My phd work covers various types of thermal energy manipulation using surface effects at nanoscale and includes theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, nanofabrications, and optical measurements.
We detect thermally excited surfaces waves on a submicron SiO2 layer, including Zenneck and guided modes in addition to Surface Phonon Polaritons. We demonstrate a source of broadband coherent thermal emission by using nanostructured interfaces.
We analyze Surface Phonon Polariton propagation and focusing with conical and wedge dielectric structures. We develop explicit expressions for the dispersion relations in each structure and provide detailed analysis for glass-air geometries.