Binary Thermal Encoding by Energy Shielding and Harvesting Units
Abstract
Optical and thermal metamaterials-based devices have been extensively explored under the guidance of transformation optics/thermotics theories to tune light and heat propagation to realize unprecedented functions, such as cloaking, concentrating, camouflaging, etc. Other than these functions, what else can they do? In this paper, we demonstrate another interesting and potential application, thermal encoding, based on the thermal energy shielding and harvesting units. The proposed thermal encoding protocol takes advantage of the binary (contrary) states of heat flux through two units, which can be encoded as binary digits of 1 and 0, respectively. Steady and transient simulations and experiments validate the feasibility of thermal encoding, which can be further effectively encrypted depending on the encoding or decoding protocol. Such thermal encoding supplements the existing implementations of thermal memory or computing. The proposed encoding protocol may open an alternative avenue for triggering counterpart developments by utilizing the binary states of electromagnetic and optical metamaterials for information encoding, decoding, and storage.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Applied
- Pub Date:
- November 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.10.054032
- Bibcode:
- 2018PhRvP..10e4032H