Related papers: Operational nonclassicality in minimal autonomous …
We present a theoretical investigation of entanglement generation in an external quantum system via interaction with a quantum autonomous thermal machine (QATM) under non-Markovian dynamics. The QATM, composed of two qubits each coupled to…
Classical engines turn thermal resources into work, which is maximized for reversible operations. The quantum realm has expanded the range of useful operations beyond energy conversion, and incoherent resources beyond thermal reservoirs.…
We discuss a simple quantum thermal machine for the generation of steady-state entanglement between two interacting qubits. The machine is autonomous in the sense that it uses only incoherent interactions with thermal baths, but no source…
There are both practical and foundational motivations to consider the thermodynamics of quantum systems at small scales. Here we address the issue of autonomous quantum thermal machines that are tailored to achieve some specific…
We propose a scheme for a quantum thermal machine made by atoms interacting with a single non-equilibrium electromagnetic field. The field is produced by a simple configuration of macroscopic objects held at thermal equilibrium at different…
Quantum thermal machines can generate steady-state entanglement by harvesting spontaneous interactions with local environments. However, using minimal resources and control, the entanglement is typically very noisy. Here, we study…
We present a model for an autonomous quantum thermal machine comprised of two qubits capable of manipulating and even amplifying the local coherence in a non-degenerate external system. The machine uses only thermal resources, namely,…
We investigate the operation of a qubit as a quantum thermal device within the repeated interaction framework, allowing for strong system-bath coupling and finite interaction times. We analyze two minimal models: an alternating-coupling…
At the heart of quantum thermodynamics lies a fundamental question about what is genuine "quantum" in quantum heat engines and how to seek this quantumness, so that thermodynamical tasks could be performed more efficiently compared with…
Traditional quantum thermodynamic frameworks associate work to energy exchanges induced by unitary transformations generated by external controls, and heat to energy exchanges induced by bath interaction. Recently, a framework was…
We investigate the thermodynamic constraints on the pivotal task of entanglement generation using out-of-equilibrium states through a model-independent framework with minimal assumptions. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition…
Quantum thermodynamics studies how quantum systems and operations may be exploited as sources of work to perform useful thermodynamic tasks. In real-world conditions, the evolution of open quantum systems typically displays memory effects,…
Very recently [Phys. Rev. E 82, 021921 (2010)] a simple mechanism was presented by which a molecule subjected to forced oscillations, out of thermal equilibrium, can maintain quantum entanglement between two of its quantum degrees of…
The generation of entanglement is studied in a minimal model consisting of two independent Gaussian parties embedded in a common heat bath and subject to local control signals. Neither the reservoir alone nor the external driving can induce…
Autonomous quantum thermal machines do not require an external coherent drive or work input to perform the desired tasks, which makes them a promising candidate for thermal management in quantum systems. Here, we propose an autonomous…
The study of thermal operations allows one to investigate the ultimate possibilities of quantum states and of nanoscale thermal machines. Whilst fairly general, these results typically do not apply to continuous variable systems and do not…
The minimal-coupling quantum heat engine is a thermal machine consisting of an explicit energy storage system, heat baths, and a working body, which alternatively couples to subsystems through discrete strokes -- energy-conserving two-body…
Autonomous quantum thermal machines are particularly suited to understand how correlations between thermal baths, a load, and a thermal machine affect the overall thermodynamic functioning of the setup. Here, we show that by tuning the…
Quantum coherence has been shown to impact the operational capabilities of quantum systems performing thermodynamic tasks in a significant way, and yet the possibility and conditions for genuine coherence-enhanced thermodynamic operation…
We devise an autonomous quantum thermal machine consisting of three pairwise-interacting qubits, two of which are locally coupled to thermal reservoirs. The machine operates autonomously, as it requires no time-coherent control, external…