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The quantum Carnot engine and its quantum signature

Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery

Quantum thermodynamics follows the tradition of learning by example. The Carnot cycle would be a primary candidate. The attempts to model the four stroke quantum Carnot cycle failed due to the diculty to model the isothermal branches, where the working medium is driven while in contact to the thermal bath. Motivated by this issue we derived a time dependent Non Adiabatic Master Equation (NAME) [1] with a xed driving protocol. This master equation is consistent with thermodynamic principles. We then were able to generalise to protocols with small acceleration with respect to the xed fast protocols. This approach was conrmed experimentally in a driven Ytterbium ion in a Paul trap[2]. Using this construction we are able to nd shortcuts to an isothermal transformation [3]. Unlike unitary transformations the map changes entropy. After this journey, we are able close a Carnot like cycle in nite time and explore its performance. We are also able to identify the quantum signature of the cycle at very short cycle times [4]. $$ $$ [1] R. Dann, A. Levy, and R. Kosloffff, Physical Review A 98, 052129 (2018). $$ $$ [2] C.-K. Hu, R. Dann, J.-M. Cui, Y.-F. Huang, C.-F. Li, G.-C. Guo, A. C. Santos, and R. Kosloff, arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.00404 (2019). $$ $$ [3] R. Dann, A. Tobalina, and R. Kosloffff, Physical Review Letters 122, 250402 (2019). $$ $$ [4] R. Dann and R. Kosloffff, arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.06946 (2019).

Mathematics; Quantum theory; Statistical mechanics, structure of matter

video/mp4

Author affiliation: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2020-09-05

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75866

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/