scholarly journals A quantum heat engine driven by atomic collisions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin Bouton ◽  
Jens Nettersheim ◽  
Sabrina Burgardt ◽  
Daniel Adam ◽  
Eric Lutz ◽  
...  

AbstractQuantum heat engines are subjected to quantum fluctuations related to their discrete energy spectra. Such fluctuations question the reliable operation of thermal machines in the quantum regime. Here, we realize an endoreversible quantum Otto cycle in the large quasi-spin states of Cesium impurities immersed in an ultracold Rubidium bath. Endoreversible machines are internally reversible and irreversible losses only occur via thermal contact. We employ quantum control to regulate the direction of heat transfer that occurs via inelastic spin-exchange collisions. We further use full-counting statistics of individual atoms to monitor quantized heat exchange between engine and bath at the level of single quanta, and additionally evaluate average and variance of the power output. We optimize the performance as well as the stability of the quantum heat engine, achieving high efficiency, large power output and small power output fluctuations.

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 419
Author(s):  
Congzheng Qi ◽  
Zemin Ding ◽  
Lingen Chen ◽  
Yanlin Ge ◽  
Huijun Feng

Based on finite time thermodynamics, an irreversible combined thermal Brownian heat engine model is established in this paper. The model consists of two thermal Brownian heat engines which are operating in tandem with thermal contact with three heat reservoirs. The rates of heat transfer are finite between the heat engine and the reservoir. Considering the heat leakage and the losses caused by kinetic energy change of particles, the formulas of steady current, power output and efficiency are derived. The power output and efficiency of combined heat engine are smaller than that of single heat engine operating between reservoirs with same temperatures. When the potential filed is free from external load, the effects of asymmetry of the potential, barrier height and heat leakage on the performance of the combined heat engine are analyzed. When the potential field is free from external load, the effects of basic design parameters on the performance of the combined heat engine are analyzed. The optimal power and efficiency are obtained by optimizing the barrier heights of two heat engines. The optimal working regions are obtained. There is optimal temperature ratio which maximize the overall power output or efficiency. When the potential filed is subjected to external load, effect of external load is analyzed. The steady current decreases versus external load; the power output and efficiency are monotonically increasing versus external load.


Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 693
Author(s):  
Sangchul Oh ◽  
Jung Jun Park ◽  
Hyunchul Nha

We investigate the quantum thermodynamics of two quantum systems, a two-level system and a four-level quantum photocell, each driven by photon pulses as a quantum heat engine. We set these systems to be in thermal contact only with a cold reservoir while the heat (energy) source, conventionally given from a hot thermal reservoir, is supplied by a sequence of photon pulses. The dynamics of each system is governed by a coherent interaction due to photon pulses in terms of the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian together with the system-bath interaction described by the Lindblad master equation. We calculate the thermodynamic quantities for the two-level system and the quantum photocell including the change in system energy, the power delivered by photon pulses, the power output to an external load, the heat dissipated to a cold bath, and the entropy production. We thereby demonstrate how a quantum photocell in the cold bath can operate as a continuum quantum heat engine with a sequence of photon pulses continuously applied. We specifically introduce the power efficiency of the quantum photocell in terms of the ratio of output power delivered to an external load with current and voltage to the input power delivered by the photon pulse. Our study indicates a possibility that a quantum system driven by external fields can act as an efficient quantum heat engine under non-equilibrium thermodynamics.


Entropy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengnan Liu ◽  
Congjie Ou

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (03) ◽  
pp. 1450018
Author(s):  
YAN-CHAO ZHANG ◽  
JI-ZHOU HE ◽  
YU-LING XIAO ◽  
HONG-NI LIANG

In this paper, we establish a nanothermoelectric engine consisting of two discrete energy levels embedded between two reservoirs at different temperatures and chemical potentials. Based on master equation, the expressions for the power output and efficiency of the nanothermoelectric engine are derived. The characteristic curves between the power output and the efficiency are plotted. Moreover, the optimal performance parameters are obtained by the numerical calculation. The influence of the strength of variations in electron–electron interactions on the optimal performance parameters is analyzed in detail.


Actuators ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Andraž Bradeško ◽  
Lovro Fulanović ◽  
Marko Vrabelj ◽  
Aleksander Matavž ◽  
Mojca Otoničar ◽  
...  

Despite the challenges of practical implementation, electrocaloric (EC) cooling remains a promising technology because of its good scalability and high efficiency. Here, we investigate the feasibility of an EC cooling device that couples the EC and electromechanical (EM) responses of a highly functionally, efficient, lead magnesium niobate ceramic material. We fabricated multifunctional cantilevers from this material and characterized their electrical, EM and EC properties. Two active cantilevers were stacked in a cascade structure, forming a proof-of-concept device, which was then analyzed in detail. The cooling effect was lower than the EC effect of the material itself, mainly due to the poor solid-to-solid heat transfer. However, we show that the use of ethylene glycol in the thermal contact area can significantly reduce the contact resistance, thereby improving the heat transfer. Although this solution is most likely impractical from the design point of view, the results clearly show that in this and similar cooling devices, a non-destructive, surface-modification method, with the same effectiveness as that of ethylene glycol, will have to be developed to reduce the thermal contact resistance. We hope this study will motivate the further development of multifunctional cooling devices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor N. Murphy ◽  
Paul R. Eastham

Abstract Lasers, photovoltaics, and thermoelectrically-pumped light emitting diodes are thermodynamic machines which use excitons (electron-hole pairs) as the working medium. The heat transfers in such devices are highly irreversible, leading to low efficiencies. Here we predict that reversible heat transfers between a quantum-dot exciton and its phonon environment can be induced by laser pulses. We calculate the heat transfer when a quantum-dot exciton is driven by a chirped laser pulse. The reversibility of this heat transfer is quantified by the efficiency of a heat engine in which it forms the hot stroke, which we predict to reach 95% of the Carnot limit. This performance is achieved by using the time-dependent laser-dressing of the exciton to control the heat current and exciton temperature. We conclude that reversible heat transfers can be achieved in excitonic thermal machines, allowing substantial improvements in their efficiency.


2005 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan E. Hill ◽  
Yuri V. Rostovtsev ◽  
Marlan O. Scully

1993 ◽  
Vol 183 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Curtin ◽  
R. C. Woledge

Net work output and heat production of white myotomal muscle fibres from the dogfish were measured during complete cycles of sinusoidal movement at 12°C. The peak-to-peak movement was about 9 % of the muscle fibre length; three stimuli at 32 ms intervals were given in each mechanical cycle. The frequency of movement and the timing of the stimulation were varied for each preparation to find the optimal conditions for power output and those optimal for efficiency (the ratio of net work output to total energy output as heat+work). To achieve either maximum power or maximum efficiency, the tetanus must start while the muscle fibres are being stretched, before the beginning of the shortening part of the mechanical cycle. The highest power output, averaged over one cycle, was 0.23+/−0.014 W g-1 dry mass (+/−s.e.m., N=9, 46.9+/−2.8 mW g-1 wet mass) and was produced during movement at 3.5 Hz. The highest efficiency, 0.41+/−0.02 (+/−s.e.m., N=13), occurred during movements at 2.0-2.5 Hz. This value is higher than the efficiency previously measured during isovelocity shortening of these fibres. The implications of the high efficiency for crossbridge models of muscle contraction are discussed.


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