Transformation optics is a powerful new tool, exact at the level of Maxwell’s equations 1,2,3 ... between two nanospheres. To control light on the nanoscale has been the goal of much recent ...

The material can be activated by light, and then release the pent-up energy on demand in the form of heat. For the new study ... storing their potential energy in a similar manner to a compressed ...

which influences how much energy can be carried away as infrared light. Normally, achieving a positive photon chemical potential—which increases heat emission—requires energy input.

Unlike traditional fiber optics ... the equations share similarities with those that describe heat transfer in solids. This crossover hints at broader applications beyond light.