  The dynamic heat transfer between two half-spaces separated by a vacuum gap
due to coupling of their surface modes is modelled using the theory that
describes the dynamic energy transfer between two coupled harmonic oscillators
each separately connected to a heat bath and with the heat baths maintained at
different temperatures. The theory is applied for the case when the two
surfaces are made up of a polar crystal which supports surface polaritons that
can be excited at room temperature and the predicted heat transfer is compared
with the steady state heat transfer value calculated from standard
fluctuational electrodynamics theory. It is observed that for small time
intervals the value of heat flux can reach as high as 1.5 times that of steady
state value.
