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arXiv:1812.10102 · Physical Review A

Optical simulation of a quantum thermal machine

M. H. M. Passos, Alan C. Santos, M. S. Sarandy, J. A. O. Huguenin

Published Aug 12, 2019• 28 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce both a theoretical and an experimental scheme for simulating a quantum thermal engine through an all-optical approach, with the behavior of the working substance and the thermal reservoirs implemented via internal degrees of freedom of a single photon. By using the polarization and propagation path, we encode two quantum bits and then implement the thermodynamical steps of an Otto cycle. To illustrate the feasibility of our proposal, we experimentally realize such simulation through an intense laser beam, evaluating heat and work at each individual step of the thermodynamical cycle. In addition, from the analysis of the entropy production during the entire cycle, we can study the amount of quantum friction produced in the Otto cycle as a function of the difference of temperature between hot and cold reservoirs. Our paper constitutes, therefore, an all-optical-based thermal machine simulation and opens perspectives for other optical simulations in quantum thermodynamics.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.100.022113

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We introduce both a theoretical and an experimental scheme for simulating a quantum thermal engine through an all-optical approach, with the behavior of the working substance and the thermal reservoirs implemented via internal degrees of freedom of a single photon. By using the polarization and propagation path, we encode two quantum bits and then implement the thermodynamical steps of an Otto cycle. To illustrate the feasibility of our proposal, we experimentally realize such simulation through an intense laser beam, evaluating heat and work at each individual step of the thermodynamical cycle. In addition, from the analysis of the entropy production during the entire cycle, we can study the amount of quantum friction produced in the Otto cycle as a function of the difference of temperature between hot and cold reservoirs. Our paper constitutes, therefore, an all-optical-based thermal machine simulation and opens perspectives for other optical simulations in quantum thermodynamics.
We study quantum Otto thermal machines with a two-spin working system coupled by anisotropic interaction. Depending on the choice of different parameters, the quantum Otto cycle can function as different thermal machines, including a heat engine, refrigerator, accelerator, and heater. We aim to investigate how the anisotropy plays a fundamental role in the performance of the quantum Otto engine (QOE) operating in different timescales. We find that while the engine's efficiency increases with the increase in anisotropy for the quasistatic operation, quantum internal friction and incomplete thermalization degrade the performance in a finite-time cycle. Further, we study the quantum heat engine (QHE) with one of the spins (local spin) as the working system. We show that the efficiency of such an engine can surpass the standard quantum Otto limit, along with maximum power, thanks to the anisotropy. This can be attributed to quantum interference effects. We demonstrate that the enhanced performance of a local-spin QHE originates from the same interference effects, as in a measurement-based QOE for their finite-time operation.
Conventional heat engines convert thermal energy into mechanical work by using a working medium such as steam or gas that operates between a hot and a cold reservoir. The medium absorbs heat from the hot reservoir, produces work, then releases some heat to the cold reservoir and returns to the initial state. With the advancement of quantum technologies, researchers strive to understand whether quantum media, such as atoms, spins, superconducting circuits and semiconductor quantum dots, can be used in quantum counterparts of the classical heat engines. After a recap of the basics of classical heat engines, this review explores the theoretical foundations and advancements of quantum heat engines, focusing on the proposed two- and multilevel systems used as the working medium for the quantum Otto cycle, which is the ideal thermodynamic cycle that describes the operation of a spark-ignition internal combustion engine. The review compares the efficiency and the work extraction of these systems, discussing their performance in the high- and low-temperature limits. Alternative cycles and engines are also presented to establish the adaptability of the working media when operating under different processes and non-equilibrium conditions. In conclusion, the review offers possible applications and future developments of quantum heat engines.
