Spin Heat Engine Coupled to a Harmonic-Oscillator Flywheel
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2019Access:
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von Lindenfels, D. and Grab, O. and Schmiegelow, C. T. and Kaushal, V. and Schulz, J. and Mitchison, M T. and Goold, J and Schmidt-Kaler, F. and Poschinger, U. G., Spin Heat Engine Coupled to a Harmonic-Oscillator Flywheel, Physical Review Letters, 123, 8, 2019, 080602 - 080608Download Item:
1808.02390.pdf (Accepted for publication (author's copy) - Peer Reviewed) 1.712Mb
Abstract:
We realize a heat engine using a single-electron spin as a working medium. The spin pertains to the valence electron of a trapped ^{40}Ca^{+} ion, and heat reservoirs are emulated by controlling the spin polarization via optical pumping. The engine is coupled to the ion's harmonic-oscillator degree of freedom via spin-dependent optical forces. The oscillator stores the work produced by the heat engine and, therefore, acts as a flywheel. We characterize the state of the flywheel by reconstructing the Husimi Q function of the oscillator after different engine run times. This allows us to infer both the deposited energy and the corresponding fluctuations throughout the onset of operation, starting in the oscillator ground state. In order to understand the energetics of the flywheel, we determine its ergotropy, i.e., the maximum amount of work which can be further extracted from it. Our results demonstrate how the intrinsic fluctuations of a microscopic heat engine fundamentally limit performance.
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http://people.tcd.ie/gooldjhttp://people.tcd.ie/mitchism
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Author: Goold, John; Mitchison, Mark
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Physical Review Letters123
8
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intrinsic fluctuations of a microscopic heat engine, single-electron spin, optical pumpingDOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.080602Licences: