Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025
09:23
Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
14.7K
Quantum-parametric-oscillator heat engines in squeezed thermal baths: Foundational theoretical issues
Onat Arısoy1, Jen-Tsung Hsiang2, Bei-Lok Hu3
1Chemical Physics Program and Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
Physical Review. E
|February 23, 2022
Summary
This study investigates quantum Otto engines using a single quantum parametric oscillator and the Hu-Paz-Zhang master equation. It focuses on foundational issues in open and squeezed quantum systems, rather than efficiency improvements.
Area of Science:
- Quantum thermodynamics
- Quantum open systems
- Quantum Brownian motion
Background:
- Quantum engines offer potential for novel thermodynamic cycles.
- Understanding quantum open systems is crucial for their development.
- The Hu-Paz-Zhang (HPZ) master equation provides an exact framework for quantum Brownian motion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine foundational issues in quantum Otto engines.
- To explore theories of quantum open and squeezed systems within the Otto cycle.
- To establish a robust theoretical foundation for continuous-variable quantum engines.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a single quantum parametric oscillator operating in an Otto cycle.
- Employed the exact non-Markovian Hu-Paz-Zhang (HPZ) master equation.
- Analyzed non-Markovian regimes, non-adiabatic modulations, strong coupling, and phase junction conditions.
Main Results:
- Investigated non-Markovian dynamics in low-temperature baths.
- Examined system behavior under non-adiabatic frequency changes and strong coupling.
- Addressed the critical junction conditions between engine phases.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a theoretical framework for quantum Otto engines.
- It covers a broad parameter space, including non-Ohmic baths and strong coupling.
- The findings aim to support future explorations of quantum engine efficiency.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Heat Engines
3.1K
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...
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...
3.1K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
4.8K
Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature difference, heat transfer occurs. It may occur rapidly, such as through a cooking pan, or slowly, such as through the walls of a picnic ice box. So many processes involve heat transfer that it is hard to imagine a situation where no heat transfer occurs. Yet, every heat transfer takes place by only three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
4.8K
01:30The Carnot Cycle
3.2K
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...
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...
3.2K
01:15Statements of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
4.2K
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...
4.2K
01:20Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
3.5K
In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the buoyancy of warm air and water, transfer hot air from the tropics toward the poles and cold air from the poles toward the tropics. The Earth’s rotation interacts with those flows, causing the observed eastward flow of air in the temperate zones. Convection dominates heat transfer by air, and the amount of available space for the airflow...
3.5K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
676
Heat transfer between the human body and its environment occurs through four main mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
676