How much work can a quantum device extract from a heat engine? |
| TYPE | Theor./Math. Physics Seminar |
| Speaker: | Dr David Gelbwasser |
| Affiliation: | Weizmann |
| Date: | 17.11.2013 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Location: | Lewiner Seminar Room (412) |
| Abstract: | The second law of thermodynamics makes an essential difference between heat and work. Work can be completely transformed to heat in a cyclic process, yet the opposite is not true. While at the classical level there is a standard and well established definition of work, this is not the case at the quantum level. If two quantum systems exchange energy, how is it divided into work and heat? This question has important implications on the limits that thermodynamics sets to the performance of quantum devices, in particular to quantum heat machines. |