The Quantum Absorption Refrigerator

TL;DR

This paper investigates the fundamental limits of quantum absorption refrigerators driven by noise, analyzing how their cooling power diminishes as the cold bath approaches absolute zero, consistent with thermodynamic laws.

Contribution

It provides explicit expressions for cooling power under Gaussian and Poisson noise and quantifies the third law's implications for quantum refrigerators.

Findings

Cooling power vanishes as T_c^{d+1} when T_c approaches 0

Model aligns with the first and second laws of thermodynamics

Quantifies the third law for quantum absorption refrigerators

Abstract

A quantum absorption refrigerator driven by noise is studied with the purpose of determining the limitations of cooling to absolute zero. The model consists of a working medium coupled simultaneously to hot, cold and noise baths. Explicit expressions for the cooling power are obtained for Gaussian and Poisson white noise. The quantum model is consistent with the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The third law is quantified, the cooling power J_c vanishes as J_c proportional to T_c^{alpha}, when T_c approach 0, where alpha =d+1 for dissipation by emission and absorption of quanta described by a linear coupling to a thermal bosonic field, where d is the dimension of the bath.