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Spin Heat Engine Coupled to a Harmonic-Oscillator Flywheel

D. von Lindenfels, O. Gräb, C. T. Schmiegelow, V. Kaushal, J. Schulz, Mark T. Mitchison, John Goold, F. Schmidt-Kaler, and U. G. Poschinger
Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 080602 – Published 22 August 2019
Physics logo See Synopsis: A Heat Engine Made of a Single Ion Spin
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Abstract

We realize a heat engine using a single-electron spin as a working medium. The spin pertains to the valence electron of a trapped Ca+40 ion, and heat reservoirs are emulated by controlling the spin polarization via optical pumping. The engine is coupled to the ion’s harmonic-oscillator degree of freedom via spin-dependent optical forces. The oscillator stores the work produced by the heat engine and, therefore, acts as a flywheel. We characterize the state of the flywheel by reconstructing the Husimi Q function of the oscillator after different engine run times. This allows us to infer both the deposited energy and the corresponding fluctuations throughout the onset of operation, starting in the oscillator ground state. In order to understand the energetics of the flywheel, we determine its ergotropy, i.e., the maximum amount of work which can be further extracted from it. Our results demonstrate how the intrinsic fluctuations of a microscopic heat engine fundamentally limit performance.

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  • Received 14 August 2018
  • Revised 31 May 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.080602

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalStatistical Physics & ThermodynamicsGeneral Physics

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A Heat Engine Made of a Single Ion Spin

Published 22 August 2019

By converting electron spin into ion motion, researchers build a simple heat engine out of a single calcium ion.

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Authors & Affiliations

D. von Lindenfels1, O. Gräb1, C. T. Schmiegelow1,*, V. Kaushal1, J. Schulz1, Mark T. Mitchison2, John Goold2, F. Schmidt-Kaler1, and U. G. Poschinger1,†

  • 1QUANTUM, Institut für Physik, Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
  • 2School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

  • *Present address: LIAF—Laboratorio de Iones y Atomos Frios, Departamento de Fisica and Instituto de Fisica de Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • poschin@uni-mainz.de

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Issue

Vol. 123, Iss. 8 — 23 August 2019

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