Thermodynamic performance of a periodically driven harmonic oscillator correlated with the baths

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermodynamic behavior of a periodically driven harmonic oscillator coupled to two heat baths, revealing how tuning parameters can switch its function among engine, accelerator, or heater, and analyzing system-bath correlations.

Contribution

It introduces a method using thermofield transformation and chain mapping to study the unitary evolution and steady states of such a driven open quantum system.

Findings

System can function as engine, accelerator, or heater depending on parameters.

Steady correlations develop between the system and baths, and among the baths.

Unitary evolution approach enables detailed analysis of steady states and correlations.

Abstract

We consider a harmonic oscillator under periodic driving and coupled to two harmonic-oscillator heat baths at different temperatures. We use the thermofield transformation with chain mapping for this setup, which allows us to study the unitary evolution of the system and the baths up to a time when the periodic steady state emerges in the system. We characterize this periodic steady state, and we show that, by tuning the system and the bath parameters, one can turn this system from an engine to an accelerator or even to a heater. The possibility to study the unitary evolution of the system and baths also allows us to evaluate the steady correlations that build between the system and the baths, and correlations that grow between the baths.