Thermal conductance at the superradiant phase transition in the quantum Rabi model

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the superradiant phase transition in the quantum Rabi model affects heat transport, revealing a phase transition signature in thermal conductance, with implications for quantum heat device development.

Contribution

It demonstrates the manifestation of the superradiant phase transition in thermal conductance within the quantum Rabi model, linking phase transition physics to heat transport.

Findings

Superradiant phase transition influences thermal conductance.

Thermal conductance shows distinct behavior at the phase transition.

Potential for quantum heat device applications.

Abstract

The quantum Rabi model exhibits a superradiant phase transition when the coupling becomes strong, even though it involves only two components: a two-level atom and a single bosonic mode. This phase transition is referred to as a finite-component quantum phase transition, in contrast to conventional phase transitions in many-body systems. In this Letter, we investigate heat transport across an atom embedded in bosonic modes, modeled by the quantum Rabi model, between two thermal baths. We found a manifestation of the superradiant phase transition in the thermal conductance, which represents the linear response to a temperature bias. Our Letter can be helpful for the development of quantum heat devices utilizing controllable finite-component quantum phase transitions.