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arXiv · 1408.4617

An all-optical nanomechanical heat engine

Andreas Dechant·Nikolai Kiesel·Eric Lutz
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Abstract

We propose and theoretically investigate a nanomechanical heat engine. We show how a levitated nanoparticle in a harmonic optical trap inside an optical cavity can be used to realize a Stirling cycle in the underdamped regime. The all-optical approach enables fast and exible control of all the thermodynamical parameters and the effcient optimization of the performance of the engine. We develop a systematic optimization procedure to determine optimal driving protocols. We further perform numerical simulations with realistic parameters and evaluate the maximum power and the corresponding effciency.

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cond-mat.stat-mechphysics.opticsquant-ph

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BibTeXRIS

Andreas Dechant, Nikolai Kiesel, Eric Lutz. 2014-08-20. An all-optical nanomechanical heat engine. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.114.183602

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