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Work extraction from quantum systems with bounded fluctuations in work.

Jonathan G Richens^1,2, Lluis Masanes²

¹Controlled Quantum Dynamics Theory Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.

Nature Communications

|November 26, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

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This study reveals that work fluctuations in thermodynamics can diverge, impacting thermal machine efficiency. Bounding these fluctuations quantifies work content and corrects engine efficiency, like the Carnot efficiency.

Area of Science:

Thermodynamics
Quantum mechanics
Statistical mechanics

Background:

Standard thermodynamics treats work as a random variable, averaging without considering fluctuations.
Large work fluctuations can limit the performance of realistic thermal machines.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how bounding work fluctuations affects thermodynamic quantities.
To quantify work content and work of formation for quantum states with bounded fluctuations.
To derive corrected thermodynamic efficiencies for systems with fluctuation constraints.

Main Methods:

Analysis of work as a random variable in thermodynamic processes.
Quantification of work and work of formation for finite-dimensional quantum states.
Derivation of trade-offs between work magnitude and its fluctuations.

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Main Results:

Demonstrated that work fluctuations can diverge in processes like reversible cooling.
Developed a framework to quantify work and work of formation bounded by a parameter 'c'.
Showed interpolation between standard and minimum free energies by varying fluctuation bounds.
Derived fundamental trade-offs between work and its fluctuations.

Conclusions:

Bounding work fluctuations is crucial for understanding realistic thermal machine performance.
The derived framework provides a method to correct thermodynamic efficiencies, such as Carnot efficiency for qubit heat engines.
This work bridges the gap between theoretical thermodynamics and practical engineering constraints.