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Physical Review Letters

Quantum Heat Engine Using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

Yueyang Zou, Yue Jiang, Yefeng Mei, Xianxin Guo, Shengwang Du

Published Aug 4, 2017• 91 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report an experiment demonstrating the generation of directional thermal radiation with a spectral brightness that is about 9 times greater than that of the ambient pumping reservoir. The experiment is based on the recent proposal for a nontraditional quantum heat engine and uses cold Rb atoms, electromagnetically induced transparency, and photon correlation spectroscopy [Phys. Rev. A 94, 053859 (2016)PLRAAN2469-992610.1103/PhysRevA.94.053859].

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.119.050602

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APL Quantum•Jun 1, 2025•0 citations
We report an experiment demonstrating the generation of directional thermal radiation with a spectral brightness that is about 9 times greater than that of the ambient pumping reservoir. The experiment is based on the recent proposal for a nontraditional quantum heat engine and uses cold Rb atoms, electromagnetically induced transparency, and photon correlation spectroscopy [Phys. Rev. A 94, 053859 (2016)PLRAAN2469-992610.1103/PhysRevA.94.053859].
Quantum heat engines based on electromagnetically induced transparency first proposed by Harris [S. E. Harris, Phys. Rev. A 94, 053859 (2016)] have been recently demonstrated in experiment. Here we present an improved version of such a heat engine by adding a microwave field in the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$-type atomic system to modify the cross sections for absorption and emission. We find that this microwave-assisted atomic system behaves as a heat engine only when (i) all three laser or microwave fields resonate with their corresponding transitions and (ii) the relative phase between these fields is $n\ensuremath{\pi}$ with $n=0,\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1,\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2,\ensuremath{\cdots}$. In particular, below the threshold of lasing without inversion, the engine's output field exhibits a brightness increasing with the microwave's intensity, and the brightness in the presence of a weak microwave field can be tens of (or even larger) that in the absence of a microwave field. We also note that the microwave field has the equivalent effect of increasing (decreasing) the hot (cold) reservoir's temperature.
The single-atom version of the quantum heat engine based on electromagnetically induced transparency is theoretically investigated in this paper. In contact with a hot and a cold bath, the atom trapped in an optical cavity is coherently coupled by a coherent field, thus generating photons as output through a process that mimics a heat engine. Using semiclassical theory, we obtain the conditions for the classical gain parameter being positive. Then by taking a full quantum approach, we discuss the statistical property of the generated photons depicted by the photon number distribution and Wigner function, and show that it can be effectively tuned by the coupling field. Investigations on the energy and entropy balances of the heat engine process lead to an interesting result that the power of the engine is simply the energy per time provided by the hot reservoir. The coupling field plays a critical role in supporting the heat-engine process. However, the energy that it provides is all dumped into the cold reservoir. The total energy exchange conforms to the first law of thermodynamics. The efficiency of the engine depends on the temperatures of the two reservoirs and the strength of the coupling field. The entropy change of the heat-engine process suggests that when working far above the threshold of lasing, the efficiency approaches that of its atomic-ensemble-based partner.
Abstract This paper introduces a quantum heat engine model that utilizes an ultracold atomic gas coupled with a nanomechanical mirror. The mirror’s vibration induces an opto-mechanical sideband in the control field, affecting the behavior of the cold gas and subsequently influencing the output radiation of the engine. The model incorporates mirror vibration while omitting cavity confinement, establishing a bridge between a multi-level atom–laser interacting system that plays with coherences and the mechanical vibration of the nanomechanical mirror, which jointly function as heat engines. Three distinct heat engine configurations are proposed: the first involves a vibration-free three-level Λ-type system, the second introduces nanomechanical vibration to the three-level Λ-type system, and the third constitutes a composite engine that combines the previous setups along with nanomechanical vibration. The spectral brightness of a three-level heat engine is diminished with mirror vibration, whereas for a composite heat engine, there is a slight enhancement in the brightness peak. However, the maximum brightness is attained when there is no vibration. Comparisons between the proposed model and an ideal system are made regarding entropy balance, adhering to the constraints of the second law of thermodynamics. The model observed that when subjected to mirror vibration, the proposed heat engines diverged from the characteristics expected in an ideal heat engine.
We develop an artificial neural network model to predict quantum heat engines working within the experimentally realized framework of electromagnetically induced transparency. We specifically focus on Λ-type alkali-based cold atomic systems. This network allows us to analyze the performance of all the alkali atom-based engines. High performance engines are predicted and analyzed based on three figures of merit: output radiation temperature, work, and ergotropy. Contrary to traditional notion, the algorithm reveals the limitations of output radiation temperature as a standalone metric for enhanced engine performance. In high-output radiation temperature regime, a Cs-based engine with a higher output-temperature than a Rb-based engine is characterized by lower work and ergotropy. This is found to be true for different atomic engines with common predicted states in both high- and low-output radiation temperature regimes. In addition, the ergotropy is found to exhibit a saturating exponential dependency on the control Rabi frequency.