16 research outputs found
Quantum features and signatures of quantum-thermal machines
The aim of this book chapter is to indicate how quantum phenomena are
affecting the operation of microscopic thermal machines, such as engines and
refrigerators. As converting heat to work is one of the fundamental concerns in
thermodynamics, the platform of quantum-thermal machines sheds light on
thermodynamics in the quantum regime. This chapter focuses on the basic
features of quantum mechanics, such as energy quantization, the uncertainty
principle, quantum coherence and correlations, and their manifestation in
microscopic thermal devices. In addition to indicating the peculiar behaviors
of thermal-machines due to their non-classical features, we present
quantum-thermodynamic signatures of these machines. Any violation of the
classical bounds on thermodynamic measurements of these machines is a
sufficient condition to conclude that quantum effects are present in the
operation of that thermal machine. Experimental setups demonstrating some of
the results are also presented
Universal Coherence-Induced Power Losses of Quantum Heat Engines in Linear Response
We introduce a universal scheme to divide the power output of a periodically
driven quantum heat engine into a classical contribution and one stemming
solely from quantum coherence. Specializing to Lindblad-dynamics and small
driving amplitudes, we derive general upper bounds on both, the coherent and
the total power. These constraints imply that, in the linear-response regime,
coherence inevitably leads to power losses. To illustrate our general analysis,
we explicitly work out the experimentally relevant example of a single-qubit
engine.Comment: 7+4 pages, 2 figure
Classical emulation of quantum-coherent thermal machines
The performance enhancements observed in various models of continuous quantum
thermal machines have been linked to the buildup of coherences in a preferred
basis. But, is this connection always an evidence of `quantum-thermodynamic
supremacy'? By force of example, we show that this is not the case. In
particular, we compare a power-driven three-level continuous quantum
refrigerator with a four-level combined cycle, partly driven by power and
partly by heat. We focus on the weak driving regime and find the four-level
model to be superior since it can operate in parameter regimes in which the
three-level model cannot, it may exhibit a larger cooling rate, and,
simultaneously, a better coefficient of performance. Furthermore, we find that
the improvement in the cooling rate matches the increase in the stationary
quantum coherences exactly. Crucially, though, we also show that the
thermodynamic variables for both models follow from a classical representation
based on graph theory. This implies that we can build incoherent
stochastic-thermodynamic models with the same steady-state operation or,
equivalently, that both coherent refrigerators can be emulated classically.
More generally, we prove this for any N-level weakly driven device with a
`cyclic' pattern of transitions. Therefore, even if coherence is present in a
specific quantum thermal machine, it is often not essential to replicate the
underlying energy conversion process.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures; references updated; appendix adde
Thermodynamics and Steady State of Quantum Motors and Pumps Far from Equilibrium
In this article, we briefly review the dynamical and thermodynamical aspects of different forms of quantum motors and quantum pumps. We then extend previous results to provide new theoretical tools for a systematic study of those phenomena at far-from-equilibrium conditions. We mainly focus on two key topics: (1) The steady-state regime of quantum motors and pumps, paying particular attention to the role of higher order terms in the nonadiabatic expansion of the current-induced forces. (2) The thermodynamical properties of such systems, emphasizing systematic ways of studying the relationship between different energy fluxes (charge and heat currents and mechanical power) passing through the system when beyond-first-order expansions are required. We derive a general order-by-order scheme based on energy conservation to rationalize how every order of the expansion of one form of energy flux is connected with the others. We use this approach to give a physical interpretation of the leading terms of the expansion. Finally, we illustrate the above-discussed topics in a double quantum dot within the Coulomb-blockade regime and capacitively coupled to a mechanical rotor. We find many exciting features of this system for arbitrary nonequilibrium conditions: a definite parity of the expansion coefficients with respect to the voltage or temperature biases; negative friction coefficients; and the fact that, under fixed parameters, the device can exhibit multiple steady states where it may operate as a quantum motor or as a quantum pump, depending on the initial conditions.Fil: Bustos Marun, Raul Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Hernan Laureano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Argentin
Non-equilibrium fluctuations and athermality as quantum resources
Within quantum information, a very productive way to look at physical phenomena is under the light of the framework of resource theories. Through it, one can focus on questions such as in what sense a particular physical feature can be thought of as a resource for certain tasks, and how can it be quantified. A particularly prominent example of this is the theory of quantum entanglement. In recent years, a research program has emerged in which researchers are trying to build a resource theory relevant for thermodynamical and non-equilibrium phenomena at the quantum and nano scales. The overarching aim is to find how the perspective given by quantum information tools and techniques help us understand new and existing results of the field. In this thesis we advance these efforts by introducing different kinds of non-equilibrium fluctuations into the theory: fluctuations of work and fluctuations of states. In this way, we manage to merge a number of ideas from the field of stochastic thermodynamics into the resource-theoretic framework. We further explore the structure of this resource theory by introducing results in which the finiteness of the heat bath's size is considered, deriving corrections to well-known expressions regarding work extraction. On top of this, we also consider the usefulness within non-equilibrium thermodynamics of other tools coming from quantum information theory, such as the relative entropy and the idea of a recovery map. The connection between the recovery map and the property of quantum detailed balance (and time reversal more generally) is highlighted, and a bound on the entropy production of Davies maps is derived inspired by recent results on quantum information