Microscopic Quantum Heat Engine That Outperforms Classical Engines

Researchers have used an ensemble of NV− centers in diamond for implementing different types of quantum heat engines. They have used these to demonstrate the equivalence of the power output of two different engine types, continuous and two-stroke, for small actions. Additionally, they have shown that, for very small actions, the engines produce more power than their classical counterparts, significantly exceeding the stochastic power bound. These measurements constitute the first observation of quantum thermodynamic effects in heat machines.

They hope that this work will motivate further research along at least three lines:

1) Demonstration of quantum effects in other physical of heat machines such as superconducting circuits and ion traps.
2) search of quantum thermal signatures in heat machines based on other quantum agents such as entanglement and quantum discord.

3) Application to the design and development of novel devices such as room-temperature masers. They further hope that this work will be of
interest to other research areas concerned with the role of quantum coherence in the enhancement of work extraction by microscopic heat engines, such as the study of photosynthesis and the
development of solar cells.

Physical Review Letters – Experimental Demonstration of Quantum Effects in the Operation of Microscopic Heat Engines

SOURCE -Arxiv, Physical Review Letters

By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com