A phenomenological scaling approach for heat transport in nano-systems

A phenomenological approach of heat transfer in nano-systems is proposed, on the basis of a continued-fraction expansion of the thermal conductivity, obtained within the framework of extended irreversible thermodynamics. Emphasis is put on the transition from the diffusive, collision-dominated heat transport to the ballistic heat transport, as a function of the mean free path and the length of the system. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.