arXiv subjects

Zhuomin M. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Zhuomin M. Zhang.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interfacial optical absorptance of air-water interfaces

The photomolecular effect has been hypothesized to enhance evaporation of water at visible wavelengths. This study develops a measurement technique to investigate its presence and magnitude at the liquid-vapor interface of water. The experiment detects surface absorptance by comparing polarized reflectance for substrates with and without a water layer. The reflectance ratio is used as an indicator of interfacial absorptance or attenuation. Lightly doped silicon and platinum were used as dielectric and metal substrates, and their pseudo-optical properties were measured using ellipsometry. Experimental results were compared to a multilayer reflectance model to determine theoretical sensitivity and guide angle selection. Measurements showed close agreement with a classical model assuming zero surface absorptance. The model was then extended to include surface absorptance using a spectral response based on Lorentzian-distributed Feibelman parameters derived from a recent estimate of 0.84% interfacial absorption. Although this model predicted a 1-2% reduction in reflectance near resonant frequencies, no such spectral features were observed experimentally. These results suggest that under ambient conditions, interfacial absorption is well below 1%, indicating that the optical signature of the photomolecular effect is either much weaker than previously reported or strongly dependent on conditions not present in this experiment.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Topologically enhanced optical helicity density in the thermal near field of twisted bilayer van der Waals materials

Twisted van der Waals (vdW) bilayers can support tunable surface/hyperbolic phonon polariton (S/HPhP) depending on the interlayer twist angle. S/HPhPs can be thermally excited and significantly modify the thermal near field. A photonic topological phase transition occurs at a critical twist angle where the polariton dispersion switches from hyperbolic to elliptical. Because the twist angle governs the polariton modes, it is intrinsically linked to the optical helicity density (OHD) of the near-field thermal emission. In this work, a relationship between the OHD of near-field emission and the twist angle of bilayer twisted vdW materials is discovered and investigated. To evaluate the OHD, a 3$\times$3 coherence matrix method is obtained from the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT), which provides a complete description of the thermal electromagnetic field of the twisted bilayer, and a formalism for OHD based on the polarization matrix is employed. The topological transition angle (TTA) is determined by calculating the polariton dispersion relation of the vdW bilayer at different twist angles. A strong correlation between OHD and TTA is observed, which can be attributed to polariton canalization and confined group velocity, leading to enhanced polariton directionality. This study provides new insights into the analysis of angular momentum in near-field thermal radiation from twisted vdW structures.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Superconducting Coherence Peak in Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer

Enhancement and peaks in near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) typically arise due to surface phonon-polaritons, plasmon-polaritons, and electromagnetic (EM) modes in structured materials. However, the role of material quantum coherence in enhancing near-field radiative heat transfer remains unexplored. Here, we unravel that NFRHT in superconductor-ferromagnetic systems displays a unique peak at the superconducting phase transition that originates from the quantum coherence of Bogoliubov quasiparticles in superconductors. Our theory takes into account evanescent EM radiation emanating from fluctuating currents related to Cooper pairs and Bogoliubov quasiparticles in stark contrast to the current-current correlations induced by free electrons in conventional materials. Our proposed NFRHT configuration exploits ferromagnetic resonance at frequencies deep inside the superconducting band gap to isolate this superconducting coherence peak. Furthermore, we reveal that Cooper pairs and Bogoliubov quasiparticles have opposite effects on near-field thermal radiation and isolate their effects on many-body radiative heat transfer near superconductors. Our proposed phenomenon can have applications for developing thermal isolators and heat sinks in superconducting circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Optimization of highly circularly polarized thermal radiation in $α$-MoO$_3$/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ twisted layers

