Making the Virtual Real: Measurement-Powered Tunneling Engines

TL;DR

This paper introduces measurement-powered quantum tunneling engines that utilize quantum measurements to enable power generation and cooling, demonstrating novel thermodynamic effects driven by measurement in quantum systems.

Contribution

It presents a new class of quantum tunneling engines that harness measurement-induced effects for energy transfer, cooling, and power generation, including autonomous refrigeration and dark state formation.

Findings

Hybrid operation enables simultaneous cooling and power generation.

Measurement-assisted refrigeration driven by thermal bias without external potential.

Observation of a purification-by-noise effect leading to dark states.

Abstract

Quantum tunneling allows electrons to be transferred between two regions separated by an energetically forbidden barrier. Performing a position measurement that finds a particle in the barrier forces the tunneling electrons to transition from having a classically forbidden energy to an energy above the barrier height. We exploit this effect to define quantum tunneling engines that can use the unconditioned detection of virtually occupied states as a resource for power generation and cooling. Leveraging energy exchange with the detector, we show that the device can operate in a hybrid regime, enabling simultaneous cooling and power generation. Furthermore, we demonstrate measurement-assisted autonomous refrigeration and "checkpoint" cooling driven purely by a thermal bias, without the need for an applied potential. We also find a "purification-by-noise" effect when the measurement drives the system into a stationary dark state. These results underscore the intriguing dual role of measurement as a thermodynamic resource and a dark state generator.