Related papers: How small can thermal machines be? The smallest po…
We investigate whether size imposes a fundamental constraint on the efficiency of small thermal machines. We analyse in detail a model of a small self-contained refrigerator consisting of three qubits. We show analytically that this system…
A fundamental challenge in quantum thermodynamics is the exploration of inherent dimensional constraints in thermodynamic machines. In the context of two-level systems, the most compact refrigerator necessitates the involvement of three…
In this work, we study an autonomous refrigerator composed of three qubits [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 130401 (2010)] operating with one of the reservoirs at negative temperatures, which has the purpose of cooling one of the qubits. We find the…
We construct the smallest possible self contained heat engines; one composed of only two qubits, the other of only a single qutrit. The engines are self-contained as they do not require external sources of work and/or control. They are able…
We investigate, theoretically and experimentally, the thermodynamic performance of a minimal three-qubit heat-bath algorithmic cooling refrigerator. We analytically compute the coefficient of performance, the cooling power and the…
We show that one can construct a quantum absorption refrigerator that provides refrigeration only in the transient regime, by using three interacting qubits, each of which is also interacting with local heat-bath. The machine either does…
We present a theoretical study of an electronic quantum refrigerator based on four quantum dots arranged in a square configuration, in contact with as many thermal reservoirs. We show that the system implements the basic minimal mechanism…
We demonstrate that a quantum absorption refrigerator can be realized from the smallest quantum system, a qubit, by coupling it in a non-additive (strong) manner to three heat baths. This function is un-attainable for the qubit model under…
A first principle reciprocating quantum refrigerator is investigated with the purpose of determining the limitations of cooling to absolute zero. We find that if the energy spectrum of the working medium possesses an uncontrollable gap,…
Although classical thermal machines power industries and modern living, quantum thermal engines have yet to prove their utility. Here, we demonstrate a useful quantum absorption refrigerator formed from superconducting circuits. We use it…
Refrigeration limits are of fundamental and practical importance. We here show that quantum systems can be cooled below existing incoherent cooling bounds by employing coherent virtual qubits, even if the amount of coherence is incompletely…
Multilevel autonomous quantum thermal machines are discussed. In particular, we explore the relation between the size of the machine (captured by Hilbert space dimension), and the performance of the machine. Using the concepts of virtual…
We argue that thermal machines can be understood from the perspective of `virtual qubits' at `virtual temperatures': The relevant way to view the two heat baths which drive a thermal machine is as a composite system. Virtual qubits are…
We show that quantum absorption refrigerators, which have traditionally been studied as of three qubits, each of which is connected to a thermal reservoir, can also be constructed by using three qubits and two thermal baths, where two of…
Cooling quantum systems is arguably one of the most important thermodynamic tasks connected to modern quantum technologies and an interesting question from a foundational perspective. It is thus of no surprise that many different…
We propose a three-qubit setup for the implementation of a variety of quantum thermal machines where all heat fluxes and work production can be controlled. An important configuration that can be designed is that of an absorption…
The extension of thermodynamics into the quantum regime has received much attention in recent years. A primary objective of current research is to find thermodynamic tasks which can be enhanced by quantum mechanical effects. With this goal…
We discuss a quantum refrigerator to increase the ground state probability of a target qubit whose energy difference between the ground and excited states is less than the thermal energy of the environment. We consider two types of quantum…
We examine a quantum absorption refrigerator that comprises three qubits, each of which is connected with a separate spin-star environment. The refrigerator exhibits the feature of transient cooling, i.e., lowering of the temperature of the…
Small quantum absorption refrigerators have recently attracted renewed attention. Here we present a missing design of a two-qubit fridge, the main feature of which is that one of the two machine qubits is itself maintained at a temperature…