We develop a theory for heat transport via electromagnetic waves inside media, and use it to derive a spatially nonlocal thermal conductivity tensor, in terms of the electromagnetic Green’s function and potential, for any given system. While typically negligible for optically dense bulk media, the electromagnetic component of conductivity can be significant for optically dilute media, and shows regimes of Fourier transport as well as unhindered transport. Moreover, the electromagnetic contribution is relevant even for dense media, when in the presence of interfaces, as exemplified for the in-plane conductivity of a nanosheet, which shows a variety of phenomena, including absence of a Fourier regime.

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• Photonics
• Quantum statistical mechanics
• Thermal conductivity