Work and energy gain of heat-pumped quantized amplifiers

TL;DR

This paper studies heat-pumped quantum amplifiers, revealing that their power output depends on the quantum state's ability to store work, while energy gain remains unaffected by the quantum state.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of heat-pumped quantum amplifiers, highlighting the role of quantum state in power generation distinct from energy gain.

Findings

Power generation depends on the quantum state's work capacity

Energy gain is insensitive to the quantum state

Analogies and differences with masers are discussed

Abstract

We investigate heat-pumped single-mode amplifiers of quantized fields in high-Q cavities based on non-inverted two-level systems. Their power generation is shown to crucially depend on the capacity of the quantum state of the field to accumulate useful work. By contrast, the energy gain of the field is shown to be insensitive to its quantum state. Analogies and differences with masers are explored.