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AIP conference proceedings

Violation of the Third Law of Thermodynamics through an Atomic Cooling Scheme

Kishore T. Kapale

Published Jan 1, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We consider a simple cooling scheme for atomic or molecular system without requiring spontaneous emission. Such a cooling to internal temperature of zero warrants us to rethink about the meaning of the third law of thermodynamics. Our findings are in direct disagreement with one of the accepted statements of the third law.
DOI
10.1063/1.1523810

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Cooling of internal atomic and molecular states via optical pumping and laser cooling of the atomic velocity distribution, rely on spontaneous emission. The outstanding success of such examples, taken together with general arguments, has led to the widely held notion that radiative cooling requires spontaneous emission. We here show by specific examples and direct calculation, based primarily on breaking emission-absorption symmetry as in lasing without inversion, that cooling of internal states by external coherent control fields is possible. We also show that such coherent schemes allow us to practically reach absolute zero in a finite number of steps, in contrast to some statements of the third law of thermodynamics.
The second and third laws of thermodynamics can be used to establish a fundamental bound for the maximum possible cooling rate in approaching the absolute zero of temperature. In modeling the behavior of the molecular refrigerators geared toward attaining ultralow temperatures, only quantum mechanical, as opposed to classical physics, models can be admissible. As a simple model, we analyze a three-level quantum refrigerator, and in particular its irreversible thermodynamic performance as absolute zero is approached.
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