Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies
Relativistic quantum systems exhibit unique features not present at lower energies, such as the existence of both particles and antiparticles, and restrictions placed on the system dynamics due to the light cone. In order to understand what impact these relativistic phenomena have on the performance...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac2756 |
| _version_ | 1797750064686301184 |
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| author | Nathan M Myers Obinna Abah Sebastian Deffner |
| author_facet | Nathan M Myers Obinna Abah Sebastian Deffner |
| author_sort | Nathan M Myers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Relativistic quantum systems exhibit unique features not present at lower energies, such as the existence of both particles and antiparticles, and restrictions placed on the system dynamics due to the light cone. In order to understand what impact these relativistic phenomena have on the performance of quantum thermal machines we analyze a quantum Otto engine with a working medium of a relativistic particle in an oscillator potential evolving under Dirac or Klein–Gordon dynamics. We examine both the low-temperature, non-relativistic and high-temperature, relativistic limits of the dynamics and find that the relativistic engine operates with higher work output, but an effectively reduced compression ratio, leading to significantly smaller efficiency than its non-relativistic counterpart. Using the framework of endoreversible thermodynamics we determine the efficiency at maximum power of the relativistic engine, and find it to be equivalent to the Curzon–Ahlborn efficiency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:28:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-491266137f1c416eb37e4638ae6310f6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:28:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-491266137f1c416eb37e4638ae6310f62023-08-08T15:38:05ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302021-01-01231010500110.1088/1367-2630/ac2756Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energiesNathan M Myers0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9903-2859Obinna Abah1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0193-4860Sebastian Deffner2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0504-6932Department of Physics, University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States of America; Computer, Computational and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States of AmericaCentre for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast , BT7 1NN, United Kingdom; Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle, School of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics, Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United KingdomDepartment of Physics, University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States of America; Instituto de Física ‘Gleb Wataghin’, Universidade Estadual de Campinas , 13083-859, Campinas, São Paulo, BrazilRelativistic quantum systems exhibit unique features not present at lower energies, such as the existence of both particles and antiparticles, and restrictions placed on the system dynamics due to the light cone. In order to understand what impact these relativistic phenomena have on the performance of quantum thermal machines we analyze a quantum Otto engine with a working medium of a relativistic particle in an oscillator potential evolving under Dirac or Klein–Gordon dynamics. We examine both the low-temperature, non-relativistic and high-temperature, relativistic limits of the dynamics and find that the relativistic engine operates with higher work output, but an effectively reduced compression ratio, leading to significantly smaller efficiency than its non-relativistic counterpart. Using the framework of endoreversible thermodynamics we determine the efficiency at maximum power of the relativistic engine, and find it to be equivalent to the Curzon–Ahlborn efficiency.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac2756quantum heat enginerelativistic quantum mechanicsquantum thermodynamics |
| spellingShingle | Nathan M Myers Obinna Abah Sebastian Deffner Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies New Journal of Physics quantum heat engine relativistic quantum mechanics quantum thermodynamics |
| title | Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies |
| title_full | Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies |
| title_fullStr | Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies |
| title_short | Quantum Otto engines at relativistic energies |
| title_sort | quantum otto engines at relativistic energies |
| topic | quantum heat engine relativistic quantum mechanics quantum thermodynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac2756 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nathanmmyers quantumottoenginesatrelativisticenergies AT obinnaabah quantumottoenginesatrelativisticenergies AT sebastiandeffner quantumottoenginesatrelativisticenergies |