Near-field radiative heat transfer in many-body systems

Many-body physics aims to understand emergent properties of systems made many interacting objects. This article reviews recent progress on the topic radiative heat transfer in many-body consisting thermal emitters near-field regime. Near-field is a rapidly emerging field research which cooperative behavior gives rise peculiar effects can be exploited control flow at nanoscale. Using an extension standard Polder and van Hove stochastic formalism deal with thermally generated fields $N$-body systems, along their mutual interactions through multiple scattering, generalized Landauer-like theory derived describe exchange mediated by photons arbitrary reciprocal non-reciprocal multi-terminal systems. In this review, we use address both transport dynamics these from unified perspective. Our discussion covers: (i) description non-additivity flux its related effects, including fundamental limits as well role nanostructuring material choice, (ii) study equilibrium states multistable states, (iii) relaxation (thermalization) toward local global equilibria, (iv) analysis regimes ordered disordered comprised large number objects, density range interactions, (v) thermomagnetic magneto-optical mechanisms non-Hermitian We conclude review listing outstanding challenges promising future directions.