used in accordance with the present invention for example a variety of alternative gasses such as but not limited to argon krypton or xenon may be utilized in practicing the present invention additionally a liquid or gel material with an appropriate conductivity may further be substituted for the dry air recited herein in an alternative embodiment the low conductivity material may simply be a vacuum thus the body being heated or cooled is decoupled from the heat sink or heat source when the cooling system or heating system is respectively no longer required in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention an actuator is in communication with the thermal bodies the actuator is disposed such that it can control thermal communication between the bodies the actuator may be a mechanical actuation means utilized to facilitate the contacting and or separating of the thermal bodies for example an actuator may be used to effect or promote contacting the heat sink and or heat source to a chromatographic column the actuator may utilize but is not limited to an electromechanically energized component such as an electric motor and or be pneumatically or hydraulically motivated in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention the invention can be practiced utilizing any of an electromagnetic actuator a metal actuator a magnetostrictive device and or piezoelectric device any of such actuators can be used in combination with one or more lever screw or other devices that can provide mechanical advantage in facilitating or effecting better contact pressure between the surfaces in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention the actuator for contacting and or separating the bodies undergoing heat transfer may be the thermally conductive material for example a shape.