A spin-boson thermal rectifier
arXiv:cond-mat/0405472 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.034301
Abstract
Rectification of heat transfer in nanodevices can be realized by combining the system inherent anharmonicity with structural asymmetry. we analyze this phenomenon within the simplest anharmonic system -a spin-boson nanojunction model. We consider two variants of the model that yield, for the first time, analytical solutions: a linear separable model in which the heat reservoirs contribute additively, and a non-separable model suitable for a stronger system-bath interaction. Both models show asymmetric (rectifying) heat conduction when the couplings to the heat reservoirs are different.
5 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX4