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arXiv:1701.06027

Structure of the interaction and energy transfer between an open quantum system and its environment

Tarek Khalil, J. Richert

Published Jan 21, 2017• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Due to the coupling of a quantum system to its environment energy can be transfered between the two subsystems in both directions. In the present study we consider this process in a general framework for interactions with different properties and show how these properties govern the exchange.
DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1701.06027

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The non-equilibrium properties of open quantum systems are determined by the microscopic laws governing energy exchange with their environment. In particular, an enhancement of the performance of quantum heat engines has been predicted by speeding up the dynamics through control of the system--bath interaction. However, direct microscopic control of heat transfer between the machine and the reservoir has remained elusive so far. Here, we experimentally demonstrate such control in a quantum Otto engine realized with ultracold Cs-133 atoms coupled to an atomic reservoir of ultracold Rb-87 atoms. Heat exchange between the two is mediated by inelastic s-wave collisions whose energy-dependent scattering cross sections lead to an asymmetric equilibration dynamics in the isochoric heating and cooling strokes. By tuning the kinetic temperature of the atomic reservoir, we modify the associated microscopic scattering rates, and thereby the heat transfer law, giving control over the time allocation within the engine cycle through control over the microscopic, multi-exponential relaxation dynamics. This enables power output optimization at fixed efficiency. Our results establish microscopic control of system-reservoir interactions as a tool for manipulating heat flow at the nanoscale and engineering the finite-time performance of quantum thermal machines.
Decoherence of quantum entangled particles is observed in most systems, and is usually caused by system-environment interactions. Disentangling two subsystems A and B of a quantum system AB is tantamount to erasure of quantum phase relations between A and B. It is widely believed that this erasure is an innocuous process, which e.g. does not affect the energies of A and B. Surprisingly, recent theoretical investigations by different groups showed that disentangling two systems, i.e. their decoherence, can cause an increase of their energies. Applying this result to the context of neutron Compton scattering from H2 molecules, we provide for the first time experimental evidence which supports this prediction. The results reveal that the neutron-proton collision leading to the cleavage of the H-H bond in the sub-femtosecond timescale is accompanied by larger energy transfer (by about 3%) than conventional theory predicts. It is proposed to interpreted the results by considering the neutron-proton collisional system as an entangled open quantum system being subject to decoherence owing to the interactions with the “environment” (i.e., two electrons plus second proton of H2).