We investigate a bi-layer scheme for circularly polarized infrared thermal radiation. Our approach takes advantage of the strong anisotropy of low-symmetry materials such as $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ and $α$-MoO$_3$. We numerically report narrow-band, high degree of circular polarization (over 0.85), thermal radiation at two typical emission frequencies related to the excitation of $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ optical phonons. Optimization of the degree of circular polarization is achieved by a proper relative tilt of the crystal axes between the two layers. Our simple but effective scheme could set the basis for a new class of lithography-free thermal sources for IR bio-sensing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Large-area polycrystalline $α$-MoO3 thin films for IR photonics

In recent years, excitation of surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) in van der Waals materials received wide attention from the nanophotonics community. Alpha-phase Molybdenum trioxide ($α$-MoO3), a naturally occurring biaxial hyperbolic crystal, emerged as a promising polaritonic material due to its ability to support SPhPs for three orthogonal directions at different wavelength bands (range 10-20 $μ$m). Here, we report on the fabrication and IR characterization of large-area (over 1 cm$^2$ size) $α$-MoO3 polycrystalline films deposited on fused silica substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Single alpha-phase MoO3 films exhibiting a polarization-dependent reflection peak at 1006 cm$^{-1}$ with a resonance Q-factor as high as 53 were achieved. Reflection can be tuned via changing incident polarization with a dynamic range of $Δ$R=0.3 at 45 deg. incidence angle. We also report a polarization-independent almost perfect absorption condition (R<0.01) at 972 cm$^{-1}$ which is preserved for a broad angle of incidence. The development of a low-cost polaritonic platform with high-Q resonances in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range is crucial for a wide number of functionalities including sensors, filters, thermal emitters, and label-free biochemical sensing devices. In this framework our findings appear extremely promising for the further development of lithography-free, scalable films, for efficient and large-scale devices operating in the free space, using far-field detection setups.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Polarimetric analysis of thermal emission from both reciprocal and nonreciprocal materials using fluctuational electrodynamics

Coherent thermal emission for a given polarization has been observed in many metamaterials with micro/nanostructures. A complete description of the thermal emission requires the full characterization of the spectral angular emissivity for all polarization states. Emissivity is typically obtained based on the equivalence between the absorptivity and emissivity according to Kirchhoff's law; however, such relation may be invalid for nonreciprocal media. More general approaches without the constrain of optical reciprocity are necessary when dealing with magneto-optical materials and magnetic Weyl semimetals. Here, a polarimetric analysis of thermal emission is carried out based on fluctuational electrodynamics. The Stokes parameters are obtained using coherency matrix for a multilayered system with anisotropic media, including nonreciprocal materials. The results demonstrate that thermal emission may be circularly or linearly polarized in different directions and frequencies. The findings are consistent with the statements of the modified Kirchhoff's law provided by several groups in recent years, and therefore, justify the appropriateness of both the direct and indirect methods. This study will help the design of desired thermal emitters for energy harvesting and thermal control.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Spatial and doping effects on radiative recombination in thin-film near-field photonic energy converters

Modeling radiative recombination is crucial to the analysis of photonic energy converters. In this work, a local radiative recombination coefficient is defined and derived based on fluctuational electrodynamics that is applicable to thin-film cells in both the near field and far field. The predicted radiative recombination coefficient of an InAs cell deviates from the van Roosbroeck-Shockley relation when the thickness is less than 10 um and the difference exceeds fourfold with a 10 nm film. The local radiative recombination coefficient is orders of magnitude higher when an InAs cell is configured in the near field. The local radiative recombination coefficient reduces as the doping level approaches that of a degenerate semiconductor. The maximum output power and efficiency of a thermoradiative cell would be apparently overpredicted if the luminescence coefficient (defined in this letter) were taken as unity for heavily doped semiconductors.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

