Adiabatic processes realized with a trapped Brownian particle.

Area of Science:

• Thermodynamics
• Statistical Mechanics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Adiabatic processes are crucial for micro- and nanoengines but experimentally challenging at the microscale.
• Isolating Brownian particles from environmental fluctuations hinders micro adiabatic process implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally realize a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process.
• To develop protocols for conserving entropy in systems with changing volume and temperature.
• To investigate the role of overdamped versus underdamped descriptions in adiabatic processes.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a trapped Brownian particle to simulate a microscopic system.
• Designing a protocol to conserve system entropy by simultaneously altering volume and temperature.
• Comparing overdamped and underdamped theoretical models with experimental results.

Main Results:

• Successful experimental realization of a microscopic quasistatic adiabatic process.
• Demonstration that the underdamped description is essential for vanishing average heat flux.
• Analytical expressions for fluctuating heat and entropy distributions derived and experimentally verified.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocols pave the way for creating microscopic engines with Carnot efficiency.
• This work overcomes experimental limitations in implementing adiabatic processes at the microscale.
• The findings provide a foundation for future advancements in microscopic thermodynamics and engine design.