Maximally efficient quantum thermal machines: The basic principles

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that self-contained quantum thermal machines can achieve Carnot efficiency, providing a general analytical framework that simplifies understanding their operation without requiring full solutions.

Contribution

It offers a general analytical approach showing quantum thermal machines can reach Carnot efficiency, simplifying their analysis with fundamental equations.

Findings

Quantum thermal machines can reach Carnot efficiency.

Efficiency can be deduced from simple fundamental equations.

Full analytical solutions are not necessary for understanding efficiency.

Abstract

Following the result by Skrzypczyk et al., arXiv:1009.0865, that certain self-contained quantum thermal machines can reach Carnot efficiency, we discuss the functioning of self-contained quantum thermal machines and show, in a very general case, that they can reach the Carnot efficiency limit. Most importantly, the full analytical solution for the functioning of the machines is not required; the efficiency can be deduced from a very small number of fundamental and highly intuitive equations which capture the core of the problem.