Effect of phonon scattering by surface roughness on the universal thermal conductance
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
2009-11-07 v1
Abstract
The effect of phonon scattering by surface roughness on the thermal conductance in mesoscopic systems at low temperatures is calculated using full elasticity theory. The low frequency behavior of the scattering shows novel power law dependences arising from the unusual properties of the elastic modes. This leads to new predictions for the low temperature depression of the thermal conductance below the ideal universal value. Comparison with the data of Schwab et al. [Nature 404, 974 (2000)] suggests that surface roughness on a scale of the width of the thermal pathway is important in the experiment.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0105420,
title = {Effect of phonon scattering by surface roughness on the universal thermal conductance},
author = {D. H. Santamore and M. C. Cross},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0105420},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
6 pages, 3 figures