Reversible work extraction in a hybrid opto-mechanical system

With the progress of nano-technology, thermodynamics also has to be scaled down, calling for specific protocols to extract and measure work. Usually, such protocols involve the action of an external, classical field (the battery) of infinite energy, that controls the energy levels of a small quantum...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New journal of physics 2015-05, Vol.17 (5), p.55018
Main Authors: Elouard, Cyril, Richard, Maxime, Auffèves, Alexia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Battery
Devices
Emittance
Emitters
Energy conversion
Energy levels
Hybrid systems
Mechanical oscillators
Mechanical systems
Nanostructure
Optical activity
optomechanics
Physics
quantum optics
Quantum Physics
Quantum theory
quantum thermodynamics
Stores
Thermal baths
Thermodynamics
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Summary:With the progress of nano-technology, thermodynamics also has to be scaled down, calling for specific protocols to extract and measure work. Usually, such protocols involve the action of an external, classical field (the battery) of infinite energy, that controls the energy levels of a small quantum system (the calorific fluid). Here we suggest a realistic device to reversibly extract work in a battery of finite energy : a hybrid optomechanical system. Such devices consist of an optically active two-level quantum system interacting strongly with a nano-mechanical oscillator that provides and stores mechanical work, playing the role of the battery. We identify protocols where the battery exchanges large, measurable amounts of work with the quantum emitter without getting entangled with it. When the quantum emitter is coupled to a thermal bath, we show that thermodynamic reversibility is attainable with state-of-the-art devices, paving the road towards the realization of a full cycle of information-to-energy conversion at the single bit level.
ISSN:1367-2630
1367-2630
DOI:10.1088/1367-2630/17/5/055018