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Related Concept Videos

Heat Engines01:10

Heat Engines

2.8K
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...
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Superconductor01:24

Superconductor

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A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
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The Carnot Cycle01:30

The Carnot Cycle

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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...
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Mechanisms of Heat Transfer01:14

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer

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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...
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Types Of Superconductors01:28

Types Of Superconductors

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A superconductor is a substance that offers zero resistance to the electric current when it drops below a critical temperature. Zero resistance is not the only interesting phenomenon as materials reach their transition temperatures. A second effect is the exclusion of magnetic fields. This is known as the Meissner effect. A light, permanent magnet placed over a superconducting sample will levitate in a stable position above the superconductor. High-speed trains that levitate on strong...
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Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II01:20

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II

3.2K
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...
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Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
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Superconducting spintronic heat engine.

Clodoaldo Irineu Levartoski de Araujo1,2, Pauli Virtanen3, Maria Spies1

  • 1NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.

Nature Communications
|June 6, 2024
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a superconducting spintronic heat engine using a novel tunnel junction. This device operates at cryogenic temperatures and demonstrates controllable thermoelectric voltage, enabling a thermoelectric memory cell.

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Quantum Engineering
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Heat engines are crucial for energy conversion, with thermoelectricity offering a pathway for electrical heat engines.
  • Superconducting spintronic devices exhibit strong thermoelectric effects at cryogenic temperatures, outperforming conventional technologies.
  • Existing thermoelectric devices face limitations at very low temperatures, necessitating new approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To realize and characterize a superconducting spintronic heat engine.
  • To investigate the efficiency and thermoelectric properties of a ferromagnetic insulator/superconductor/insulator/ferromagnet tunnel junction.
  • To demonstrate the potential for thermoelectric memory applications.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a ferromagnetic insulator/superconductor/insulator/ferromagnet tunnel junction (EuS/Al/AlOx/Co).
  • Quantification of engine efficiency across a temperature range (25 mK to 800 mK) and varying load resistances.
  • Measurement of thermoelectric voltage with different magnetic layer orientations.

Main Results:

  • Successful realization of a superconducting spintronic heat engine.
  • Demonstrated tunable thermoelectric voltage by altering ferromagnetic layer alignment (parallel vs. anti-parallel).
  • Achieved control over the Seebeck coefficient sign and magnitude, enabling a thermoelectric memory cell function.

Conclusions:

  • The superconducting spintronic heat engine operates effectively at cryogenic temperatures.
  • The device offers a novel approach to thermoelectric energy conversion and memory applications.
  • A theoretical model was developed to explain experimental findings and predict device performance.