The phenomenon of heat rectification on a chain of particles has been studied for decades as it may guide the creation of thermal diodes. To start tackling the immense complexity involved, we consider a system consisting of two interacting classical particles, each one subject to a Langevin thermal bath and to an on-site potential. We explore the conditions under which the diode effect emerges when inverting the temperature difference. For weak nonlinear forces, we obtain an analytical expression for the heat current that can be established through the system under a temperature gradient. Even simple, this two-particle diode allows to foresee the distinct roles that diverse types of nonlinearity and asymmetry play in thermal rectification of larger systems.
Presential in the IFISC seminar room, Zoom stream at https://zoom.us/j/98286706234?pwd=bm1JUFVYcTJkaVl1VU55L0FiWDRIUT09
