Finite time thermodynamics for a single level quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper explores the finite time thermodynamics of a quantum dot system, deriving optimal protocols for work extraction and energy level manipulation using quantum master equations, revealing discontinuous jumps at protocol boundaries.

Contribution

It introduces a method to determine optimal finite-time control protocols for a single-level quantum dot, highlighting the presence of discontinuous jumps at the start and end of the process.

Findings

Optimal protocols involve discontinuous jumps at boundaries.

Derived from quantum master equations for maximum work extraction.

Protocols minimize work expenditure during energy level raising.

Abstract

We investigate the finite time thermodynamics of a single-level fermion system interacting with a thermal reservoir through a tunneling junction. The optimal protocol to extract the maximum work from the system when moving the single energy level between an initial higher value and a final lower value in a finite time is calculated from a quantum master equation. The calculation also yields the optimal protocol to raise the energy level with the expenditure of the least amount of work on the system. The optimal protocol displays discontinuous jumps at the initial and final times.