info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Spin heat engine coupled to a harmonic oscillator flywheel
Fecha
2019-08-22Registro en:
von Lindenfels, D.; Gräb, O.; Schmiegelow, Christian Tomás; Kaushal, V.; Schulz, J.; et al.; Spin heat engine coupled to a harmonic oscillator flywheel; American Physical Society; Physical Review Letters; 123; 8; 22-8-2019; 1-6
0031-9007
CONICET Digital
CONICET
Autor
von Lindenfels, D.
Gräb, O.
Schmiegelow, Christian Tomás
Kaushal, V.
Schulz, J.
Mitchison, Mark T.
Goold, John
Schmidt-kaler, Ferdinand
Poschinger, Ulrich Georg
Resumen
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.