Tuning Topological Transitions in Twisted Thermophotovoltaic Systems

Abstract

Twisted bilayer two-dimensional electronic systems give rise to many exotic phenomena and unveil a new frontier for the study of quantum materials. In photonics, twisted two-dimensional systems coupled via near-field interactions offer a platform to study localization and lasing. Here, we propose that twisting can be an unprecedented tool to tune the performance of near-field thermophotovoltaic systems. Remarkably, through twisting-induced photonic topological transitions, we achieve significant tuning of the thermophotovoltaic energy efficiency and power. The underlying mechanism is related to the change of the photonic iso-frequency contours from elliptical to hyperbolic geometries in a setup where the hexagonal-boron-nitride metasurface serves as the heat source and the indium antimonide $p$-$n$ junction serves as the cell. We find a notably high energy efficiency, nearly 53\% of the Carnot efficiency, can be achieved in our thermophotovoltaic system, while the output power can reach to $1.1\times10^4$~W/m$^2$ without requiring a large temperature difference between the source and the cell. Our results indicate the promising future of twisted near-field thermophotovoltaics and paves the way towards tunable, high-performance thermophotovoltaics and infrared detection.