Heat transport and rectification via quantum statistical and coherence asymmetries

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum statistical properties, coherence, and interactions influence heat transport and rectification in nanoscale systems, revealing conditions for rectification and temperature-dependent conductance behaviors.

Contribution

It provides a general expression for quantum heat flow considering quantum statistics and coherence asymmetries, expanding understanding beyond the Landauer formula.

Findings

Heat rectification occurs even with symmetric couplings if baths differ in quantum statistics or coherence.

Thermal conductance vanishes exponentially at low temperatures, similar to Coulomb blockade.

At high temperatures, conductance follows a power-law depending on quantum statistics.

Abstract

Recent experiments at the nanoscales confirm that thermal rectifiers, the thermal equivalent of electrical diodes, can operate in the quantum regime. We present a thorough investigation of the effect of different particle exchange statistics, coherence, and collective interactions on the quantum heat transport of rectifiers with two-terminal junctions. Using a collision model approach to describe the open system dynamics, we obtain a general expression of the nonlinear heat flow that fundamentally deviates from the Landauer formula whenever quantum statistical or coherence asymmetries are present in the bath particles. Building on this, we show that heat rectification is possible even with symmetric medium-bath couplings if the two baths differ in quantum statistics or coherence. Furthermore, the associated thermal conductance vanishes exponentially at low temperatures as in the Coulomb-blockade effect. However, at high temperatures it acquires a power-law behavior depending on the quantum statistics. Our results can be significant for heat management in hybrid open quantum systems or solid-state thermal circuits.