Occurrence of discontinuities in the performance of finite-time quantum Otto cycles

TL;DR

This paper investigates how finite-time operations in a quantum Otto cycle lead to abrupt changes in optimal work and efficiency, revealing discontinuities influenced by cycle parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of finite-time effects in quantum Otto cycles, highlighting the occurrence of discontinuities in optimal performance parameters.

Findings

Optimal time ratios exhibit sudden discontinuities as cycle parameters vary.

Discontinuities depend on whether net work output or efficiency is optimized.

Finite-time effects significantly impact cycle performance optimization.

Abstract

We study a quantum Otto cycle in which the strokes are performed in finite time. The cycle involves energy measurements at the end of each stroke to allow for the respective determination of work. We then optimize for the work and efficiency of the cycle by varying the time spent in the different strokes and find that the optimal value of the ratio of time spent on each stroke goes through sudden changes as the parameters of this cycle vary continuously. The position of these discontinuities depends on the optimized quantity under consideration such as the net work output or the efficiency.