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Topological thermal transport

Nature Reviews Physics volume 6, pages 554–565 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Thermal transport is a fundamental mechanism of energy transfer process quite distinct from wave propagation phenomena. It can be manipulated well beyond the possibilities offered by natural materials with a new generation of artificial metamaterials: thermal metamaterials. Topological physics, a focal point in contemporary condensed matter physics, has been intertwined with thermal metamaterials in recent years. Inspired by topological photonics and topological acoustics in wave metamaterials, a new research field emerged recently, which we dub ‘topological thermotics’, which encompasses three primary branches: topological thermal conduction, convection and radiation. For topological thermal conduction, we discuss recent advances in both 1D and higher-dimensional thermal topological phases. For topological thermal convection, we discuss the implementation of thermal exceptional points with their unique properties and non-Hermitian thermal topological states. Finally, we review the most recent demonstration of topological effects in the near-field and far-field radiation. Anticipating future developments, we conclude by discussing potential directions of topological thermotics, including the expansion into other diffusion processes such as particle dynamics and plasma physics, and the integration with machine-learning techniques.

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Fig. 1: Topological theory and transformation theory.
Fig. 2: One-dimensional topological phase in pure conduction systems.
Fig. 3: Higher-order topological insulator in pure conduction systems.
Fig. 4: Exceptional point and its properties in conduction–convection systems.
Fig. 5: Non-Hermitian topology in conduction–convection systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to F. Yang and L. Xu for their insightful comments and suggestions on this review and extend their gratitude to R. B. Tao for his invaluable and encouraging discussions regarding the study of topology in thermal metamaterials. J.H. was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 12035004 and 12320101004, and the Innovation Program of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission under Grant No. 2023ZKZD06. J.-H.J. was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12125504) and the ‘Hundred Talents Program’ of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. F.M. was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12350710786).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Photonic Structures (MOE), Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Zhoufei Liu, Peng Jin, Min Lei, Chengmeng Wang & Jiping Huang

  2. MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

    Fabio Marchesoni

  3. Department of Physics, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy

    Fabio Marchesoni

  4. Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

    Jian-Hua Jiang

  5. School of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Jian-Hua Jiang

  6. Department of Modern Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Jian-Hua Jiang

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  1. Zhoufei Liu
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Contributions

Z.L. researched data for the article. Z.L., F.M., J.-H.J. and J.H. contributed substantially to discussion of the content. Z.L., P.J., M.L. and C.W. wrote the article. J.-H.J. and J.H. reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.

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Liu, Z., Jin, P., Lei, M. et al. Topological thermal transport. Nat Rev Phys 6, 554–565 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-024-00745-w

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