Abstract We study the consequences of a nonlinear generalization of the Maxwell–Cattaneo equation on the speed of propagation of nonlinear thermal waves. It turns out that such speed depends on the amplitude of the waves and it is smaller than the speed of linear (small-amplitude) waves. This is analogous to the optical Kerr effect of nonlinear optics. In analogy with the electro-optical Kerr effect, an imposed external heat flux could be used to control the speed of thermal waves in a material layer. As a particular illustration, we consider an externally tunable lens for heat waves propagating in the layer.

中文翻译：

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非线性热波速度的热通量依赖性：与非线性光学中的克尔效应的类比

摘要 我们研究了 Maxwell-Cattaneo 方程的非线性推广对非线性热波传播速度的影响。事实证明，这种速度取决于波的幅度，并且它小于线性（小幅度）波的速度。这类似于非线性光学的光学克尔效应。与电光克尔效应类似，施加的外部热通量可用于控制材料层中热波的速度。作为一个特殊的例子，我们考虑了一个用于在层中传播的热波的外部可调透镜。