Phys.org December 28, 2020
An international team of researchers (Japan, Ukraine, USA – University of Michigan) has experimentally demonstrated the quantum version of the heat engine which uses an electron in a transistor. The electron has two possible energy states. The team could increase or decrease the gap between these energy states by applying an electric field and microwaves. This can be analogous to the periodic expanding–compressing operation of a fluid in a chamber. The device also emitted microwaves when the electron went from the high-energy level to the lower one. By monitoring whether the upper energy level was occupied, the team first demonstrated that the nanodevice could act as either a heat engine or as a refrigerator. They also showed that the nanomachine could act as both at the same time, which is a purely quantum effect. The researchers confirmed this by looking at the occupancy of the upper energy level, which combined to create a characteristic interference pattern as predicted by theory. This ability could help create novel applications with such systems in the future…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract, Credit: Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 166802, 15 October 2020