QED Heat Transfer

Abstract

Classical heat transfer at the macroscale proceeds by three modes: conduction, radiation, and convection. However, at the nanoscale, heat transfer is not governed by classical physics, but rather by QM and a simplified form of QED. QM stands for quantum mechanics and QED for quantum electrodynamics. QED heat transfer is based on QM by the Planck law that requires the heat capacity of the atom to vanish under high EM confinement caused by the high surface-to-volume ratios of nanostructures thereby precluding the conservation of heat by the usual increase in temperature. EM stands for electromagnetic. Treating the nanostructure as a QM box with absorbed heat under high EM confinement, conservation proceeds by QED creating standing EM radiation that charges the nanostructure or is emitted to the surroundings. Diverse applications of QED heat transfer are described.