Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators

Thermodynamics is a branch of science blessed by an unparalleled combination of generality of scope and formal simplicity. Based on few natural assumptions together with the four laws, it sets the boundaries between possible and impossible in macroscopic aggregates of matter. This triggered groundbr...

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Main Authors: Correa, Luis A., Palao, José P., Alonso, Daniel, Adesso, Gerardo
Format: Article
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2014
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47226/
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author Correa, Luis A.
Palao, José P.
Alonso, Daniel
Adesso, Gerardo
author_facet Correa, Luis A.
Palao, José P.
Alonso, Daniel
Adesso, Gerardo
author_sort Correa, Luis A.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Thermodynamics is a branch of science blessed by an unparalleled combination of generality of scope and formal simplicity. Based on few natural assumptions together with the four laws, it sets the boundaries between possible and impossible in macroscopic aggregates of matter. This triggered groundbreaking achievements in physics, chemistry and engineering over the last two centuries. Close analogues of those fundamental laws are now being established at the level of individual quantum systems, thus placing limits on the operation of quantum-mechanical devices. Here we study quantum absorption refrigerators, which are driven by heat rather than external work. We establish thermodynamic performance bounds for these machines and investigate their quantum origin. We also show how those bounds may be pushed beyond what is classically achievable, by suitably tailoring the environmental fluctuations via quantum reservoir engineering techniques. Such superefficient quantum-enhanced cooling realises a promising step towards the technological exploitation of autonomous quantum refrigerators.
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spelling nottingham-472262020-05-04T16:43:26Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47226/ Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators Correa, Luis A. Palao, José P. Alonso, Daniel Adesso, Gerardo Thermodynamics is a branch of science blessed by an unparalleled combination of generality of scope and formal simplicity. Based on few natural assumptions together with the four laws, it sets the boundaries between possible and impossible in macroscopic aggregates of matter. This triggered groundbreaking achievements in physics, chemistry and engineering over the last two centuries. Close analogues of those fundamental laws are now being established at the level of individual quantum systems, thus placing limits on the operation of quantum-mechanical devices. Here we study quantum absorption refrigerators, which are driven by heat rather than external work. We establish thermodynamic performance bounds for these machines and investigate their quantum origin. We also show how those bounds may be pushed beyond what is classically achievable, by suitably tailoring the environmental fluctuations via quantum reservoir engineering techniques. Such superefficient quantum-enhanced cooling realises a promising step towards the technological exploitation of autonomous quantum refrigerators. Nature Publishing Group 2014-02-04 Article PeerReviewed Correa, Luis A., Palao, José P., Alonso, Daniel and Adesso, Gerardo (2014) Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators. Scientific Reports, 4 . 3949/1-3949/9. ISSN 2045-2322 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep03949 doi:10.1038/srep03949 doi:10.1038/srep03949
spellingShingle Correa, Luis A.
Palao, José P.
Alonso, Daniel
Adesso, Gerardo
Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title_full Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title_fullStr Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title_full_unstemmed Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title_short Quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
title_sort quantum-enhanced absorption refrigerators
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47226/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47226/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47226/