10 research outputs found
Thermodynamic principles and implementations of quantum machines
The efficiency of cyclic heat engines is limited by the Carnot bound. This
bound follows from the second law of thermodynamics and is attained by engines
that operate between two thermal baths under the reversibility condition
whereby the total entropy does not increase. By contrast, the efficiency of
engines powered by quantum non-thermal baths has been claimed to surpass the
thermodynamic Carnot bound. The key to understanding the performance of such
engines is a proper division of the energy supplied by the bath to the system
into heat and work, depending on the associated change in the system entropy
and ergotropy. Due to their hybrid character, the efficiency bound for quantum
engines powered by a non-thermal bath does not solely follow from the laws of
thermodynamics. Hence, the thermodynamic Carnot bound is inapplicable to such
hybrid engines. Yet, they do not violate the principles of thermodynamics.
An alternative means of boosting machine performance is the concept of
heat-to-work conversion catalysis by quantum non-linear (squeezed) pumping of
the piston mode. This enhancement is due to the increased ability of the
squeezed piston to store ergotropy. Since the catalyzed machine is fueled by
thermal baths, it adheres to the Carnot bound.
We conclude by arguing that it is not quantumness per se that improves the
machine performance, but rather the properties of the baths, the working fluid
and the piston that boost the ergotropy and minimize the wasted heat in both
the input and the output.Comment: As a chapter of: F. Binder, L. A. Correa, C. Gogolin, J. Anders, and
G. Adesso (eds.), "Thermodynamics in the quantum regime - Recent Progress and
Outlook", (Springer International Publishing
Finite-Time Thermodynamics
The theory around the concept of finite time describes how processes of any nature can be optimized in situations when their rate is required to be non-negligible, i.e., they must come to completion in a finite time. What the theory makes explicit is “the cost of haste”. Intuitively, it is quite obvious that you drive your car differently if you want to reach your destination as quickly as possible as opposed to the case when you are running out of gas. Finite-time thermodynamics quantifies such opposing requirements and may provide the optimal control to achieve the best compromise. The theory was initially developed for heat engines (steam, Otto, Stirling, a.o.) and for refrigerators, but it has by now evolved into essentially all areas of dynamic systems from the most abstract ones to the most practical ones. The present collection shows some fascinating current examples