Unsteady two-temperature heat transport in mass-in-mass chains

Ballistic thermoelasticity of nonlinear chains under thermal shock

We investigate thermoelastic behavior of nonlinear chains with an instantaneously created temperature profile. We focus on a regime, further referred to as the ballistic thermoelasticity. In this regime, macroscopic strains are small, thermal expansion is linear, conversion of mechanical energy into heat is negligible, and heat transfer is almost ballistic. Equations describing ballistic thermoelasticity of the chains in the continuum limit are solved analytically. Several particular initial temperature profiles are considered to demonstrate peculiarities and limitations of these equations. The main feature of ballistic thermoelasticity is that wave propagation and ballistic heat transfer have the same characteristic timescale. Then, in particular, the quasistatic approximation, having reasonable accuracy in many problems of classical Fourier-law-based thermoelasticity, is irrelevant in the ballistic thermoelasticity. Another peculiarity is the ballistic resonance (BR), i.e., the emergence of mechanical vibrations with an infinitely growing amplitude in the case of sinusoidal initial temperature profile. Using BR as an example, we analyze the importance of dynamical terms in equations of ballistic thermoelasticity and discuss the possibility of observing the BR for initial conditions, corresponding to real experiments. We also show that the BR, previously observed only in the α-FPUT chain, is also present in the Lennard-Jones and Toda chains. To demonstrate limitations of the equations of ballistic thermoelasticity, we examine discontinuous and piecewise linear temperature profiles. We show that analytical solutions for strains, corresponding to discontinuous initial temperature profiles, have singularities. For piecewise linear profiles, the analytical solutions are finite and describe simulation results with reasonable accuracy. However the latter is true only if the characteristic length of temperature changes is much larger than the lattice constant.

Transition from ballistic to diffusive heat transfer in a chain with breaks

The transition from a ballistic to a diffusive regime of heat transfer is studied using two models. The first model is a one-dimensional chain with bonds, capable of dissociation. Interparticle forces in the chain are harmonic for bond deformations below a critical value, corresponding to the dissociation, and zero above this value. A kinetic description of heat transfer in the chain is proposed using the second model, namely, a gas of noninteracting quasiparticles, reflecting from randomly occurring barriers. The motion of quasiparticles mimicks heat (energy) transfer in the chain, while the barriers mimic dissociated bonds. For the gas, a kinetic equation is derived and solved analytically. The solution demonstrates the transition from the ballistic regime at small times to the diffusive regime at large times. In the diffusive limit, the distance traveled by a heat obeys square-root asymptotics as in the case of classical diffusion. However, the shape of the fundamental solution for temperature differs from the Gaussian function and therefore the Fourier law is not satisfied. Two examples are considered to demonstrate that the presented kinetic model is in good qualitative agreement with the results of the numerical solution of the chain dynamics. The presented results show that bond dissociation is an important mechanism underlying the transition from ballistic to diffusive heat transfer in one-dimensional chains.

Discrete heat equation for a periodic layered system with allowance for the interfacial thermal resistance: General formulation and dispersion analysis

Discrete heat equations for the multilayered periodic systems with allowance for the thermal resistance between the layers and corresponding dispersion relations in ω-k space have been derived and analyzed. The discrete equations imply a finite velocity of thermal disturbances and guarantee the positiveness of the solutions. Analytical expressions for the attenuation distance, and phase and group velocities have been obtained as functions of frequency and thermal resistance between the discrete layers. These functions demonstrate unusual behavior at high frequency compared to the continuum case. Furthermore, the maximum allowed frequency and wave number for the discrete heat equation are limited, whereas there are no such limits in a continuum. The discrete equation contains an infinite hierarchy of continuous partial differential equations, which starts with the Fourier law, proceeds with the hyperbolic equation, the Guyer-Krumhansl (or Jeffreys type) equation, and then with higher-order equations. The partial differential equations with a finite number of terms are only approximations of the discrete equation, which implies that on the ultrashort space and timescales the discrete approach is preferable. This work provides a relatively simple, easy-to-adopt, conceptual tool, together with analytical expressions allowing one to study ultrafast wavelike heat conduction regimes in periodic multilayered metamaterials.

Nonequilibrium thermal rectification at the junction of harmonic chains

A thermal diode or rectifier is a system that transmits heat or energy in one direction better than in the opposite direction. We investigate the influence of the distribution of energy among wave numbers on the diode effect for the junction of two dissimilar harmonic chains. An analytical expression for the diode coefficient, characterizing the difference between heat fluxes through the junction in two directions, is derived. It is shown that the diode coefficient depends on the distribution of energy among wave numbers. For an equilibrium energy distribution, the diode effect is absent, while for non-equilibrium energy distributions the diode effect is observed even though the system is harmonic. We show that the diode effect can be maximized by varying the energy distribution and relative position of spectra of the two harmonic chains. Conditions are formulated under which the system acts as an ideal thermal rectifier, i.e., transmits heat only in one direction. The results obtained are important for understanding the heat transfer in heterogeneous low-dimensional nanomaterials.

Acoustic transparency of the chain-chain interface

We study propagation of wave packets through the interface between two dissimilar harmonic chains with on-site potentials (e.g., chains lying on elastic foundations). An expression for the transmission coefficient, relating energies of the incident and transmitted wave packets is derived using two different approaches. Without elastic foundation, the transmission coefficient monotonically decreases with increasing wave frequency. We show that by adding elastic foundations, one can qualitatively change this dependence and make it nonmonotonic or even increasing. Moreover, in some cases, the interface is totally transparent (the transmission coefficient is equal to unity at some frequency) if at least one of the chains has the elastic foundation. Presented results may serve for manipulation of the transmission coefficient and corresponding interfacial thermal resistance in low-dimensional nanosystems.

Motion of localized disturbances in scalar harmonic lattices

We present analytical and numerical investigations of energy propagation in systems of massive particles that interact via harmonic (linear) forces. The particle motion is described by a scalar displacement, and the particles are arranged in a simple crystal lattice. For the systems under consideration we prove the conservation of the total energy flux analytically. Then, using a sample case of a square lattice, we confirm the analytical results numerically. We create disturbances of a special kind which can move with a predefined velocity with a minor change in their shape. We show that a clot of energy, associated with each disturbance, moves similarly to a free body of matter in classical mechanics. We also numerically study a simultaneous propagation of a number of energy clots as an analogy to the motion of point masses in the conventional mechanics of particles. The obtained results demonstrate that an energy flow in lattices can be described in terms of numerous separated energy bodies, making a step towards a linkage between lattice dynamics and the kinetic theory of heat transfer in solids.