The quantum Otto cycle serves as a bridge between the macroscopic world of heat engines and the quantum regime of thermal devices composed from a single element. We compile recent studies of the quantum Otto cycle with a harmonic oscillator as a working medium. This model has the advantage that it is analytically trackable. In addition, an experimental realization has been achieved, employing a single ion in a harmonic trap. The review is embedded in the field of quantum thermodynamics and quantum open systems. The basic principles of the theory are explained by a specific example illuminating the basic definitions of work and heat. The relation between quantum observables and the state of the system is emphasized. The dynamical description of the cycle is based on a completely positive map formulated as a propagator for each stroke of the engine. Explicit solutions for these propagators are described on a vector space of quantum thermodynamical observables. These solutions which employ different assumptions and techniques are compared. The tradeoff between power and efficiency is the focal point of finite-time-thermodynamics. The dynamical model enables the study of finite time cycles limiting time on the adiabatic and the thermalization times. Explicit finite time solutions are found which are frictionless (meaning that no coherence is generated), and are also known as shortcuts to adiabaticity.The transition from frictionless to sudden adiabats is characterized by a non-hermitian degeneracy in the propagator. In addition, the influence of noise on the control is illustrated. These results are used to close the cycles either as engines or as refrigerators. The properties of the limit cycle are described. Methods to optimize the power by controlling the thermalization time are also introduced. At high temperatures, the Novikov–Curzon–Ahlborn efficiency at maximum power is obtained. The sudden limit of the engine which allows finite power at zero cycle time is shown. The refrigerator cycle is described within the frictionless limit, with emphasis on the cooling rate when the cold bath temperature approaches zero.
In this paper we study a quantum Otto thermal machine where the working substance is composed of N identical qubits coupled to a single mode of a bosonic field, where the atoms and the field interact with a reservoir, as described by the so-called open Dicke model. By controlling the relevant and experimentally accessible parameters of the model we show that it is possible to build a universal quantum heat machine (UQHM) that can function as an engine, refrigerator, heater or accelerator. The heat and work exchanges are computed taking into account the growth of the number N of atoms as well as the coupling regimes characteristic of the Dicke model for several ratios of temperatures of the two thermal reservoirs. The analysis of quantum features such as entanglement and second-order correlation shows that these quantum resources do not affect either the efficiency or the performance of the UQHM based on the open Dicke Model. In addition, we show that the improvement in both efficiency and coefficient of performance of our UQHM occurs for regions around the critical value of the phase transition parameter of the model.
We theoretically propose and investigate a quantum Otto engine that works with a single-mode radiation field inside an optical cavity and is driven alternately by a hot reservoir and a cold reservoir. The hot reservoir is realized using a beam composed of thermally entangled pairs of two-level atoms that interacts resonantly with the cavity, and the cold reservoir is composed of a collection of noninteracting boson modes. In terms of the quantum discord of the pair of atoms, we derive analytical expressions for the performance parameters (i.e., power and efficiency) and the stability measure (the coefficient of variation of power). We show that nonclassical correlations boost the quantum engine's performance and efficiency, and they may even change the operation mode at specified values of the two bath temperatures. We also demonstrate that the nonclassical correlations improve the stability of the machine by reducing the coefficient of variation of power that satisfies the generalized thermodynamic uncertainty relation. Finally, we find that these results can be transferred to another quantum Otto engine model, in which the optical cavity is coupled alternately to a hot thermal bosonic bath and to a beam composed of pairs of the two correlated atoms that plays the role of a cold reservoir.
In this paper we study a quantum Otto thermal machine where the working substance is composed of N identical qubits coupled to a single mode of a bosonic field, where the atoms and the field interact with a reservoir, as described by the so-called open Dicke model. By controlling the relevant and experimentally accessible parameters of the model we show that it is possible to build a universal quantum heat machine (UQHM) that can function as an engine, refrigerator, heater, or accelerator. The heat and work exchanges are computed taking into account the growth of the number N of atoms as well as the coupling regimes characteristic of the Dicke model for several ratios of temperatures of the two thermal reservoirs. The analysis of quantum features such as entanglement and second-order correlation shows that these quantum resources do not affect either the efficiency or the performance of the UQHM based on the open Dicke model. In addition, we show that the improvement in both efficiency and coefficient of performance of our UQHM occurs for regions around the critical value of the phase transition parameter of the model.