Abstract
We perform an experiment in which a quantum heat engine works under two reservoirs, one at a positive spin temperature and the other at an effective negative spin temperature, i.e., when the spin system presents population inversion. We show that the efficiency of this engine can be greater than that when both reservoirs are at positive temperatures. We also demonstrate the counterintuitive result that the Otto efficiency can be beaten only when the quantum engine is operating in the finite-time mode.
- Received 13 December 2018
- Revised 2 March 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.240602
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