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Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
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Stochastic heat engine using an active particle.

Aradhana Kumari1, P S Pal2, Arnab Saha3

  • 1Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835215, India.

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Summary
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This study shows that active particles enhance microscopic Stirling engine performance. Increasing particle activity boosts efficiency, even in non-equilibrium conditions, offering improved thermodynamic work extraction.

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Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Microscopic Systems

Background:

  • Microscopic heat engines are increasingly researched for work extraction.
  • These engines utilize thermal and active fluctuations.
  • Active particles, capable of self-propulsion, offer unique thermodynamic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the performance of a microscopic Stirling's engine using an active particle as the working substance.
  • To analyze the impact of particle activity on engine efficiency and operational characteristics.
  • To determine the optimal operating conditions for enhanced engine performance.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of a microscopic Stirling's engine with an active particle.
  • Simulations to verify analytical predictions.
  • Analysis of efficiency variations with activity strength and temperature differences.

Main Results:

  • The presence of activity significantly enhances engine performance.
  • Efficiency improves with increased activity strength across all cycle times, including non-quasistatic regimes.
  • Analytical results show excellent agreement with simulation data.

Conclusions:

  • Active particles are a promising approach to improve microscopic heat engine efficiency.
  • The study identifies optimal operating regions based on efficient power.
  • A model emulating a flywheel driven by this engine is presented.