Dynamical Casimir effect and minimal temperature in quantum thermodynamics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the dynamical Casimir effect prevents reaching absolute zero temperature in quantum thermodynamic cycles, highlighting fundamental limits in cooling quantum systems.

Contribution

It reveals that the dynamical Casimir effect imposes a fundamental limit on cooling quantum systems to absolute zero, even with infinite cycles.

Findings

Dynamical Casimir effect is unavoidable in finite-time cycles.

Absolute zero temperature cannot be achieved due to this effect.

Limits apply even with infinite thermodynamic cycles.

Abstract

We study the fundamental limitations of cooling to absolute zero for a qubit, interacting with a single mode of the electromagnetic field. Our results show that the dynamical Casimir effect, which is unavoidable in any finite-time thermodynamic cycle, forbids the attainability of the absolute zero of temperature, even in the limit of an infinite number of cycles.