Engineering dynamical couplings for quantum thermodynamic tasks

Abstract

Describing the thermodynamic properties of quantum systems far from equilibrium is challenging, in particular when the system is strongly coupled to its environment, or when memory effects cannot be neglected. Here, we address such regimes when the system-baths couplings are periodically modulated in time. We show that the couplings modulation, usually associated to a purely dissipative effect when done nonadiabatically, can be suitably engineered to perform thermodynamic tasks. In particular, asymmetric couplings to two heat baths can be used to extract heat from the cold reservoir and to realize an ideal heat rectifier, where the heat current can be blocked either in the forward or in the reverse configuration by simply tuning the frequency of the couplings modulation. Interestingly, both effects take place in the low-temperature, quantum non Markovian regime. Our work paves the way for the use of optimal control techniques for heat engines and refrigerators working in regimes beyond standard approaches.

19 pages, 7 figures

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• Dynamical blockade of a reservoir for optimal performances of a quantum battery
• Finite-time Landauer principle beyond weak coupling
• Hybrid quantum thermal machines with dynamical couplings
• Inelastic thermoelectric transport and fluctuations in mesoscopic system
• Multitask quantum thermal machines and cooperative effects
• Switching the function of the quantum Otto cycle in non-Markovian dynamics: heat engine, heater and heat pump
• Minimal quantum thermal machine in a bandgap environment: non-Markovian features and anti-Zeno advantage
• Dissipation-induced collective advantage of a quantum thermal machine
• Optimal finite-time heat engines under constrained control
• Periodically refreshed quantum thermal machines
• Nonequilibrium work distributions in quantum impurity system-bath mixing processes
• Synchronization-induced violation of thermodynamic uncertainty relations
• Pseudomode treatment of strong-coupling quantum thermodynamics
• Quantum Carnot thermal machines re-examined: Definition of efficiency and the effects of strong coupling
• Efficiency and thermodynamic uncertainty relations of a dynamical quantum heat engine
• Optimal linear cyclic quantum heat engines cannot benefit from strong coupling
• Heat-based circuits using quantum rectification
• Quantum transport phenomena induced by time-dependent fields
• Transient effects in quantum refrigerators with finite environments
• Minimizing Dissipation via Interacting Environments: Quadratic Convergence to Landauer Bound
• Quantum vs Classical Thermal Transport at Low Temperatures
• Universal features of non-analytical energy storage in quantum critical quantum batteries