Manipulating Heat Like Light

An anonymous reader writes "A new technique allows allows 'thermocrystals' to be created that can manipulate heat (a vibration of the atomic lattice of a material). Predicted manipulations include the ability to selectively transmit, reflect or concentrate heat much like light waves can be manipulated by lenses and mirrors. 'Heat differs from sound, he explains, in the frequency of its vibrations: Sound waves consist of lower frequencies (up to the kilohertz range, or thousands of vibrations per second), while heat arises from higher frequencies (in the terahertz range, or trillions of vibrations per second).' Applications range from better thermoelectric devices to switchable heat insulating/transmitting materials (abstract). Perhaps this will result in better cooling/heating mechanisms or more efficient engines."

Comments

Could they redirect only a certain hotness?

[Anonymous Coward]

Maxwell's Demon?

Re:Could they redirect only a certain hotness?

[radtea]

No.

They first have to select specific wavelengths and then--it sounds like--frequency-shift them.

To call this "heat" is a deliberately misleading statement designed to elicit precisely the question you are asking, as that will attract much more of our most limited resource--attention--to this otherwise interesting but essentially esoteric work.

"Heat" in ordinary parlance is constituted by vibrational modes that obey the principle of equipartition, which this "heat" manifestly does not.

Fusion! A/C, Sterling

[snadrus]

How did this one get missed? Fusion's biggest problem is heat management.
Thermal Diodes: Hook this to a solar collecting sterling engine for a considerable performance boost.
That sounds like passive Heating & Air conditioning. Maybe society will use technology to reduce its power consumption overall.

A specific specially created heat

[sandytaru]

These crystals aren't heat sinks. The MIT lab is creating a "heat" that is actually just really fast sound. This can then be manipulated with their special thermocrystals. Now, if they can create a way to turn normal waste heat into this "fast sound" heat, we'll open up a wealth of practical applications.