Related papers: Thermodynamics education for energy transformation…
The quantum engine cycle serves as an analogous representation of the macroscopic nature of heat engines and the quantum regime of thermal devices composed of a single element. In this work, we follow the formalism of a quantum engine…
Artificial micro heat engines are prototypical models to explore and elucidate the mechanisms of energy transduction in a regime that is dominated by fluctuations [1-2]. Micro heat engines realized hitherto mimicked their macroscopic…
Engines are systems and devices that convert one form of energy into another, typically into a more useful form that can perform work. In the classical setup, physical, chemical, and biological engines largely involve the conversion of heat…
Vortex dynamics are an important topic in fluid dynamics, explaining phenomena like drag and lift generation, jet propulsion, and corner flows. It is also often excluded from introductory or undergraduate fluid dynamics courses on account…
From the steam engine to current nano-devices, the design of efficient thermal machines has been instrumental in modern societies. In its essence a thermal engine can be thought as a working substance, in contact with two or more baths,…
We experimentally demonstrate a nano-scale stochastic Stirling heat engine operating in the underdamped regime. The setup involves an optically levitated silica particle that is subjected to a power-varying optical trap and periodically…
Single-particle heat engines at atomic and colloidal scales obey the universal thermodynamic bounds on work and efficiency. Here, we translate these principles to the macroscale by building an athermal Stirling engine whose working medium…
The purpose of this work is to present the concept of an autonomous Stirling-like engine powered by anisotropy of thermodynamic fluctuations. Specifically, simultaneous contact of a thermodynamic system with two heat baths along coupled…
We introduce quantum heat engines that perform quantum Otto cycle and the quantum Stirling cycle by using a coupled pair of harmonic oscillator as its working substance. In the quantum regime, different working medium is considered for the…
We present a new model, and the validating experiments, that unveil the rich physics behind the flight of a conductive ring in the Thomson experiment, a physics veiled by the fast thrust that impels the ring. We uncover interesting features…
We analyze an autonomous micro-engine as a closed quantum mechanical system, including the work it performs and the fuel it consumes. Our model system shows by example that it is possible to transfer energy steadily and spontaneously…
This paper describes simple modifications to a Stirling-type heat engine that allow its P-V diagram to be measured. The main advantage of our approach is that a calibrated P-V diagram can be measured and displayed in real time as the engine…
We analyze a quantum heat engine described by the full Dicke model. The system exhibit quantum phase transitions under certain conditions. We consider the system performing a Stirling thermodynamic cycle. We obtain an enhancement of…
This is a report of a course on modern physics designed and taught to undergraduate science and engineering students in the Spring of 2013. The course, meant for freshmen, attempts to integrate statistical mechanics into non-classical…
We introduce an alternative route for obtaining reliable cyclic engines, based on interacting Brownian particles under time-periodic drivings. General expressions for the thermodynamic fluxes, such as power and heat, are obtained using the…
We propose and analyse an autonomous engine, which combines ideas from electronic transport and self-oscillating heat engines. It is based on the electron-shuttling mechanism in conjunction with a rotational degree of freedom. We focus in…
With the interactivity and multiple representation features, computer simulations lend itself to the guided inquiry learning. However, these simulations are usually designed for post-elementary students. Thus, the aim of this study is to…
We present a versatile experimental apparatus for exploring rotational motion through the interplay between the moment of inertia, torque and rotational kinetic energy. The heart of this experiment uses a 3D printed wheel along with easily…
We describe an educational simulation of some effects within the gas of hard spheres. The focus of the presented simulation is on the comprehension of random character of the velocity of molecules in the gas and of the energy at fixed…
Thermoelectric devices are heat engines, which operate as generators or refrigerators using the conduction electrons as a working fluid. The thermoelectric heat-to-work conversion efficiency has always been typically quite low, but much…