https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05798-5
Regular Article
The asymmetric quantum Otto engine: frictional effects on performance bounds and operational modes
1
School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, 02455, Seoul, Korea
2
Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), 34126, Daejeon, Korea
3
Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università degli Studi dell’Insubria, via Valleggio 11, 22100, Como, Italy
4
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy
5
Fritz Haber Research Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
6
The Laboratory for Quantum Gravity & Strings, Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
7
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy
8
NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, P.zza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa, Italy
9
Basic Science Program, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 34113, Daejeon, Korea
Received:
30
August
2024
Accepted:
4
November
2024
Published online:
24
November
2024
We present a detailed study of an asymmetrically driven quantum Otto engine with a time-dependent harmonic oscillator as its working medium. We obtain analytic expressions for the upper bounds on the efficiency of the engine for two different driving schemes having asymmetry in the expansion and compression work strokes. We show that the Otto cycle under consideration cannot operate as a heat engine in the low-temperature regime. Then, we show that the friction in the expansion stroke is significantly more detrimental to the performance of the engine as compared to the friction in the compression stroke. Further, by comparing the performance of the engine with sudden expansion, sudden compression, and both sudden strokes, we uncover a pattern of connections between different operational points. Finally, we analytically characterize the complete phase diagram of the Otto cycle for both driving schemes and highlight the different operational modes of the cycle as a heat engine, refrigerator, accelerator, and heater.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
