Near-field radiative heat transfer in the presence of edge states

We demonstrate that dispersionless electronic edge states substantially enhance near-field radiative heat transfer. An unusual heat flux dependence on vacuum gap separation is found, where the heat transfer can reach local maxima at experimentally feasible gap separation. The underlying mechanisms for the peculiar effects are uncovered from a simple Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, and we propose zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes as experimental realizations. Our results offer a novel route to active radiative thermal switch, where the heat flux can be modulated through tuning the presence or absence of edge states.