'Phonon tunneling' explains heat flow across nanometer-wide gaps

Researchers have developed a model that explains how heat flows between objects separated by gaps of less than a nanometer. The team has developed a unified framework that calculates heat transport at finite gaps, and has shown that heat flow at sub-nanometer distances occurs not via radiation or conduction, but through 'phonon tunneling.'
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/...141333.htm