Method and apparatus for optically-enhanced cooling

摘要

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus and method that is capable of non-contact cooling of a hot body by optically-enhanced radiation. An apparatus in accordance with the illustrative embodiment includes a cold body and an optical system. The optical system couples the cold body to a hot body for the transmission of infrared radiation. Once optically coupled, heat will flow, at an enhanced rate, from the hot body to the cold body, as dictated by thermodynamics, thereby cooling the hot body. In some embodiment, the temperature of the cold body is held substantially constant.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
thermally coupling a hot body and a cold body by forming an optical pathway therebetween; and forming the optical pathway:
(i) by providing an optical system having at least one physical adaptation that enables the optical system to support transmission of infrared radiation and to enhance the transmission of infrared radiation relative to an amount of infrared radiation that would otherwise be transmitted in the absence of the optical system; and(ii) arranging the optical system so that the hot body is at a first focal point of the optical system and the cold body is at a second focal point of the optical system.