Abstract
Hybrid quantum systems can often be described in terms of polaritons. These are quasiparticles formed of superpositions of their constituents, with relative weights depending on some control parameter in their interaction. In many cases, these constituents are coupled to reservoirs at different temperatures. This suggests a general approach to the realization of polaritonic heat engines where a thermodynamic cycle is realized by tuning this control parameter. Here we discuss what is arguably the simplest such engine, a single qubit coupled to a single photon. We show that this system can extract work from feeble thermal microwave fields. We also propose a quantum measurement scheme of the work and evaluate its backaction on the operation of the engine.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 063852 |
| Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 23 2016 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Cite this
One qubit and one photon : The simplest polaritonic heat engine. / Song, Qiao; Singh, Swati; Zhang, Keye; Zhang, Weiping; Meystre, Pierre.
In: Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Vol. 94, No. 6, 063852, 23.12.2016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - One qubit and one photon
T2 - The simplest polaritonic heat engine
AU - Song, Qiao
AU - Singh, Swati
AU - Zhang, Keye
AU - Zhang, Weiping
AU - Meystre, Pierre
PY - 2016/12/23
Y1 - 2016/12/23
N2 - Hybrid quantum systems can often be described in terms of polaritons. These are quasiparticles formed of superpositions of their constituents, with relative weights depending on some control parameter in their interaction. In many cases, these constituents are coupled to reservoirs at different temperatures. This suggests a general approach to the realization of polaritonic heat engines where a thermodynamic cycle is realized by tuning this control parameter. Here we discuss what is arguably the simplest such engine, a single qubit coupled to a single photon. We show that this system can extract work from feeble thermal microwave fields. We also propose a quantum measurement scheme of the work and evaluate its backaction on the operation of the engine.
AB - Hybrid quantum systems can often be described in terms of polaritons. These are quasiparticles formed of superpositions of their constituents, with relative weights depending on some control parameter in their interaction. In many cases, these constituents are coupled to reservoirs at different temperatures. This suggests a general approach to the realization of polaritonic heat engines where a thermodynamic cycle is realized by tuning this control parameter. Here we discuss what is arguably the simplest such engine, a single qubit coupled to a single photon. We show that this system can extract work from feeble thermal microwave fields. We also propose a quantum measurement scheme of the work and evaluate its backaction on the operation of the engine.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85007035383&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85007035383&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevA.94.063852
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevA.94.063852
M3 - Article
VL - 94
JO - Physical Review A
JF - Physical Review A
SN - 2469-9926
IS - 6
M1 - 063852
ER -