Performance bound for quantum absorption refrigerators

Abstract

An implementation of quantum absorption chillers with three qubits has been recently proposed, that is ideally able to reach the Carnot performance regime. Here we study the working efficiency of such self-contained refrigerators, adopting a consistent treatment of dissipation effects. We demonstrate that the coefficient of performance at maximum cooling power is upper bounded by 3/4 of the Carnot performance. The result is independent of the details of the system and the equilibrium temperatures of the external baths. We provide design prescriptions that saturate the bound in the limit of a large difference between the operating temperatures. Our study suggests that delocalized dissipation, which must be taken into account for a proper modelling of the machine-baths interaction, is a fundamental source of irreversibility which prevents the refrigerator from approaching the Carnot performance arbitrarily closely in practice. The potential role of quantum correlations in the operation of these machines is also investigated.

9 pages, 5 figures; published version

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• Single ion heat engine with maximum efficiency at maximum power
• Vanishing quantum discord is necessary and sufficient for completely positive maps
• Minimal universal quantum heat machine
• Coefficient of performance at maximum figure of merit and its bounds for low-dissipation Carnot-like refrigerators

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