Related papers: Performance of continuous quantum thermal devices …
Quantum decoherence is seen as an undesired source of irreversibility that destroys quantum resources. Quantum coherences seem to be a property that vanishes at thermodynamic equilibrium. Away from equilibrium, quantum coherences challenge…
Decoherence of a quantum state coupled to an exterior environment is at the foundation of our understanding of the emergence of classical behavior from the quantum world, but how does it emerge in a finite closed quantum system? Here this…
Quantum circuits interact with the environment via several temperature-dependent degrees of freedom. Yet, multiple experiments to-date have shown that most properties of superconducting devices appear to plateau out at $T\approx 50$ mK --…
We obtain an analytical expression for the heat current between two overdamped quantum oscillators interacting with local thermal baths at different temperatures. The total heat current is split into classical and quantum contributions. We…
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…
In systems described by the scattering theory, there is an upper bound, lower than Carnot, on the efficiency of steady-state heat to work conversion at a given output power. We show that interacting systems can overcome such bound and…
Standard heat machines (engine, heat pump, refrigerator) are composed of a system ("working fluid") coupled to at least two equilibrium baths at different temperatures and periodically driven by an external device (piston or rotor) called…
Quantum thermodynamics addresses the dynamics of heat flow in quantum devices driven out of equilibrium. Although mesoscopic circuits at low temperatures provide a flexible platform to explore this dynamics, experimental studies are wanting…
A thermal field, which frequently appears in problems of decoherence, provides us with minimal information about the field. We study the interaction of the thermal field and a quantum system composed of two qubits and find that such a…
We analyse the thermodynamics of a quantum system in a trajectory of constant velocity that interacts with a static thermal bath. The latter is modeled by a massless scalar field in a thermal state. We consider two different couplings of…
Superconducting circuits provide a favorable platform for quantum thermodynamic experiments. An important component for such experiments is a heat valve, i.e. a device which allows one to control the heat power flowing through the system.…
Machines are only Carnot efficient if they are reversible, but then their power output is vanishingly small. Here we ask, what is the maximum efficiency of an irreversible device with finite power output? We use a nonlinear scattering…
We introduce a new class of mesoscopic heat engines consisting of a tunnel junction coupled to a linear thermal bath. Work is produced by transporting electrons up against a voltage bias like in ordinary thermoelectrics but heat is…
The direction of the steady-state heat currents across a generic quantum system connected to multiple baths may be engineered so as to realize virtually any thermodynamic cycle. In spite of their versatility such continuous…
The thermodynamic uncertainty relation, originally derived for classical Markov-jump processes, provides a trade-off relation between precision and dissipation, deepening our understanding of the performance of quantum thermal machines.…
Optimizing the performance of thermal machines is an essential task of thermodynamics. We here consider the optimization of information engines that convert information about the state of a system into work. We concretely introduce a…
Quantum systems are inherently susceptible to noise -- a notorious factor that induces decoherence and limits the performance of quantum applications. To mitigate its detrimental effects, various techniques have been developed, including…
We investigate coupled-qubit-based thermal machines powered by quantum measurements and feedback. We consider two different versions of the machine: 1) a quantum Maxwell's demon where the coupled-qubit system is connected to a detachable…
The efficiency of macroscopic heat engines is restricted by the second law of thermodynamics. They can reach at most the efficiency of a Carnot engine. In contrast, heat currents in mesoscopic heat engines show fluctuations. Thus, there is…
The reduced state of a small system strongly coupled to a thermal bath may be athermal and used as a small battery once disconnected. If the disconnecting process is too slow, the coupling between the battery and the bath weakens, and at…