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arXiv:2510.19821 · Physical Review A

Atomic-superfluid heat engines controlled by twisted light

Aritra Ghosh, Nilamoni Daloi, Mishkatul Bhattacharya

Published Jan 27, 2026• 1 citation
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Abstract

We theoretically propose a quantum heat engine using a setup consisting of a ring-trapped Bose-Einstein condensate placed in a Fabry-Pérot cavity where the optical field carries orbital angular momentum. We first show that the cavity-enhanced light-atom coupling leads to the emergence of polaritonic modes whose character can be reversibly switched between photonlike and phononlike by detuning sweeps, allowing work extraction governed by distinct reservoirs. We investigate the dependence of the engine efficiency on the orbital angular momentum. Beyond ideality, we discuss finite-time scenarios based on shortcuts to adiabaticity such that the efficiency retains its ideal-operation value, despite finite-time operation. Our analysis identifies orbital angular momentum as a control knob that can reconfigure the performance of such quantum heat engines.

DOI
10.1103/j252-dh1w

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We numerically model the propagation of light through a Kerr medium and through a far-red-detuned Bose Einstein condensate (BEC) inside an optical cavity using Lugiato-Lefever and Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We demonstrate the formation of light-atomic ring lattices with rotation speeds and direction that can be controlled by the orbital angular momentum of the light. In the BEC, we show the possibility of moving from a lattice to a ring-shaped atomic circuit by changing the atomic scattering length, and explore the potential generation of rotating BEC cavity solitons. Our results may be of interest as slow light pulses with fully controllable speed and structure for use in optical quantum memories, for particle manipulation and trapping, and for the novel realization of highly controllable, tightly confined, rotating atomic lattices.