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Nanoscale Heat Engine Beyond the Carnot Limit

J. Roßnagel, O. Abah, F. Schmidt-Kaler, K. Singer, and E. Lutz
Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 030602 – Published 22 January 2014
Physics logo See Synopsis: “Squeezed” Engine Could Break Thermodynamic Limits

Abstract

We consider a quantum Otto cycle for a time-dependent harmonic oscillator coupled to a squeezed thermal reservoir. We show that the efficiency at maximum power increases with the degree of squeezing, surpassing the standard Carnot limit and approaching unity exponentially for large squeezing parameters. We further propose an experimental scheme to implement such a model system by using a single trapped ion in a linear Paul trap with special geometry. Our analytical investigations are supported by Monte Carlo simulations that demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal. For realistic trap parameters, an increase of the efficiency at maximum power of up to a factor of 4 is reached, largely exceeding the Carnot bound.

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  • Received 12 September 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.030602

© 2014 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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“Squeezed” Engine Could Break Thermodynamic Limits

Published 22 January 2014

A theoretical analysis shows that nanoengines based on quantum squeezed states can perform several times more efficiently than classical engines.

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Authors & Affiliations

J. Roßnagel1, O. Abah2, F. Schmidt-Kaler1, K. Singer1, and E. Lutz2

  • 1Quantum, Institut für Physik, Universität Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
  • 2Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 112, Iss. 3 — 24 January 2014

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