The Brownian gyrator: a minimal heat engine on the nano-scale

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Brownian gyrator, a minimal nano-scale heat engine driven by thermal noise from two heat baths, demonstrating how it can generate torque and perform work at the microscopic level.

Contribution

It presents a theoretical model of a Brownian particle acting as a minimal heat engine influenced by two heat baths, highlighting its ability to produce torque and dissipate energy.

Findings

The Brownian gyrator can generate a systematic torque.

It operates as a minimal heat engine at the nano-scale.

The model demonstrates energy conversion driven by thermal noise.

Abstract

A Brownian particle moving in the vicinity of a generic potential minimum under the influence of dissipation and thermal noise from two different heat baths is shown to act as a minimal heat engine, generating a systematic torque onto the physical object at the origin of the potential and an opposite torque onto the medium generating the dissipation.