Overview

• Scientists have identified an exception to Fourier's Law, a 200-year-old principle governing heat diffusion through solids, revealing that the law does not fully explain heat transfer in translucent materials.
• The discovery was made by studying the behavior of heat in translucent polymers and inorganic glasses, finding that heat can also travel through these materials via thermal radiation.
• This finding challenges the traditional understanding that heat only diffuses through solid materials, expanding our knowledge of heat transmission mechanisms.
• The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to new strategies for heat management in engineering applications involving translucent materials.
• The study's authors emphasize that Fourier's Law is not incorrect but does not account for all observed phenomena in heat transmission, highlighting the importance of continued fundamental research.