Quantum heat engine based on level degeneracy

TL;DR

This paper investigates a quantum Stirling engine utilizing energy level degeneracy, demonstrating how information about particle positions influences work extraction and efficiency, with specific calculations for different particle types at low temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum heat engine model based on level degeneracy and shows how information can be converted into work without measurement, extending understanding of quantum thermodynamics.

Findings

Efficiency approaches Carnot limit at low temperatures

Work can be extracted without measurement of particle position

Different particle types yield varying work outputs at low temperatures

Abstract

We study a quantum Stirling cycle which extracts work using quantized energy levels of a potential well. The work and the efficiency of the engine depend on the length of the potential well, and the Carnot efficiency is approached in a low temperature limiting case. We show that the lack of information about the position of the particle inside the potential well can be converted into useful work without resorting to any measurement. In the low temperature limit, we calculate the amount of work extractable from distinguishable particles, fermions, and bosons.