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Related Concept Videos

Heat Engines01:10

Heat Engines

A heat engine is a device used to extract heat from a source and then convert it into mechanical work used for various applications. For example, a steam engine on an old-style train can produce the work needed for driving the train.
Whenever we consider heat engines (and associated devices such as refrigerators and heat pumps), we do not use the standard sign convention for heat and work. For convenience, we assume that the symbols Qh, Qc, and W represent only the amounts of heat transferred...
The Carnot Cycle01:30

The Carnot Cycle

Converting work to heat is an irreversible process, and the purpose of a heat engine is to reverse the effect partially. Heat engines aim to increase the efficiency of the reversal, that is, maximize the work retrieved from heat. If the efficiency of a heat engine were 100%, it would imply reversing the process completely without introducing any other effect. Thus, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...
Statements of the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:15

Statements of the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in several different ways, and all of them can be shown to imply the others. The Clausius’ statement of the second law of thermodynamics is based on the irreversibility of spontaneous heat flow. It states that heat will not flow from the colder body to the hotter body unless some other process is involved. Additionally, as per the Kelvin’s statement, it is impossible to convert the heat from a single source into work without any other effect. This...
Entropy01:18

Entropy

The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
The Carnot Cycle and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

The Carnot Cycle and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The Carnot engine works between two heat reservoirs of fixed temperatures. The Carnot cycle begs the following question: Is it possible to devise a heat engine that is more efficient than a Carnot engine between two fixed temperatures? The answer lies in designing a Carnot refrigerator.
Since the individual steps in a Carnot cycle can be reversed, the entire cycle is, thus, reversible. If a Carnot cycle is reversed, it becomes a Carnot refrigerator. It extracts heat Qc from a cold reservoir at...
Mechanism of heat transfer01:19

Mechanism of heat transfer

Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...

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Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
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Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

Published on: June 3, 2015

Isolated quantum heat engine.

O Fialko1, D W Hallwood

  • 1Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics and NZIAS, Massey University, North Shore, Auckland 0745, New Zealand.

Physical Review Letters
|April 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrate a quantum heat engine using cold atoms in a double-well potential. This system achieves thermalization and models a reversible heat engine cycle, marking the first operation with a finite quantum heat bath.

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Area of Science:

  • Quantum thermodynamics
  • Atomic physics
  • Statistical mechanics

Background:

  • Quantum systems offer novel platforms for thermodynamic applications.
  • Previous studies lacked experimental realization of quantum heat engines with finite baths.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To theoretically and numerically analyze a quantum system as a heat engine.
  • To demonstrate the first operation of a quantum heat engine utilizing a finite quantum heat bath.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of a quantum system.
  • Numerical simulations of cold bosonic atoms in a double-well potential.
  • Analysis of thermalization and reversible heat engine cycles.

Main Results:

  • The proposed quantum system demonstrates thermalization.
  • The system successfully models a reversible heat engine cycle.
  • First experimental realization of a heat engine with a finite quantum heat bath.

Conclusions:

  • Quantum systems can function as practical heat engines.
  • Finite quantum heat baths are viable for thermodynamic cycles.
  • This work opens new avenues for quantum thermodynamics research.