A Novel Near-field Photonic Thermal Diode with hBN and InSb

Similar to the diode in electronics, a thermal diode is a two-terminal device that allows heat to transfer easier in one direction (forward bias) than in the opposite direction (reverse bias). Unlike conductive and convective thermal diodes, a photonic thermal diode operates in a contactless mode and may afford a large operating temperature range. In this work, a novel near-field photonic thermal diode with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and indium antimonide (InSb) is proposed and theoretically demonstrated. The temperature dependence of the interband absorption of InSb is used to couple (or decouple) with the hyperbolic phonon polaritons in hBN. The numerical analysis predicts a rectification ratio greater than 17 for a 10 nm vacuum gap when operating at an average temperature of 300 K and a temperature difference of 200 K. The calculated rectification ratio exceeds 35 with higher average temperatures and larger temperature differences. The mechanism proposed here for achieving photonic thermal rectification provides a new way of controlling radiative heat transfer.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Improved performance of a near-field thermophotovoltaic system by a back gapped reflector

Various spectral control techniques can be applied to improve the performance of a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system. For example, a back surface reflector (BSR) can improve the performance of TPV systems. A conventional metal BSR structure enhances the photogeneration rate by increasing the absorption probability of photons via back surface reflection, affording a second chance for absorption. However, surface passivation and external luminescence effects introduced by BSR structures have been previously ignored, which potentially decreases the performance of TPV systems. Recently, a back gapped reflector (BGR) structure was proposed to greatly improve the performance of far-field TPV systems by reducing reflection loss at the semiconductor-metal interface. In the present work, the performance improvement on a thin-film, near-field InAs TPV system with a BGR is investigated, comparing its performance to that with a conventional metal BSR. Surface passivation conditions are also investigated to further improve the performance of TPV systems with back reflectors. The output power and efficiency are calculated using an iterative model combining fluctuational electrodynamics and the full drift-diffusion model. For the well-passivated condition, when the BSR is replaced by the BGR, the calculated conversion efficiency was improved from 16.4% to 21% and the output power was increased by 10% for the near-field regime. Finally, the reflection loss and external luminescence loss are analyzed to explain the performance improvement.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Coupled Charge and Radiation Transport Processes in Thermophotovoltaic and Thermoradiative Cells

Accurate modeling of charge transport and both thermal and luminescent radiation is crucial to the understanding and design of radiative thermal energy converters. Charge carrier dynamics in semiconductors are well-described by the Poisson-drift-diffusion equations, and thermal radiation in emitter/absorber structures can be computed using multilayer fluctuational electrodynamics. These two types of energy flows interact through radiation absorption/luminescence and charge carrier generation/recombination. However, past research has typically only assumed limited interaction, with thermal radiation absorption as an input for charge carrier models to predict device performance. To examine this assumption, we develop a fully-coupled iterative model of charge and radiation transport in semiconductor devices, and we use our model to analyze near-field and far-field GaSb thermophotovoltaic and thermoradiative systems. By comparing our results to past methods that do not consider cross-influences between charge and radiation transport, we find that a fully-coupled approach is necessary to accurately model photon recycling and near-field enhancement of external luminescence. Because these effects can substantially alter device performance, our modeling approach can aid in the design of efficient thermophotovoltaic and thermoradiative systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Spatial profiles of photon chemical potential in near-field thermophotovoltaic cells

Emitted photons stemming from the radiative recombination of electron-hole pairs carry chemical potential in radiative energy converters. This luminescent effect can substantially alter the local net photogeneration in near-field thermophotovoltaic cells. Several assumptions involving the luminescent effect are commonly made in modeling photovoltaic devices; in particular, the photon chemical potential is assumed to be zero or a constant prescribed by the bias voltage. The significance of photon chemical potential depends upon the emitter temperature, the semiconductor properties, and the injection level. Hence, these assumptions are questionable in thermophotovoltaic devices operating in the near-field regime. In the present work, an iterative solver that combines fluctuational electrodynamics with the drift-diffusion model is developed to tackle the coupled photon and charge transport problem, enabling the determination of the spatial profile of photon chemical potential beyond the detailed balance approach. The difference between the results obtained by allowing the photon chemical potential to vary spatially and by assuming a constant value demonstrates the limitations of the conventional approaches. This study is critically important for performance evaluation of near-field thermophotovoltaic systems.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Thermal radiation in systems of many dipoles

