theory. Using the effective harmonic Hamiltonian we study thermal transport within the framework of nonequilibrium Green's function method using the celebrated Caroli formula. We corroborate our quantum self-consistent approach using the quantum master equation that can deal with anharmonicity exactly, but is limited to the weak system-bath coupling regime. Finally, in order demonstrate its strength we apply the quantum self-consistent approach to study thermal rectification in a weakly coupled two segment anharmonic system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2016

Superior thermal conductivity in suspended bilayer hexagonal boron nitride

We reported the basal-plane thermal conductivity in exfoliated bilayer hexagonal boron nitride h-BN that was measured using suspended prepatterned microstructures. The h-BN sample suitable for thermal measurements was fabricated by dry-transfer method, whose sample quality, due to less polymer residues on surfaces, is believed to be superior to that of PMMA-mediated samples. The measured room temperature thermal conductivity is around 484 Wm-1K-1(+141 Wm-1K-1/ -24 Wm-1K-1) which exceeds that in bulk h-BN, providing experimental observation of the thickness-dependent thermal conductivity in suspended few-layer h-BN.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

A series circuit of thermal rectifiers: an effective way to enhance rectification ratio

The low rectification ratio limits the application of thermal rectifiers. In this paper, it is found that a series circuit of thermal rectifiers in asymmetric graphene/graphene phononic crystal (GPnC) structures can improve rectification significantly. The simulations by using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) are performed. Moreover, the size effect on thermal rectification is also studied and discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Spin-dependent Seebeck Effect in Aharonov-Bohm Rings with Rashba and Dresselhaus Spin-orbit Interactions

We theoretically investigate the spin-dependent Seebeck effect in an Aharonov-Bohm mesoscopic ring in the presence of both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions under magnetic flux perpendicular to the ring. We apply the Green's function method to calculate the spin Seebeck coefficient employing the tight-binding Hamiltonian. It is found that the spin Seebeck coefficient is proportional to the slope of the energy-dependent transmission coefficients. We study the strong dependence of spin Seebeck coefficient on the Fermi energy, magnetic flux, strength of spin-orbit coupling, and temperature. Maximum spin Seebeck coefficients can be obtained when the strengths of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings are slightly different. The spin Seebeck coefficient can be reduced by increasing temperature and disorder.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Interfacial thermal conductance across metal-insulator/semiconductor interfaces due to surface states

We point out that the effective channel for the interfacial thermal conductance, the inverse of Kapitza resistance, of metal-insulator/semiconductor interfaces is governed by the electron-phonon interaction mediated by the surface states allowed in a thin region near the interface. Our detailed calculations demonstrate that the interfacial thermal conductance across Pb/Pt/Al/Au-diamond interfaces are only slightly different among these metals, and reproduce well the experimental results of the interfacial thermal conductance across metal-diamond interfaces observed by Stoner et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 1563 (1992)] and most recently by Hohensee et al. [Nature Commun. 6, 6578 (2015)].

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Variational approach to renormalized phonon in momentum-nonconserving nonlinear lattices

A previously proposed variational approach for momentum-conserving systems [J. Liu et.al., Phys. Rev. E 91, 042910 (2015)] is extended to systematically investigate general momentum-nonconserving nonlinear lattices. Two intrinsic identities characterizing optimal reference systems are revealed, which enables us to derive explicit expressions for optimal variational parameters. The resulting optimal harmonic reference systems provide information for the band gap as well as the dispersion of renormalized phonons in nonlinear lattices. As a demonstration, we consider the one-dimensional ϕ^?4 lattice. By combining the transfer integral operator method, we show that the phonon band gap endows a simple power-law temperature dependence in the weak stochasticity regime where predicted dispersion is reliable by comparing with numerical results. In addition, an exact relation between ensemble averages of the ϕ^?4 lattice in the whole temperature range is found, regardless of the existence of the strong stochasticity threshold.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2016

Manipulate Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Graphene Phononic Crystal

