Related papers: Heat-machine control by quantum-state preparation:…

The fundamentals of a quantum heat engine are derived from first principles. The study is based on the equation of motion of a minimum set of operators which is then used to define the state of the system. The relation between the quantum…

Based on quantum thermodynamic processes, we make a quantum-mechanical (QM) extension of the typical heat engine cycles, such as the Carnot, Brayton, Otto, and Diesel cycles, etc. The temperature is not included in these QM engine cycles,…

We consider a quantum system strongly coupled to multiple heat baths at different temperatures. Quantum heat transport phenomena in this system are investigated using two definitions of the heat current, one in terms of the system energy,…

Advantages of quantum effects in several technologies, such as computation and communication, have already been well appreciated, and some devices, such as quantum computers and communication links, exhibiting superiority to their classical…

We propose a quantum Otto heat engine that employs a finite-size Dicke-Stark model as the working substance. In the extended coherent state space, the complete energy spectrum and eigenstates of this model are obtained through numerical…

Cyclical heat engines are a paradigm of classical thermodynamics, but are impractical for miniaturization because they rely on moving parts. A more recent concept is particle-exchange (PE) heat engines, which uses energy filtering to…

While quantum measurements have been shown to constitute a resource for operating quantum thermal machines, the nature of the energy exchanges involved in the interaction between system and measurement apparatus is still under debate. In…

The Dicke-Hubbard model, describing an ensemble of interacting atoms in a cavity, provides a rich platform for exploring collective quantum phenomena. However, its potential for quantum thermodynamic applications remains largely uncharted.…

We present quantum heat machines using a diatomic molecule modelled by a $q$-deformed potential as a working medium. We analyze the effect of the deformation parameter and other potential parameters on the work output and efficiency of the…

We provide a consistent thermodynamic analysis of stochastic thermal engines driven by finite-size reservoirs, which are in turn coupled to infinite-size reservoirs. We consider a cyclic operation mode, where the working medium couples…

We realize fast thermalization and state preparation of a single mode cavity field using a collision model-like approach, where a sequence of qubits or three level system ancillae, sequentially interacting with the field, is engineered with…

Quantum speed limit, furnishing a lower bound on the required time for the evolution of a quantum system through the state space, imposes an ultimate natural limitation to the dynamics of physical devices. Quantum absorption refrigerators,…

We analyze an autonomous thermoelectric engine composed of two superconducting qubits coupled to separate heat baths and connected by a Josephson junction. Work and heat are process quantities and not observables of the engine quantum…

We give an overview of our recent theoretical studies of the thermodynamics of excitons, and other solid-state qubits, driven by time-dependent laser fields. We consider a single such emitter and describe how the formation of strong-field…

An autonomous quantum thermal machine comprising a trapped atom or ion placed inside an optical cavity is proposed and analysed. Such a machine can operate as a heat engine whose working medium is the quantised atomic motion, or as an…

An open quantum system, whose time evolution is governed by a master equation, can be driven into a given pure quantum state by an appropriate design of the system-reservoir coupling. This points out a route towards preparing many body…

We investigate theoretically a quantum optomechanical realization of a heat engine. In a generic optomechanical arrangement the optomechanical coupling between the cavity field and the oscillating end-mirror results in polariton normal mode…

Pistons are elementary components of a wide variety of thermal engines, allowing to convert input fuel into rotational motion. Here, we propose a single-piston engine where the rotational degree of freedom is effectively realized by the…

Giving a universal upper bound on the power output of heat engines is a long-standing open problem. We tackle this problem for generic quantum machines in self-contained formulation by carefully including the switching process of the…

Isothermal transformations are minimally dissipative but slow processes, as the system needs to remain close to thermal equilibrium along the protocol. Here, we show that smoothly modifying the system-bath interaction can significantly…