Finite-measurement-duration limits on measurement-driven quantum engines

Asher Peres, William K. Wootters

Xuehao Ding, Juyeon Yi, Yong Woon Kim +1 more

A four-stroke quantum engine which alternately interacts with a measurement apparatus and a single heat bath is discussed in detail with respect to the average work and heat as well as to the fluctuations of work and heat. The efficiency and the reliability of such an engine with a harmonic oscillator as working substance are analyzed under different conditions, such as different speeds of the work strokes, different temperatures of the heat bath, and various strengths of the energy supplying measurement. For imperfect thermalization strokes of finite duration also the power of the engine is analyzed. A comparison with a two-temperature Otto engine is provided in the particular case of adiabatic work and ideal thermalization strokes.

Jinfeng Wei, Yingying Hong, Dehua Liu +8 more

Harnessing finite-time nonadiabatic transitions that are conventionally associated with quantum inner friction for useful work extraction remains an open experimental challenge. Here we address this issue by introducing and experimentally realizing an innovative measurement-feedback quantum information engine model in the trapped 40Ca+ ion system, in which the projective measurement replaces the hot reservoir as a nonthermal energy source and the feedback control conditionally steers the system through either unitary compression-expansion strokes or thermalization. We experimentally show that the repeated feedback cycle converges to a stable operating regime with a resolved energetic balance, and, by controlling the measurement angle and stroke duration, measurement-induced coherence and the finite-time nonadiabatic contribution can enhance work extraction and raise the efficiency above the corresponding Otto benchmark. The experimental results further show that, over finite ranges of stroke durations, the efficiency and intrinsic cycle power can increase simultaneously. Our experiment establishes a route toward information-to-work quantum engines that convert finite-time irreversibility into performance-enhancing resources.

Andrew N. Jordan, Cyril Elouard, Alexia Auffèves

Yang Xiao, Jin Wang

Generally, quantum heat engines driven by Gibbs reservoirs achieve their maximum work and efficiency only in quasi-static processes, a constraint that hampers practical applications due to the resulting vanishing power output. To address this fundamental limitation, we propose a finite-time quantum Otto information engine (OIE) driven by a Maxwell's demon paired with a single Gibbs reservoir. We demonstrate that the demon's measurement and feedback control can preserve quantum coherence to extract coherent work, while harnessing quantum internal friction as a work source. Consequently, the OIE can produce work by only modulating the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian, and surpass the quasi-static limits of its conventional counterpart in the work output and the efficiency, which accounts for the energetic cost of the demon. Notably, the OIE can achieve near-perfect efficiency alongside positive work extraction in the rapid-driving regime.

G. C. Ghirardi, T. Weber, F. Miglietta +1 more