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The optimization of the conversion of thermal energy into work and the minimization of dissipation for nano- and mesoscopic systems is a complex challenge because of the important role fluctuations play on the dynamics of small systems. We…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-09-24 Alberto Rolandi

The transition to 4th generation district heating creates a growing need for scalable, automated design tools that accurately capture the spatial and temporal details of heating network operation. This paper presents an automated design…

Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science · Computer Science 2024-01-30 Yannick Wack , Martin Sollich , Robbe Salenbien , Jan Diriken , Martine Baelmans , Maarten Blommaert

Heat engines extract work by running cyclically between two heat reservoirs. When the two reservoirs are thermal and at different temperatures, the maximum efficiency of the engine is given by the Carnot limit. Here we consider a quantum…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2014-02-03 Johannes Roßnagel , Obinna Abah , Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler , Kilian Singer , Eric Lutz

Information can improve heat engine performance, but the underlying principles are still not so clear. Here we introduce a Carnot information machine (CIE) and obtain a quantitative relationship between the engine performance and…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2025-07-21 Yang Xiao , Qian Zeng , Jin Wang

Understanding energy transport at the nanoscale is an open and fundamental challenge in the molecular sciences with direct implications for the design of new electronics, computing devices, and materials. While nanoscale energy transport…

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Physics 2025-10-15 Renai Chen , Galen T. Craven

We study the optimal performance of Carnot-like heat engines working in low dissipation regime using the product of the efficiency and the power output, also known as the efficient power, as our objective function. Efficient power function…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2018-12-26 Varinder Singh , Ramandeep S. Johal

Heat engines that convert thermal energy into work are a cornerstone of classical thermodynamics and remain an active area of contemporary research. Notable examples include microscopic heat engines, trade-off relations between power and…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2026-04-07 Gustavo A. L. Forão , Arya Datta , Carlos E. Fiore , Andre C. Barato

Optimizing the operation of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems is a challenging task, requiring the modeling of complex nonlinear relationships among HVAC load, indoor temperatures, and outdoor environments. This…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2021-01-12 Youngjin Kim

Reinforcement Learning offers a framework to learn to choose actions in order to achieve some goal. However, at the nano-scale, thermal fluctuations hamper the learning process. We analyze this regime using the general framework of Markov…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2023-12-18 Francesco Boccardo , Olivier Pierre-Louis

We investigate the dynamics and thermodynamics of a framework composed of interacting units in which parameters (temperatures and energies) assume distinct values due to the contact with distinct (cold and hot) thermal reservoirs. The…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2025-08-13 Iago N. Mamede , Vitória T. Henkes , Carlos E. Fiore

We theoretically investigate strategies for harnessing quantum interference to optimize the figure of merit $ZT$, power output, and thermodynamic efficiency in multi-quantum-dot Aharonov-Bohm (AB) thermoelectric heat engines. Using the…

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Physics 2025-09-05 Sridhar , Salil Bedkihal , Malay Bandyopadhyay

We analyze the power output of a quantum dot machine coupled to two electronic reservoirs via thermoelectric contacts, and to two thermal reservoirs - one hot and one cold. This machine is a nanoscale analogue of a conventional thermocouple…

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Physics 2016-11-11 Robert. S. Whitney , Rafael Sánchez , Federica Haupt , Janine Splettstoesser

Trajectory optimization in multi-vehicle scenarios faces challenges due to its non-linear, non-convex properties and sensitivity to initial values, making interactions between vehicles difficult to control. In this paper, inspired by…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-03-10 Changjia Ma , Yi Zhao , Zhongxue Gan , Bingzhao Gao , Wenchao Ding

We investigate the performance of a microscopic quantum heat engine consisting of V- or Lambda-type emitters interacting collectively or independently when being in contact with environmental thermal reservoirs. Though the efficiency of a…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2022-04-11 Mihai A. Macovei

We propose and theoretically investigate a nanomechanical heat engine. We show how a levitated nanoparticle in a harmonic optical trap inside an optical cavity can be used to realize a Stirling cycle in the underdamped regime. The…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2015-05-13 Andreas Dechant , Nikolai Kiesel , Eric Lutz

According to Thermodynamics, the efficiency of a heat engine is upper bounded by Carnot efficiency. For macroscopic systems, the Carnot efficiency is, however, achieved only for quasi static processes. And, considerable attention has been…

Statistical Mechanics · Physics 2023-05-03 Takaaki Monnai

Navigating the intricacies of thermal management at the quantum scale is a challenge in the pursuit of advanced nanoscale technologies. To this extent, theoretical frameworks introducing minimal models mirroring the functionality of…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-07-01 André H. A. Malavazi , Borhan Ahmadi , Paweł Mazurek , Antonio Mandarino

We consider the optimization of a finite-time Carnot engine characterized by small dissipations. We bound the power with a simple inequality and show that the optimal strategy is to perform small cycles around a given working point, which…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-03-23 Paolo Abiuso , Martí Perarnau-Llobet

We derive a bound on the efficiency of thermal engines that can be sharper than Carnot's limit. It is a function of statistical correlations between the engine internal state and Hamiltonian, can be saturated even in finite-time cycles, and…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-04-14 Anna Gabetti , Fabrizio Dolcini , Davide Girolami

This study explores strategies to improve engine efficiency through innovative materials, design concepts, and alternative energy sources. It highlights the use of nanomaterials and surface engineering to create hydrophobic or other types…

General Physics · Physics 2023-07-07 Mario J. Pinheiro