Frustrating quantum batteries

TL;DR

This paper explores using a quantum spin chain as a quantum battery, demonstrating that topological frustration enhances energy storage, resilience, and work transfer capabilities against decoherence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum battery model using a frustrated quantum Ising chain and analyzes how topological frustration improves performance and work transfer.

Findings

Frustrated chains show better resilience and energy storage.

Topological frustration enables work transfer, not just heat dissipation.

Charging time is reduced in frustrated quantum batteries.

Abstract

We propose to use a quantum spin chain as a device to store and release energy coherently (namely, a quantum battery) and we investigate the interplay between its internal correlations and outside decoherence. We employ the quantum Ising chain in a transverse field, and our charging protocol consists of a sudden global quantum quench in the external field to take the system out of equilibrium. Interactions with the environment and decoherence phenomena can dissipate part of the work that the chain can supply after being charged, measured by the ergotropy. We find that the system shows overall remarkably better performances, in terms of resilience, charging time, and energy storage, when topological frustration is introduced by setting AFM interactions with an odd number of sites and periodic boundary conditions. Moreover, we show that in a simple discharging protocol to an external spin, only the frustrated chain can transfer work and not just heat.