Resonant behavior in heat transfer across weak molecular interfaces

SR Sklan and PA Greaney and JC Grossman, JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, 114, 234308 (2013).

DOI: 10.1063/1.4851035

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to study, in detail, the transfer of thermal (vibrational) energy between objects with discrete vibrational spectra to those with a semi-continuum of spectra. The transfer of energy is stochastic and strongly dependent on the instantaneous separation between the bodies. The insight from the MD simulations can be captured with a simple classical model that agrees well with quantum models. This model can be used to optimize systems for efficient frequency selective energy transfer, which can be used in designing a chemical sensor through nanomechanical resonance spectroscopy. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

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