Quantum energy exchange and refrigeration: A full-counting statistics approach

TL;DR

This paper develops a full-counting statistics framework to analyze energy exchange and refrigeration in multi-terminal quantum systems, ensuring thermodynamic consistency and demonstrating a minimal quantum absorption refrigerator.

Contribution

It introduces a novel full-counting statistics approach for multi-terminal quantum systems with cooperative reservoir interactions, extending the theoretical understanding of quantum thermodynamics.

Findings

Confirmed fluctuation theorem for heat exchange

Demonstrated a minimal quantum absorption refrigerator

Validated thermodynamic consistency of the formalism

Abstract

We formulate a full-counting statistics description to study energy exchange in multi-terminal junctions. Our approach applies to quantum systems that are coupled either additively or non-additively (cooperatively) to multiple reservoirs. We derive a Markovian Redfield-type equation for the counting-field dependent reduced density operator. Under the secular approximation, we confirm that the cumulant generating function satisfies the heat exchange fluctuation theorem. Our treatment thus respects the second law of thermodynamics. We exemplify our formalism on a multi-terminal two-level quantum system, and apply it to realize the smallest quantum absorption refrigerator, operating through engineered reservoirs, and achievable only through a cooperative bath interaction model.