Current fluctuations in quantum absorption refrigerators

Dvira Segal
Phys. Rev. E 97, 052145 – Published 31 May 2018

Abstract

Absorption refrigerators transfer thermal energy from a cold bath to a hot bath without input power by utilizing heat from an additional “work” reservoir. Particularly interesting is a three-level design for a quantum absorption refrigerator, which can be optimized to reach the maximal (Carnot) cooling efficiency. Previous studies of three-level chillers focused on the behavior of the averaged cooling current. Here, we go beyond that and study the full counting statistics of heat exchange in a three-level chiller model. We explain how to obtain the complete cumulant generating function of the refrigerator in a steady state, then derive a partial cumulant generating function, which yields closed-form expressions for both the averaged cooling current and its noise. Our analytical results and simulations are beneficial for the design of nanoscale engines and cooling systems far from equilibrium, with their performance optimized according to different criteria, efficiency, power, fluctuations, and dissipation.

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  • Received 9 March 2018
  • Revised 10 May 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.97.052145

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Dvira Segal*

  • Department of Chemistry and Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H6

  • *dvira.segal@utoronto.ca

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Vol. 97, Iss. 5 — May 2018

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