652 research outputs found
Quantum Thermal Machine as a Thermometer
We propose the use of a quantum thermal machine for low-temperature
thermometry. A hot thermal reservoir coupled to the machine allows for
simultaneously cooling the sample while determining its temperature without
knowing the model-dependent coupling constants. In its most simple form, the
proposed scheme works for all thermal machines which perform at Otto efficiency
and can reach Carnot efficiency. We consider a circuit QED implementation which
allows for precise thermometry down to 15 mK with realistic parameters.
Based on the quantum Fisher information, this is close to the optimal
achievable performance. This implementation demonstrates that our proposal is
particularly promising in systems where thermalization between different
components of an experimental setup cannot be guaranteed.Comment: Main text: 5 pages, 4 figures; Supplement: 5 page
Markovian master equations for quantum thermal machines: local vs global approach
The study of quantum thermal machines, and more generally of open quantum
systems, often relies on master equations. Two approaches are mainly followed.
On the one hand, there is the widely used, but often criticized, local
approach, where machine sub-systems locally couple to thermal baths. On the
other hand, in the more established global approach, thermal baths couple to
global degrees of freedom of the machine. There has been debate as to which of
these two conceptually different approaches should be used in situations out of
thermal equilibrium. Here we compare the local and global approaches against an
exact solution for a particular class of thermal machines. We consider
thermodynamically relevant observables, such as heat currents, as well as the
quantum state of the machine. Our results show that the use of a local master
equation is generally well justified. In particular, for weak inter-system
coupling, the local approach agrees with the exact solution, whereas the global
approach fails for non-equilibrium situations. For intermediate coupling, the
local and the global approach both agree with the exact solution and for strong
coupling, the global approach is preferable. These results are backed by
detailed derivations of the regimes of validity for the respective approaches.Comment: Published version. See also the related work by J. Onam Gonzalez et
al. arXiv:1707.0922
Simultaneous measurement of two non-commuting quantum variables: Solution of a dynamical model
The possibility of performing simultaneous measurements in quantum mechanics
is investigated in the context of the Curie-Weiss model for a projective
measurement. Concretely, we consider a spin- system simultaneously
interacting with two magnets, which act as measuring apparatuses of two
different spin components. We work out the dynamics of this process and
determine the final state of the measuring apparatuses, from which we can find
the probabilities of the four possible outcomes of the measurements. The
measurement is found to be non-ideal, as (i) the joint statistics do not
coincide with the one obtained by separately measuring each spin component, and
(ii) the density matrix of the spin does not collapse in either of the measured
observables. However, we give an operational interpretation of the process as a
generalised quantum measurement, and show that it is fully informative: The
expected value of the measured spin components can be found with arbitrary
precision for sufficiently many runs of the experiment.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures; close to published versio
The second law and beyond in microscopic quantum setups
The Clausius inequality (CI) is one of the most versatile forms of the second
law. Although it was originally conceived for macroscopic steam engines, it is
also applicable to quantum single particle machines. Moreover, the CI is the
main connecting thread between classical microscopic thermodynamics and
nanoscopic quantum thermodynamics. In this chapter, we study three different
approaches for obtaining the CI. Each approach shows different aspects of the
CI. The goals of this chapter are: (i) To show the exact assumptions made in
various derivations of the CI. (ii) To elucidate the structure of the second
law and its origin. (iii) To discuss the possibilities each approach offers for
finding additional second-law like inequalities. (iv) To pose challenges
related to the second law in nanoscopic setups. In particular, we introduce and
briefly discuss the notions of exotic heat machines (X machines), and "lazy
demons".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). v1 does not include references
to other book chapter
Phase relations in K_xFe_{2-y}Se_2 and the structure of superconducting K_xFe_2Se_2 via high-resolution synchrotron diffraction
Superconductivity in iron selenides has experienced a rapid growth, but not
without major inconsistencies in the reported properties. For
alkali-intercalated iron selenides, even the structure of the superconducting
phase is a subject of debate, in part because the onset of superconductivity is
affected much more delicately by stoichiometry and preparation than in cuprate
or pnictide superconductors. If high-quality, pure, superconducting
intercalated iron selenides are ever to be made, the intertwined physics and
chemistry must be explained by systematic studies of how these materials form
and by and identifying the many coexisting phases. To that end, we prepared
pure K_2Fe_4Se_5 powder and superconductors in the K_xFe_{2-y}Se_2 system, and
examined differences in their structures by high-resolution synchrotron and
single-crystal x-ray diffraction. We found four distinct phases: semiconducting
K_2Fe_4Se_5, a metallic superconducting phase K_xFe_2Se_2 with x ranging from
0.38 to 0.58, an insulator KFe_{1.6}Se_2 with no vacancy ordering, and an
oxidized phase K_{0.51(5)}Fe_{0.70(2)}Se that forms the PbClF structure upon
exposure to moisture. We find that the vacancy-ordered phase K_2Fe_4Se_5 does
not become superconducting by doping, but the distinct iron-rich minority phase
K_xFe_2Se_2 precipitates from single crystals upon cooling from above the
vacancy ordering temperature. This coexistence of metallic and semiconducting
phases explains a broad maximum in resistivity around 100 K. Further studies to
understand the solubility of excess Fe in the K_xFe_{2-y}Se_2 structure will
shed light on the maximum fraction of superconducting K_xFe_2Se_2 that can be
obtained by solid state synthesis.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, supplemental materia
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