Fundamental limits for non-contact transfers between two bodies

Philippe Ben-Abdallah (1) , Karl Joulain (2)

1 LTN - Laboratoire de thermocinétique [Nantes]
2 PPrime [Poitiers] - Institut Pprime [UPR 3346]

We investigate energy and momentum non-contact exchanges between two arbitrary flat media separated by a gap. This problem is revisited as a transmission problem of individual system eigenmodes weighted by a transmission probability obtained either from fluctuational electrodynamics or quantum field theory. An upper limit for energy and momentum flux is derived using a general variational approach. The corresponding optimal reflectivity coefficients are given both for identical and different media in interaction.

Mots clés: and quantum jumps; Quantum electrodynamics; Atomic scale friction; quantum noise; Quantum fluctuations; Thermal radiation

Domaines: Systèmes mésoscopiques et effet Hall quantique [cond-mat.mes-hall]; Optique [physics.optics]; Thermique [physics.class-ph]; Thermique [physics.class-ph]; Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]; Optique / photonique; Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique

Philippe Ben-Abdallah, Karl Joulain. Fundamental limits for non-contact transfers between two bodies. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2010, 82, pp.121419(R). ⟨10.1103/PhysRevB.82.121419⟩. ⟨hal-00520448⟩