Introduction to nanoscale, microscale, and macroscale heat transport: Characterization and bridging of space and time scales

This chapter serves as an introduction and a prelude to understanding the fundamentals encompassing nanoscale, microscale, and macroscale heat transport. Because of the continued trend in the miniaturization of devices and rapid progress in the design and synthesis of materials and structures leading to the notion of materials by design, there is significant interest in improved understanding of heat transport across the broad spectrum of length scales ranging from nanoscale to macroscale regimes and time scales encompassing finite to infinite speeds of heat propagation.