Near-field radiative heat transfer between metasurfaces: A full-wave study based on two-dimensional grooved metal plates

Metamaterials possess artificial bulk and surface electromagnetic states. Tamed dispersion properties of surface waves allow one to achieve a controllable super-Planckian radiative heat transfer (RHT) process between two closely spaced objects. We numerically demonstrate enhanced RHT between two two-dimensional grooved metal plates by a full-wave scattering approach. The enhancement originates from both transverse-magnetic spoof surface-plasmon polaritons and a series of transverse-electric bonding-and anti-bonding-waveguide modes at surfaces. The RHT spectrum is frequency selective and highly geometrically tailorable. Our simulation also reveals thermally excited nonresonant surface waves in constituent metallic materials may play a prevailing role for RHT at an extremely small separation between two metal plates, rendering metamaterial modes insignificant for the energy-transfer process.