Spectrally enhancing near-field radiative heat transfer by exciting magnetic polariton in SiC gratings

Abstract: In the present work, we theoretically demonstrate, for the first time, that near field radiative transport between 1D periodic grating microstructures separated by subwavelength vacuum gaps can be significantly enhanced by exciting magnetic resonance or polariton. Fluctuational electrodynamics that incorporates scattering matrix theory with rigorous coupled wave analysis is employed to exactly calculate the near field radiative heat flux between two SiC gratings. Besides the well known coupled surface phonon polaritons (SPhP), an additional spectral radiative heat flux peak, which is due to magnetic polariton, is found within the phonon absorption band of SiC. The mechanisms, behaviors and interplays between magnetic polariton, coupled SPhP, single interface SPhP, and Wood's anomaly in the near field radiative transport are elucidated in detail. The findings will open up a new way to control near field radiative heat transfer by magnetic resonance with micro or nanostructured metamaterials.