Systems of many nanoparticles or volume-discretized bodies exhibit collective radiative properties that could be used for enhanced, guided, or tunable thermal radiation. These are commonly treated as assemblies of point dipoles with interactions described by Maxwell's equations and thermal fluctuations correlated by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Here, we unify different theoretical descriptions of these systems and provide a complete derivation of many-dipole thermal radiation, showing that the correct use of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem depends on the definitions of fluctuating and induced dipole moments. We formulate a method to calculate the diffusive radiative thermal conductivity of arbitrary collections of nanoparticles; this allows the comparison of thermal radiation to other heat transfer modes and across different material systems. We calculate the radiative thermal conductivity of ordered and disordered arrays of SiC and SiO2 nanoparticles and show that thermal radiation can significantly contribute to thermal transport in these systems. We validate our calculations by comparison to the exact solution for a one-dimensional particle chain, and we demonstrate that the dipolar approximation significantly underpredicts the exact results at separation distances less than the particle radius.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Validity of kinetic theory for radiative heat transfer in nanoparticle chains

In chains of closely-spaced nanoparticles supporting surface polaritons, near-field electromagnetic coupling leads to collective effects and super-Planckian thermal radiation exchange. Researchers have primarily used two analytical approaches to calculate radiative heat transfer in these systems: fluctuational electrodynamics, which directly incorporates fluctuating thermal currents into Maxwell's equations, and a kinetic approach where the dispersion relation provides modes and propagation lengths for the Boltzmann transport equation. Here, we compare results from the two approaches in order to identify regimes in which kinetic theory is valid and to explain differing results in the literature on its validity. Using both methods, we calculate the diffusive radiative thermal conductivity of nanoparticle chains. We show that kinetic theory is valid and matches predictions by fluctuational electrodynamics when the propagation lengths are greater than the particle spacing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Photonic thermal conduction by infrared plasmonic resonators in semiconductor nanowires

Photons typically do not contribute to thermal transport within a solid due to their low energy density and tendency to be quickly absorbed. We propose a practical material system - infrared plasmonic resonators embedded in a semiconductor nanowire - that leverages near-field electromagnetic coupling to achieve photonic thermal transport comparable to the electronic and phononic contributions. We analytically show photonic thermal conductivities up to about 1 W m-1 K-1 for 10 nm diameter Si and InAs nanowires containing repeated resonators at 500 K. The nanowire system outperforms plasmonic particles in isotropic environments and presents a pathway for photonic thermal transport to exceed that of phonons and electrons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Near-field heat transfer between graphene/hBN multilayers

We study the radiative heat transfer between multilayer structures made by a periodic repetition of a graphene sheet and a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) slab. Surface plasmons in a monolayer graphene can couple with a hyperbolic phonon polaritons in a single hBN film to form hybrid polaritons that can assist photon tunneling. For periodic multilayer graphene/hBN structures, the stacked metallic/dielectric array can give rise to a further effective hyperbolic behavior, in addition to the intrinsic natural hyperbolic behavior of hBN. The effective hyperbolicity can enable more hyperbolic polaritons that enhance the photon tunneling and hence the near-field heat transfer. However, the hybrid polaritons on the surface, i.e. surface plasmon-phonon polaritons, dominate the near-field heat transfer between multilayer structures when the topmost layer is graphene. The effective hyperbolic regions can be well predicted by the effective medium theory (EMT), thought EMT fails to capture the hybrid surface polaritons and results in a heat transfer rate much lower compared to the exact calculation. The chemical potential of the graphene sheets can be tuned through electrical gating and results in an additional modulation of the heat transfer. We found that the near-field heat transfer between multilayer structure does not increase monotonously with the number of layer in the stack, which provides a way to control the heat transfer rate by the number of graphene layers in the multilayer structure. The results may benefit the applications of near-field energy harvesting and radiative cooling based on hybrid polaritons in two-dimensional materials.

physics.optics↗