By using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations(NEMD), the modulation on temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of graphene phononic crystals (GPnCs) are investigated. It is found that the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of GPnCs follows $T^{-α}$ behavior. The power exponents ($α$) can be efficiently tuned by changing the characteristic size of GPnCs. The phonon participation ratio spectra and dispersion relation reveal that the long-range phonon modes are more affected in GPnCs with larger size of holes ($L_0$). Our results suggest that constructing GPnCs is an effective method to manipulate the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of graphene, which would be beneficial for developing GPnCs-based thermal management and signal processing devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Layer thickness-dependent phonon properties and thermal conductivity of MoS2

For conventional materials, the thermal conductivity of thin film is usually suppressed when the thickness decreases due to phonon-boundary scattering. However, this is not necessarily true for the van der Waals solids if the thickness is reduced to only a few layers. In this letter, the layer thickness-dependent phonon properties and thermal conductivity in the few-layer MoS2 are studied using the first-principles-based Peierls-Boltzmann transport equation approach. The basal-plane thermal conductivity is found to monotonically reduce from 138 W/mK to 98 W/mK for naturally occurring MoS2, and from 155 W/mK to 115 W/mK for isotopically pure MoS2, when its thickness increases from one layer to three layers. The thermal conductivity of tri-layer MoS2 approaches to that of bulk MoS2. Both the change of phonon dispersion and the thickness-induced anharmonicity are important for explaining such a thermal conductivity reduction. The increased anharmonicity in bi-layer MoS2 results in stronger phonon scattering for ZAi modes, which is linked to the breakdown of the symmetry in single-layer MoS2.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Invisible sensor: Simultaneous sensing and camouflaging in multiphysical fields

To manipulate various types of physical signals in one single device has long captivated the attention of scientists and engineers. This however is very challenging, if not impossible, even for emerging metamaterials. Up to date, many artificial materials have been proposed, theoretically and (or) experimentally, for manipulating various waves/signals on a one-function-one-device basis. In this work, for the very first time, we employ undecorated natural materials to experimentally demonstrate a simultaneous camouflage for thermal current and electric dc current on the same device. It demonstrates how ingenuity can overcome the limitations of natural material systems without the need for complex decoration to impart inhomogeneous and (or) anisotropic properties, which was previously considered impossible to accomplish except by using metamaterials.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Temperature and Frequency Dependent Mean Free Paths of Renormalized Phonons in Nonlinear Lattices

In the regime of strong nonlinearity, the validity of conventional perturbation based phonon transport theories is questionable. In particular, the renormalized phonons instead of phonons are responsible for heat transport in nonlinear lattices. In this work, we directly study the temperature and frequency dependent Mean Free Path (MFP) of renormalized phonons with the newly developed numerical tuning fork method. The typical 1D nonlinear lattices such as Fermi-Pasta-Ulam $β$ (FPU-$β$) lattice and $ϕ^4$ lattice are investigated in details. It is found that the MFPs are inversely proportional to the frequencies of renormalized phonons rather than the square of phonon frequencies predicted by existing phonon scattering theory.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2015

Boosting thermoelectric efficiency using time-dependent control

Thermoelectric efficiency is defined as the ratio of power delivered to the load of a device to the rate of heat flow from the source. Till date, it has been studied in presence of thermodynamic constraints set by the Onsager reciprocal relation and the second law of thermodynamics that severely bottleneck the thermoelectric efficiency. In this study, we propose a pathway to bypass these constraints using a time-dependent control and present a theoretical framework to study dynamic thermoelectric transport in the far from equilibrium regime. The presence of a control yields the sought after substantial efficiency enhancement and importantly a significant amount of power supplied by the control is utilised to convert the wasted-heat energy into useful-electric energy. Our findings are robust against nonlinear interactions and suggest that external time-dependent forcing, which can be incorporated with existing devices, provides a beneficial scheme to boost thermoelectric efficiency.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