Heat engines cannot generally operate at maximum power and efficiency, imposing a trade-off between the two. Here, we highlight the exact nature of this trade-off for engines that exchange heat radiatively with a hot source. We derive simple analytical expressions for the performance bounds of reciprocal and nonreciprocal radiative heat engines. We also highlight that radiative engines can achieve a better power-efficiency trade-off than linear ones. These bounds are especially relevant for thermophotovoltaics, offering useful metrics against which to compare device performance.

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• Heat radiation
• Thermal energy harvesting devices
• Efficiency at maximum power
• Heat engines
• Thermal photovoltaics