Related papers: An all-optical nanomechanical heat engine
We theoretically propose a quantum heat engine using a setup consisting of a ring-trapped Bose-Einstein condensate placed in a Fabry-P\'erot cavity where the optical field carries orbital angular momentum. We first show that the…
With the progress of nano-technology, thermodynamics also has to be scaled down, calling for specific protocols to extract and measure work. Usually, such protocols involve the action of an external, classical field (the battery) of…
We propose to introduce additional control in levitated optomechanics by trapping a meta-atom, i.e. a subwavelength and high-permittivity dielectric particle supporting Mie resonances. In particular, we theoretically demonstrate that…
We present experimental techniques and results related to the optimization and characterization of our nanofiber-based atom trap [Vetsch et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 203603 (2010)]. The atoms are confined in an optical lattice which is…
Microscopic heat engines are microscale systems that convert energy flows between heat reservoirs into work or systematic motion. We have experimentally realized a minimal microscopic heat engine. It consists of a colloidal Brownian…
The triumph of heat engines is their ability to convert the disordered energy of thermal sources into useful mechanical motion. In recent years, much effort has been devoted to generalizing thermodynamic notions to the quantum regime,…
We propose a trapped-ion platform to simulate a reconfigurable spin-spin Hamiltonian related to quantum thermodynamic processes. Starting from an experimental model describing two trapped-ions under slightly off-resonant first sideband…
By converting energy into mechanical work, engines play a central role in most biological and technological processes. In particular, within the current trend towards the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, microscopic engines…
We implement a cavity opto-electromechanical system integrating electrical actuation capabilities of nanoelectromechanical devices with ultrasensitive mechanical transduction achieved via intra-cavity optomechanical coupling. Electrical…
The coupling of mechanical oscillators with light has seen a recent surge of interest, as recent reviews report.[1, 2] This coupling is enhanced when confining light in an optical cavity where the mechanical oscillator is integrated as…
We propose a method of trapping atoms in arrays near to the surface of a composite nanophotonic device with optimal coupling to a single cavity mode. The device, comprised of a nanofiber mounted on a grating, allows the formation of…
The autonomous heat engine is a model system of autonomous nonequilibrium systems like biological cells, exploiting nonequilibrium flow for operations. As the Carnot engine has essentially contributed to the equilibrium thermodynamics,…
The reversible nature of thermodynamical cycles is an idealisation based on the assumption of perfect quasi-static dynamics. As a consequence of this assumption, ideal engines operate at the maximum efficiency but have zero power. Realistic…
Controllable rotation of micro-/nano-objects provides tremendous opportunities for cellular biology, three-dimensional (3D) imaging, and micro/nanorobotics. Among different rotation techniques, optical rotation is particularly attractive…
We apply advanced methods of control theory to open quantum systems and we determine finite-time processes which are optimal with respect to thermodynamic performances. General properties and necessary conditions characterizing optimal…
Optomechanical cooling is a prerequisite for many exotic applications promised by modern quantum technology and it is crucial to achieve it in short times, in order to minimize the undesirable effects of the environment. We formulate cavity…
We demonstrate that the system composed of a gyrotropic particle out of thermal equilibrium with vacuum can be regarded as a heat engine. Such a particle, initially at rest, will experience a fluctuation-induced torque and start to rotate,…
We investigate the quantum thermodynamic cycle of a quantum heat engine carrying out an Otto thermodynamic cycle. We use the thermal properties of a moving heat bath with relativistic velocity with respect to the cold bath. As a working…
We propose an optomechanical dissipation engineering scheme by introducing an ancillary mechanical mode with a large decay rate to control the density of states of the optical mode. The effective linewidth of the optical mode can be reduced…
We study the maximum efficiency of a Carnot cycle heat engine based on a small system. It is revealed that due to the finiteness of the system, irreversibility may arise when the working substance contacts with a heat bath. As a result,…